Wildlife Plaza serves as both a shaded open-air event venue and one of the zoo’s most technically dynamic animal ambassador demonstration spaces. Located opposite the Helen and Arthur E. Johnson Animal Hospital, the plaza offers guests views of African wild dogs, cape buffalo, and Rudy the black rhino while functioning as a flexible platform for education, storytelling, and private events.

During daytime hours, the plaza hosts a wide range of animal ambassador programs. Three stages were designed to operate independently or in combination, allowing the education team to tailor experiences to audience size and content. Smaller, intimate encounters can take place on the secondary stages, while larger presentations anchor the main stage. The system also supports multi-stage demonstrations—such as birds flying between perches—where audio must follow the action seamlessly across the space.

Technically, these are among the most complex demos on campus. Presentations often require live vocal reinforcement, music playback, triggered sound effects, and intentional spatialization to enhance storytelling. Designing for this level of flexibility demanded a carefully distributed loudspeaker system capable of routing, combining, or isolating audio between stages without sacrificing clarity.

With numerous wireless microphones in operation—often simultaneously—frequency coordination was critical. We worked closely with the zoo’s teams to ensure reliable RF performance in an environment that regularly hosts overlapping events, large crowds, and dynamic animal movement.

All of this capability is unified through the zoo’s standardized iPad control interface. The custom interface includes an automatic microphone mixer—with manual override when needed—ensuring smooth transitions between presenters. Dedicated buttons allow staff to trigger PA announcements, such as inviting guests to a demonstration beginning in five minutes, along with curated music playlists and sound effects. Operators can also control spatialization effects and dynamically combine or divide audio between stages, enabling seamless transitions from intimate encounters to full-plaza productions.

Denver Zoo - Wildlife Plaza

Client:
Denver Zoo