CERM PI at Adelaide University is a leader in customer experience and operational performance research, with over 30 years of experience delivering robust, evidence-based benchmarking tools for cultural and public spaces.
Their Visitor Experience Surveys have supported botanic gardens across Australia and New Zealand for more than two decades, providing participating gardens with independent evidence to improve visitor experiences and benchmark performance.
The 2026 benchmarking program will provide participating gardens with practical insights to support planning, decision-making and advocacy, while also contributing to a stronger understanding of the health and performance of the botanic garden sector.
What they offer
The Botanic Gardens Visitor Experience Survey provides a comprehensive suite of insight tools, developed in partnership with each garden:
- Bespoke survey design tailored to your garden’s context, aligned with a consistent benchmarking framework
- Flexible data collection options, including online and on-site approaches
- A detailed report with clear, actionable insights on visitor experience, behaviours, and outcomes
- Benchmarking against other participating gardens using established national standards
- For returning gardens, comparison with previous survey results provides valuable insights into changes in visitor perceptions and visitor experience over time
- An optional interactive results dashboard, enabling you to view and filter data by visitor demographics, supporting more targeted services, planning, and marketing decisions
New in 2026: Operational Management Survey
In 2026, they are introducing a new Operational Management Survey, designed to complement visitor insights with a deeper understanding of how gardens operate.
The survey will capture comparable data across key operational areas, including finance (revenues and expenses), workforce, consumables, communications, cultural engagement, accessibility, and sustainability.
Why participate:
- Identify best practices across comparable gardens
- Support strategic planning and decision-making within your organisation
- Strengthen advocacy for funding and resourcing through robust, sector-backed evidence
- Understand how your garden compares in practical, day-to-day terms:
- Are our budgets aligned with similar-sized gardens, or are we under or over-resourced?
- How do our key costs (e.g. energy, water, chemicals) compare to others?
- Are we delivering a similar volume of programs, events, and workshops, or are there missed opportunities for engagement or revenue?
- Where are there opportunities to improve efficiency or reallocate resources?
By building a comprehensive and comparable dataset, the survey will ensure that future benchmarks, insights, and recommendations are grounded in real sector data, ultimately benefiting all participating gardens.
Join in 2026
They are inviting BGANZ members to participate in the 2026 survey cycle. Participation offers:
- A tailored and professionally delivered research program
- Reliable benchmarking to inform planning, investment, and performance tracking
- Evidence to support stakeholder reporting and funding applications
- Deeper insight into both visitor experience and operational performance
Price: AUD 3,000 (ex GST) per garden (standard fee AUD 5,500).
This exclusive BGANZ member rate is available through a collaborative benchmarking cohort of approximately 20 participating gardens, making comprehensive operational and visitor benchmarking accessible at significantly reduced cost. Participating gardens will receive robust benchmarking, practical insights and evidence to support internal planning, stakeholder reporting and sector-wide improvement.
How to get involved
To participate in the 2026 benchmarking program, including the Visitor Experience Survey and/or the inaugural Operational Management Survey cohort, please contact: Olly Townson CERM PI, Adelaide University (08) 8302 5389 olly.townson@adelaide.edu.au
