Turning Guesswork Into a Growth Strategy
160 Voices. Four Reports. One Data-Driven Roadmap.
The Communications Group led a nine-month, multi-method research initiative that replaced assumptions with evidence, giving Winthrop Rockefeller Institute leadership the confidence to plan its next chapter.
History
The Winthrop Rockefeller Institute (WRI) is a retreat and conference destination on Petit Jean Mountain, known for hosting leadership programs, corporate retreats and events in one of Arkansas's most distinctive settings. As WRI prepared for a major master facilities planning process, leadership wanted more than instinct guiding the way — they wanted objective insight into customer needs, the planner experience, and where future investment would deliver the greatest return.
Rather than relying on assumptions, WRI partnered with The Communications Group (ComGroup) to lead a comprehensive market research initiative that would provide the data needed to support confident, long-term decision-making.
The Challenge
WRI needed to understand its market position and customer experience with precision — not guesswork — before committing to major facility investments. Leadership wanted answers to fundamental questions: What do event planners actually value about WRI? Where does the planner journey break down? How does WRI compare to competing venues? And what would move the needle most for future growth? Without that clarity, any planning decision risked being a costly guess.
The Solution
Over nine months, ComGroup designed and executed a multi-method research program to evaluate the complete event planner journey — from initial awareness through repeat bookings.
By combining qualitative and quantitative research with competitive intelligence, digital analysis and operational data, we built a comprehensive picture of customer perceptions, market positioning and opportunities for future growth.
The project resulted in four comprehensive reports totaling 158 pages of analysis, culminating in a board-level strategic presentation that helped guide WRI's future planning and investment decisions.
Research by the Numbers
- 160 research participants
- 48 staff members across 4 internal focus groups
- 15 in-depth interviews with event planners
- 19 planner focus group participants across two facilitated sessions
- 78 quantitative survey respondents — 82% of them organizational decision-makers or influencers
- Analysis of 3 years of CRM data across 19 Salesforce reports
- Competitive benchmarking of 18 regional venues
- A full website, SEO and digital experience audit of 356 webpages
- 4 ethnographers documenting 155 customer experience observations
Results at a glance
160
Research Participants
158
Pages of analysis
356
Webpages Audited
18
Competing Venues Benchmarked
WRI's leadership team walked away with a research-backed framework for making strategic decisions with confidence. The engagement delivered:
- A deeper understanding of customer needs, motivations and decision-making
- Validation of key organizational strengths and competitive advantages
- Actionable insights to improve customer experience and operational effectiveness
- A clearer picture of future market opportunities
- Data-driven guidance to support facility planning and organizational investment
- A shared strategic framework for aligning marketing, operations and customer experience
Most importantly, the research shifted decision-making from intuition to evidence — giving WRI the confidence to prioritize future initiatives based on what customers actually need, not assumptions about what they might want.Most importantly, the research shifted decision-making from intuition to evidence — giving WRI the confidence to prioritize future initiatives based on what customers actually need, not assumptions about what they might want.
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