The Forks Survey Results
September 21, 2006
I have recently been invited to the Waterfront Centre annual conference as guest speaker to tell the story of The Forks. We have won a number of design awards and the Waterfront Centre wants to showcase some of the best waterfront developments in North America. Obviously we are delighted to tell our story and showcase The Forks and Winnipeg. So I will be heading off to Portland Oregon with power point presentation in hand.
Throughout the year we are often contacted to share information on The Forks and how it has evolved since its inception in 1987. Over the years we have had visitors from many Canadian cities tour the site and meet with our management group. Most recently we have sent information to a private developer in the USA with contacts in Winnipeg who see Forks as a model for a downtown project they are working on in a mid-sized US city.
It is always interesting and fun to discuss The Forks with others and to share the Winnipeg experience.
And the Winnipeg experience is seen as a very positive one by those that visit the site, both visitors to Winnipeg and locals who drop by, many on a regular basis.
This summer we carried out a survey of 600 visitors and the following provides some highlights of the survey. General satisfaction with patron’s experiences at The Forks continues to be very high, with more than nine out of 10 concluding that they were satisfied including 60% who reported being very satisfied. Only 3% stated they did not have a satisfactory experience.
Visitors continue to be happy with the service provided by merchants at The Forks Market with 90% being satisfied and 40% being very satisfied. Satisfaction with parks and green space is very high (86% being satisfied), and satisfaction with food and beverages provided by restaurants is at 81%. Satisfaction of fast food is at 79%, clothing, art and jewelry is 76%, museums and historic attractions is 73%.
Almost half of those interviewed have visited The Forks six times or more in previous six months, and approximately three-quarters are residents of Winnipeg and surrounding areas. About one-half of visitors stay for up to two hours, while more than one-third stay for two to three hours.
The majority of visitors (85%) walk around the site and visit various attractions with only 7% going directly to one destination. And 69% visit The Forks in winter as well as summer, with the key activities being skating (30%), eating in restaurants (18%), walking (17%) and shopping (15%).
Ninety five percent believe that The Forks is well managed and 36% say it is very well managed, 5% want more concerts and special events, 9% more shops and restaurants, and 6% better parking.
Almost three out of four say the Skateboard Park is a positive addition to The Forks site, with 12% who do not think it is a positive addition and 8% not sure and another 8% unaware of the project.
So all in all we are pleased with the results and know that we need to keep working hard to ensure that high standards are maintained. The point of the survey is to get a better understanding of the attitudes and opinions of those who visit the site. We often hear when things are not acceptable to the public or to individuals and, on some occasions, I will receive call complimenting our staff on a job well done. But the survey instrument helps get a clear picture of what our visitors think. And this helps us do a better job.
Jim August
CEO
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