2018 Year in Review at Riverbanks Zoo

2018 was a year for the books and we are so thankful for each of our clients that chose Riverbanks to host their event!

In 2018, we had the honor of hosting 334 private events with a total of 35,219 guests! Since we host a variety of private events, we’ve crunched some numbers and found that we hosted…

• 44 Weddings

• 6 College Events with 1,620 guests total

• 63 Corporate Meetings

• 34 Corporate Picnics with 13,856 guests total

• 15 Corporate Receptions

• 23 Holiday Parties

Teamwork Made the Dream Work – Catering, Private Events, making your event special!

This year we promoted a few known faces as well as welcomed a few new faces to our team!

• In January, our Assistant Catering Manager, Noelle, was promoted to Catering Manager. Prior to her joining our team in April 2017, as the Assistant Catering Manager, Noelle brought with her four years of catering experience and a true appreciation for executing events and working with clients to ensure an enjoyable experience.
• Justin Wessinger was promoted from Catering Captain to Catering Assistant Manager and we had a new chef join our team! Brian Cox came from being the Executive Chef at various Country Clubs in SC.
• Our Event Sales Manager, Morgan Schau, was promoted to Sales Director. Her hard work and determination over the last four years has boosted interest in our corporate sector of the department over her time here the last four years.

New at the Zoo

Being one of the top Zoo’s in the country and South Carolina’s largest gated attraction, Riverbanks continues to grow and look for ways to offer new experiences to our guests each day. Here are a few new things (and all the babies!) you may notice on your next trip here:

• We currently have three lion cubs that are almost one year old, out on the exhibit with their mom and dad, Thabisa and Zuri. On October 7^th, mother Lindelani welcomed two more lion cubs to our Riverbanks Pride!
• In April, baby Amelia the Giraffe was born. Watching her prance around the exhibit with her long legs was definitely one of the cutest highlights of 2018.
• The first of two baby Lowland Gorillas was born in June. Mom, Kazi, birthed male, ZaKota. Mom, Macy, gave birth to another lowland gorilla on October 17^th. We’re patiently awaiting the news on what the gender is!
• We opened up a new concession stand that doubles as a fun bar add-on for events that take place in the Ndoki Lodge. Love draft beer? With 6 taps, the Watering Hole Bar Package is a must have for your event.

Private Event Highlights from the Year

Corporate Events, Company Picnics, a unique and very special Birthday Party

We find joy in working with each and every client and making their event one of a kind. We’d tell you about each one of them if we could, but for now, here are a few we’ve selected to share.

• We hosted our largest corporate event company picnic this summer, totaling at about 2,800 guests! This worldwide company chose to have their employee Family Fun Day with us over the span of two days. They chose our Classic Picnic menu (which truly is a classic… burgers, hot dogs, baked beans, YUM!) and decided to add on an Explore More Card for each family to use throughout the Zoo on attractions, concession stands, or to buy all your Riverbanks Zoo & Garden merchandise in our Gift Shop.
• We also had the honor of hosting a very unique and special 100^th birthday party for Ms. Clara Bryan on July 4^th. Guests enjoyed light hors d’oeuvres from a custom menu we helped create to celebrate this momentous occasion. Along with a birthday party, one her son’s surprised her with an up-close and personal encounter with Riverbanks’ oldest creatures, the Galapagos Tortoises! We didn’t know this before, but apparently these century old creatures love to have their neck scratched.
• Another highlight from this summer was hosting a Park Rental for a well-known Financial Institution that allowed all employees and guests in attendance exclusive access to Riverbanks Zoo, after park hours. To name a few items, their menu featured Beef Wellington, Crab Cakes, and a Mac n’ Cheese Action Station. They also brought in a band and a photo booth, offering the opportunity for many memorable photos. We hear their guests were raving about this unique corporate event for weeks and we’re so glad we had the chance to be a part of it.

We enjoy looking back on the great year that 2018 was, but we cannot wait to see what 2019 brings. We already have 79 events on our calendar for 2019, and we can’t wait to help this year’s clients’ ideas come to life. Interested in booking an event this year, or even in 2020? Contact us a (803)-602-0900 or planyourevent@riverbanks.org