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BCBUSINESS.CA DECEMBER/JANUARY 2017 BCBUSINESS 41 Vancouver Aquarium did not put money up front, paying off its capital investment from a share of future dividends.) The contract, which went into effect in August 2015, covers all aspects of run- ning the institution: animal care, main- tenance, cleaning, restoration, food and beverage, marketing, finance, commu- nications, conservation, research and education. Meléndez explains that while theme parks are often controlled by hedge funds, which make speculative investments and demand quick returns, Aguas de Valencia has the capacity to make long-term investments. Fortified by this patient capital, Avanqua has commit- ted to investing 25 million euros over the 15-year renewable contract, with a goal of increasing visitor numbers from 1.1 mil- lion to at least 1.3 million annually. Meléndez, now deputy manager of Avanqua, points to several features of the reinvented Oceanogràfic that have been lifted straight from Vancouver. One of those was storytelling, both in the galler- ies and online. "I would say the tendency in Europe is a bit more old-fashioned," he says. "How do you explain what you have to the public? In Vancouver you come and everybody has a microphone and they are very active and that is something that improves the visitor experience by far and it's relatively cheap." Ocean- ogràfic's Arctic Gallery was now been "re-skinned," with walls covered in text, photos and screen displays about the people and animals of the Arctic and the threats they face from climate change. Other changes include the creation of La Fundación Oceanogràfic—a paral- lel nonprofit arm dedicated to research, conservation and outreach, which can solicit outside donors—and extended operational hours at Oceanogràfic. "In the first years, somebody was ashamed about doing weddings in the aquarium, because they said 'This is not serious,'" explains Meléndez. "But in the end, what you want is money to do research and conservation. In this sense Van couver is a master lesson. They perform 200 events a year. We said: This model has to be copied." But perhaps most significantly—and one of the reasons for Dolf DeJong's secondment to Valencia—Oceanogràfic has also begun to emulate Vancouver Aquarium's approach to public engage- ment. The Valencia aquarium already had a turtle rescue program, in which staff members rescue eggs from beaches and work with fishermen to under- stand the dangers facing turtles—but as Meléndez notes, "We did this pro- gram in the past, but we didn't involve people." Staff began organizing turtle release events, for the public or with local schools, to highlight the aquari- um's work. "These kids that are involved in this action, whenever in the next months they see a turtle coming out of the water, they will understand that there's an opportunity to keep away." In April 2016, after more than half a year in Spain, Dolf DeJong went to another turtle release event. The tur- tles are tagged with satellite trackers so that anyone can follow their journey on Oceanogràfic's website. He knew that turtles previously cared for in the aquarium were doing well. He picked one up, carried it across the beach and set it down on the sand. The animal crawled into the water and swam away. ■ THE EDGE IS HERE In the talent that drives powerful ideas In the urgency to innovate for a healthy, sustainable world In creativity and breakthroughs today for a better tomorrow In solutions that matter to people, places and the planet you'll find it—the UVic Edge. uvic.ca/PartnerWithUs