Emerald Park - Business of the fortnight

Tayto Park is Irelands only Theme Park and Zoo.

For us, being located in Meath offers a wide variety of advantages, especially for us as a visitor attraction! Having our base in close proximity to Dublin means that we really do have the best of both worlds; our visitor attraction is accessible to a large portion of the Irish population residing in Dublin as well as the tourist market drawn to the capital. But at the same time, we are also in a position to enjoy the primary benefits of Meath such as the space to expand paired with low levels of traffic and a number of close dormitory towns providing us well for staffing and a local customer base, many of which avail of our membership options. In addition to this, our site in Kilbrew specifically, is situated on a well-connected road network, we are nestled a convenient distance just off the N2 and N3. As such, we are linked to customers all across the country as well as Norther Ireland, not to mention a short drive from the airport also, making Tayto Park an accessible day-trip destination for most of Ireland.

The park officially opened adjacent to the established premises in Kilbrew and began trading as a modest attraction in 2010.

To put it simply Tayto Park is a very unique product within the Irish market. We provide a premium experience like no other and try our best to cater to the interests of all visitor demographics. We provide a wide selection of experiences and entertainment available for visitors to enjoy upon entry. We try our best to deliver upon all these elements at the highest possible standard and with a high level of customer service. From a trip to Tayto Park, visitors can expect thrilling, state-of-the-art themed attractions and we are one of Irelands leading accredited zoo collections home to some of the most magnificent animal ambassadors. Tayto Park really does have a wide appeal! We aim to have something for the whole family so that visitors leave feeling they have had a memorable experience, a day full activity and ultimately, an unmatched value for money

In order to operate successfully in within a community, we feel that you need to be a part of that community. With this in mind, for us, joining the Meath Chamber was all about being active contributors to our community. We have found that the Meath Chamber has been the best way to meet and engage with likeminded businesses’, and especially in times of challenge such as the pandemic, it is undeniable that being a well-connected business stands to you. Businesses always function better as a collective, working together to inspire and support one another. In building these relationships we can plan for the future and build services which complement one another to draw in trade and boost the local economy.

Yes, there are some short-term projects currently in motion. We recently received planning permission for attraction developments taking place over the course of the next 4 years. In addition to this, we have been working on a 10-year plan, culminating in accommodation for guests on site. So, we are anticipating an exciting growth phase for the business over the course of the next few years!

Tayto Park is still very much a growing service, we are constantly updating our product and have continued reinvestment back into the business. We aim to provide new and exciting experiences, giving customers a reason to come back! To help steer us we are constantly engaging with our customers to further improve our visitor experience. We want to know what our guests wants, so part of this process involves monitoring guest experience though surveys, mystery shoppers and feedback submissions. We engage in regular reviewal process taking this customer experience data on board.

Like everyone in the service industry we have been heavily affected by Covid-19. In the past 18 months we have hugely invested in our product to ensure guests can continue to attend our venue, have a good time but also have the peace of mind that we are doing everything to provide a safe environment for not only our them but for our staff and animal collection also. To note just a few of the investments and changes to procedure we have made since the Covid-19 outbreak: we now carry out routine temperature checking upon entry for staff and visitors, we have overseen the instillation of over 100 hand sanitization stations plus the addition of screens at till points, we have expanded our outdoor eating facilities with a vast number of picnic tables and also providing a larger area of covered outdoor seating. This, in addition to many other internal protocols and policies have enabled us to reopen in a way that guests can be safe on our premises while also having a fun day out which is something that had been sorely missed by many families. As we approach the end of our summer season, we are delighted to reflect that our service has been able to reopen and provide some outdoor recreation and respite to our guests during a very stressful time.