BUILD AN ADVENTURE PARK
ArborTrek provides the opportunity for established tour operators, parks, resorts, museums, zoos, and land owners with wooded property or unique terrain located near tourist destinations or in heavily populated areas to enter into the emerging eco-adventure park market with the business experience, course management and operation systems, and design experience necessary to be successful.
Whether you’re seeking a design build option with business consulting or full management services, ArborTrek is prepared to explore a variety of options and enter into short and long-term agreements.
OVERVIEW
The pinnacle of the ArborTrek brand, zip line canopy tours combine the thrill of flying with friendly guides and a truly immersive environmental experience. It is no wonder canopy tours appeal to such a broad market. A typical canopy tour is comprised of a series of zip lines and aerial walkways that traverse from tree to tree, ground to tree, or tree to ground depending on the local topography. While most of the transfer platforms are aloft in trees, course layouts often include landing or takeoff at a ground platform and some trail segments. Guides tailor the experience according to the wishes of each group, adjusting the amount of attention given to informative talks on natural history and ecology, or simply allowing for a purely recreational activity.
DEMOGRAPHICS
- Market Segmentation: Young & Free, Middle-Income and Affluent Family, Baby Boomers, and Active Seniors
- Restrictions: Ages 8 and older; Weight: 70 to 250 lbs.
LOCATIONS
Zip line canopy tours are enhanced by wild places, distinctive topography, and locations of historical and environmental significance. 20-40 acres of healthy, mature woodlands, or topographically-interesting terrain with 60 to 800 feet in elevation change are generally necessary.
TECHNICAL DATA
- Duration: 1.5 to 3.0 hours
- Avg. Price: $75.00 to $150.00/person (depending on market)
- Avg. Annual Attendance: 10,000 to 30,000
TYPICAL COURSE FEATURES
- Timber-framed or steel-framed platforms designed to expand to accomodate tree growth; frames have a 15- to 30-year lifespan.
- Attachment systems with proven, tree-friendly record
- Designed to meet the most recent version of the ACCT standards, ASTM, or jurisdictional requirement
- High user engagement with high revisitation rate
- Smart-belay, conitnuous attachment system for participants and staff
- Full-body harnesses and helmets
EXAMPLE LOCATION
TREETOP ADVENTURE PARKS
OVERVIEW
Slide, balance, jump, crawl, dash, swing, or stroll. Adventure parks combine the novelty of being high above the ground with physical challenges. Popular in Europe for many years, Adventure Parks blend static high ropes course elements with zip lines, climbing walls, bridges, and occasionally via ferrata.
A variety of course models exists, ranging from fully-guided explorations to semi-guided and self-guided adventures. From pole-based courses located at your local zoo or beachfront to multi-stage tree-based adventure parks that blend challenge elements with the opportunity to explore the wild, the possibilities are nearly endless.
Treetop Obstacle Course and Adventure Park designs can be tailored to a range of experiences from outings that require only moderate exertion and allow participants to traverse and explore the canopy to physically demanding and emotionally challenging aerial obstacle courses that beckon participants to return and improve their performance (akin to climbing gyms).
DEMOGRAPHICS
- Market Segmentation: Young & Free, Middle-Income and Affluent Family, Baby Boomers, and Active Seniors
- Restrictions: Ages 8 and older; Weight: 70 to 250 lbs.
LOCATIONS
Adventure Parks and Treetop Obstacle Courses are enhanced by reasonably dense forests or, in the case of steel and pole courses, sites with distinctive topography and good views.
TECHNICAL DATA
- Duration: 1.5 to 3.0 hours
- Number of Elements: 20 to 150+
- Land: 3 – 10 acres
- Avg. Price: $20.00 to $75.00/person (depending on market and scope of project)
- Avg. Annual Attendance: 20,000 to 40,000
TYPICAL COURSE FEATURES
- Timber-framed or steel-framed platforms designed to expand to accomodate tree growth; frames have a 15- to 30-year lifespan.
- Attachment systems with proven, tree-friendly record
- Designed to meet the most recent version of the ACCT standards, ASTM, or local jurisdictional requirements
- High user engagement with high revisitation rate
- Smart-belay, conitnuous attachment system for participants and staff
- Full-body harnesses and helmets
EXAMPLE LOCATION
ADVENTURE CHALLENGE PROGRAMS
OVERVIEW
Adventure challenge programs, commonly referred to as adventure-based team building, ropes courses, or Experience-Based Training and Development (EBTD), are generally comprised of a series of high and low elements. In this case, high elements may include aerial trekking, tree climbing, or traditional high ropes course elements.
Low ropes and group initiatives courses are comprised of real and imaginary ground-based obstacles that present physical, mental, and emotional challenges which invite a group to explore teamwork strategies and demonstrate for themselves the importance of planning, cooperation, and communication.
The success of a group in meeting the challenges of an initiatives sequence depends not only upon individual strengths but also upon creativity, tenacity, strategic planning, shared risk-taking, the allocation of resources, and the ability to create a climate in which individuals are able to trust each other and in which each member’s contributions are recognized and valued. In the process, members should discover their collective power to meet the ongoing challenge of work in other settings.
Trained facilitators lead groups of up to 15 participants per facilitator through a sequence of events, generally lasting in length 2.5 to 6 hours in length. Facilitators tailor the experience to meet the educational, developmental, or recreational needs of each particular group.
Common program goals include forming new groups, assimilating new members into a group, building positive group relationships, addressing specific behavioral issues, performance coaching and assessment, interpersonal and small group development skills, and leadership development.
DEMOGRAPHICS
- Market Segmentation: Youth Groups, Religious Organizations, Non-Profit Organizations, Teams, School Groups, Corporations, Professional Groups, Families
- Restrictions: Ages 10 and older; Weight limits: TBD
LOCATIONS
Adventure challenge programs can be located indoors or out, in heavily wooded terrain, or on open fields. In general, the terrain around the element should be relatively flat and free of obstacles and hazards. Activities should be placed far enough from one another to prevent contagion or distractions for group members.
TECHNICAL DATA
- Duration: 2.5 to mulit-day programs
- Number of Elements: 12 to 30
- Land: 3 – 20 acres
- Avg. Price: $20.00 to $60.00/person for school, youth, and community groups; corporate programs priced separately
- Avg. Annual Attendance: 20,000 to 40,000
TYPICAL COURSE FEATURES
- 12 to 16 constructed obstacles with some duplicates to manage large groups
- 20 to 30 portable elements stored on of off site
- Conversation circles for program briefing and group discussion
EXAMPLE LOCATION
OTHER ADVENTURE CONCEPTS
OVERVIEW
It’s no longer just enough to “Wow” participants with a great experience. Today’s travelers have ever more demanding schedules and their expectations of tour outfitters and operators have increased. Customers are looking for a one-stop-shop.
Our other concepts are designed to supplement programming, provide diversity in experiences, and keep guests coming back. The following are just a few of the concepts we have experience in implementing.
AVAILABLE CONCEPTS
- Adventure-based teambuilding
- Experience-based training and development (EBTD)
- Adventure races/team competitions
- Tree Climbing
- Rock Climbing
- Giant Swings
- Off-Road Segways
- Free Falls/Jumps
- Mountain Biking
LOCATIONS
Location needs can vary greatly depending on the activity.
TOP REASONS TO PARTNER WITH ARBORTREK
1. THE BUSINESS EXPERIENCE TO SUCCEED.
With more than 28 years of experience managing traditional challenge courses and adventure parks, designing and installing courses, and surveying the market, ArborTrek’s senior staff have the skill to develop a course and program that will meet your business needs. After 13 years of double-digit growth, the aerial adventure park market in the United States and Canada has grown to exceed one billion dollars annually. The days of “build it and they will come” are gone. Success requires the right plan and the right course. We can help!
2. EXTENSIVE BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT EXPERIENCE.
Our management team and corporate partners have years of experience growing businesses inside and out of the adventure tourism market. Our principals and partners have helped to design, build, and grow many of the most popular canopy tours and adventure parks in North America and are ready for a new challenge… to grow ArborTrek into the premier provider of zip line canopy tours and aerial adventure parks in North America.
3. MORE CUSTOMERS.
Depending on location and proximity to a tourist destination or urban area, ArborTrek tours will draw between 15,000 and 30,000 customers per year after the first year. Our market studies show that tours will regularly draw guests from as far a 4.0 to 5.0 hours drive. By establishing a chain of tours, we seek to draw and attract customers to a brand they can trust, increasing repeat business and market draw.
4. MORE THAN AMUSEMENT.
ArborTrek tours are more than pure amusement. They are designed to help customers escape the rush of the every day, experience nature, bond with other members in their group, and step outside of their comfort zones. At the end of a tour, it’s not enough for us that a customer simply enjoyed the tour and wants to come back; we want them to feel connected and to leave having learned more about themselves, their group, and the world around them.
5. CHANGE IS COMING. WE ARE PREPARED.
Since 2005, the zip line canopy tour market in the United States and Canada has grown at incredible rates. With the boom has come new technologies, new hardware, and new challenges. In the Fall of 2012, the ASTM F-24 group published new standards that heavily impacted the way zip line tours and aerial adventure parks are constructed. This is just the tip of the iceberg. States are now individually regulating courses leading to increased expenses to operators and significantly higher construction costs. ArborTrek’s management team is abreast of these changes and has been working hard to develop new systems that better manage risk, improve the customer experience, promote good practices, and more effectively manage operations. Further, our connections in the industry and ability to perform much of the work in-house greatly reduce the initial expenses of construction and support our efforts to operate profitably in a more challenging environment.
6. EXQUISITE DESIGN. GREEN FOCUS.
Each build is a unique creation. Whether designing a canopy tour in trees or an adventure course in a city park, we believe that the quality of craftsmanship and design enhances the user experience and creates value. While any course built in a natural setting will have an impact on the environment, we take pride in our ability to work with the environment to create a program that is sustainable and educates the public on the impacts of the project. Our courses are designed to immerse participants into a novel environment and to foster an appreciation for that environment. Green building techniques and efforts are core to this tenant.
7. IT MAKES GOOD BUSINESS SENSE.
Plain and simple, professional management makes good business sense. Through economy of scale and experience, we are able to provide systems for reservations, operations, staff development, marketing, maintenance, and management that are unavailable to a stand-alone business and that take significant time and cost to develop. Our systems reduce risk, improve the user experience, and put the hard work in our hands so that you can focus on your core business or just relax.
8. OUR PARKS GENERATE MORE REVENUE.
Our parks generate more revenue. Depending on whether you are seeking income from the start or looking for a larger pay-off in the long run, we offer partnership agreements that will generate direct revenue. In the case of resorts and other attractions, our tours also generate the potential for significant ancillary revenue from lodging, food, and beverage.
9. WE ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT WHAT WE DO.
Here at ArborTrek, we are passionate about adventure, zip lines, fitness, and business. We love what we do and it shows in how we serve our customers, how we work with the environment, and how we run our business.
10. WE DELIVER AN OUTSTANDING EXPERIENCE.
Not all eco-adventure parks are built the same. We take great pride in our courses, our ability to work with the environment, and the experiences that we deliver. We encourage prospective operators to join us in the trees to experience the difference.
GET STARTED
For more information about our business development services or to build a park, please reach out to us by completing our business development form or by calling Michael Smith at (248) 481-2568 between 9am and 7pm ET. At this time, ArborTrek is only pursuing ventures inside the United States of America.