b'64 ONT CONCESSIONS We wanted to reduce things that haveFootage was captured by teamstook a space and dedicated it to a totally potential for physical breakage, but stillof professional divers inside thedifferent purpose where the goal wasnt craft an experience, Watanabe says.188,000-gallon aquarium at the Scienceto drive revenue.The overriding objective was to inspireCenter in downtown Los Angeles.Speaking from ONTs perspective, and stimulate curiosity, per the CentersContent created specifically for ONTGrey says the new Science Center area mission statement. passengers and visitors features talldovetails with the disruptor mindset the strands of kelp, anemones, leopardairport has had for the past couple years. Dark, Quiet and Peaceful sharks, moray eels, spiny lobsters andAnd although revenue is not the focus, it When designing content for the newmore. Temperatures in the viewing spacehas come into play. There is a statistic that space, Watanabe and his staff focused onare kept about 10 degrees cooler thansays for every 1% of happiness created providing respite to busy travelers.the concourse to make the experiencefor your passengers, there is a direct 1% We started thinking about what aneven more immersive.increase in potential revenue, she explains. airport environment really is and we justWatanabe explains that the kelp forestAnd we have actually seen that.kind of started throwing out descriptors.exhibit is designed to be more engagingGrey reports that passenger dwell time in Airports are noisy, busy, fast-paced, andthan didactic. We are trying to piqueTerminal 4 increased slightly after the new can even be a little bit chaotic if you areviewers curiosity and encourage themexhibit space opened last spring. There running late for a flight. So we wanted toto seek out knowledge on their own, hehas also been a notable surge in usage of intentionally create a very stark contrast,explains, adding that a strong emotionalONT+, a program that allows non-ticketed he explains. response is highly correlated withvisitors to enjoy the airports post-security Instead of bright, noisy, and bustling,memory retention. When you create aamenities. Specifically, the number of gate museum staff opted for dark, quiethigh degree of interest and engagement,passes issued in Terminal 4 jumped from and peaceful. The first exhibit, a virtualit is going to trigger somebody to find out950 in May 2024 to 1,300 in June 2024 aquarium, really leans into that designmore about [what they are viewing]. We(the first full month of operation for the new objective. From the comfort of bespokewant to elicit that emotional response exhibit space) and 1,500 in July 2024. 360-degree seating, passengers can enjoylike an appetizer, or a teaser. Then hopefully that is enough of a hook to getLogically, increased dwell time and the soothing sights and sounds of anthem interested either to seek out moremore non-ticketed visitors create underwater kelp forest, like those locatedinformation about the subject matter oradditional sales opportunities for off the nearby Pacific coast. But thats notjust about the Science Center in general. concessionaires. This prompted ONT to where video for the exhibit was shot. diversify the type of amenities located Costs & Benefits along its main passenger corridors, which of Engagement then led to an increase in concessions Watanabe estimates the Science Centerrevenue, Grey explains. spent about $125,000 building out itsPeople are coming in early and small satellite space at ONT. they are going to concession spaces That doesnt encapsulate any of thebefore going into the California Science design work that our own staff put into itCenter and relaxing in a really calming or shooting footage in the tank, he adds.environment, she says. LEADER OF We knew this was a great opportunity toHelping visitors relax seems to be the AIRFIELD create a partnership and to get our nameprimary focus for the airport. In fact, the a little bit further out from our primaryspaces low lights and soothing sights and CLEANING metro market. We decided this is worthsounds make it a de facto sensory room for SOLUTIONS our time and we put our own people on itsome patrons. We actually see passengers to bring it to fruition. take a break there from just the hustle and Improving Performance, bustle of getting through the terminal and Prioritizing Safety, Driving Cost In addition, Watanabe applauds Efficiency, and Promoting getting past security, Grey notes. Sustainability at airports ONT for dedicating valuable high-traffic worldwide. space in one of its terminals to a non- While the airport certainly enjoys how Our Products:Runway Rubber Remover commercial venture. Instead of chasingpassengers and visitors are responding Paint Removers a little bit more money out of a lease andto its new amenity, the desire to be a Mold and Mildew Removers revenue agreement, Ontario is dedicatingdisruptor is still strong.We are actually Concrete & Building CleanersRust Removers & Aircraft Cleaners some space to something experiential,already working on what the next exhibit Free Trial Samples on all Products and I think this is pretty conceptuallyis going to be, she says. unique within the industry, he says. ISo stay tuned. Its sure to behave seen a number of things that Ontarioanother blockbusteror should weC V has done to differentiate themselves, butsay Netflix? 54al0l -U4s50-8375 wiwsiwt O.auerr oWgerebesnit.eusnothing quite like this, where they really July | August 2025AirportImprovement.com'