AAVEA’s monthly live chats are back. For our opening session, we welcomed Two Oceans Aquarium’s Guest Experience Manager, Alichia Nortje – 21 years at the same attraction, which tells you something about both the place and the person. The session theme was simple: Lessons Learnt, Insights Gained.

Three practical lessons worth carrying into your own operation, regardless of your size or sector.

Know your peak and protect it. For Two Oceans Aquarium, over 27% of annual paying visitors arrive in December and January. This is common amongst attractions; super-peak periods can account for 20-30% of annual visitation numbers. This period therefore requires active attention and management, and may call for operational decisions that differ from the rest of the year in order to maximise the visitor experience.

During the festive period, the Aquarium extends its public operating hours from 09:00 to 19:00, recognising that peak demand requires a different approach than the rest of the year.

Your quiet hours are a pricing problem, not a demand problem. Shortly after Covid, a front‑of‑house team member noticed a clear daily pattern,  once school groups departed mid‑afternoon, the aquarium consistently emptied out with little to no demand in the late afternoon.  The result was the “After Three” special, a discounted late‑entry ticket designed to activate otherwise dead hours. The offer quickly turned underutilised time into a steady flow of visitors, drawing in locals, first‑time visitors who were happy to trade a shorter visit for better value.

But the lesson runs both ways. When peak season approached, Two Oceans Aquarium chose to block out the After Three Special during holiday period, not because it wasn’t performing, but because onsite logistics and queues became harder to manage. Sometimes the smartest move isn’t launching a promotion but knowing when to pause it. Good pricing can drive demand; good judgment protects the experience.

Underutilised space is an opportunity. During the 2025 summer holidays, Two Oceans Aquarium made smart use of its conferencing facilities, which are usually closed over the festive period, by hosting the Ocean Photographer of the Year Exhibition for the first time in Africa.

The impact was meaningful. The exhibition created a calm, visually rich space that offered a refreshing contrast to the aquarium’s typically high‑energy, family‑focused environment. It added perceived value without requiring an additional ticket and gave visitors something world class to discover and enjoy.

There was a learning curve, though. Despite good signage and activation efforts, visitor flow didn’t always behave as planned. Some hands‑on guidance was needed, and additional staff were quickly brought in to help direct visitors through the space. It was a timely reminder that real‑world visitor behaviour often challenges design assumptions, and that flexibility needs to be built into the plan.

The best knowledge in this industry sits with the people running it daily. Join us for the next live chat on Thursday, 21 May at 2pm. Free and open to all.