PickMe Explore Activates ‘Momo’ Naming Initiative

PickMe Explore brought families closer to one of Colombo’s newest attractions by supporting the public naming initiative for the Dehiwala National Zoological Gardens’ baby Nile hippopotamus, now officially named “Momo”, another step towards unifying the experiences through Colombo Connect.

Evolved from PickMe Events, PickMe Explore is the company’s broader platform for discovering attractions, activities and experiences. Colombo Connect operates within Explore as its city-focused initiative, linking people with places and experiences across the capital.

The hippo naming programme demonstrated how that connection can extend beyond discovering or visiting an attraction to actively participating in its story.

Following an invitation by the Department of National Zoological Gardens for the public to propose names, PickMe created a dedicated activity within Explore. Users could submit a suggested name and their contact details through the app, enabling entries to be collected and organised digitally before being handed over to the Department for consideration.

More than 500 suggestions were submitted through PickMe Explore. Together with entries received directly by the zoo, nearly 1,000 suggestions from children were considered in the overall competition, with the Department selecting the winning name.

Young Avandha Tamari, who first proposed “Momo”, was recognised at a ceremony held at the Zoo on 1 October to mark World Children’s Day. Deputy Minister of Environment Anton Jayakody presented the awards, while PickMe sponsored a mountain bicycle for the winner.

PickMe CEO Jiffry Zulfer said the company’s involvement was intended to help the Department widen participation and manage the initiative more effectively. “Our role was to make it easier for families to take part and for the Department to collect and organise the responses. There was no commercial interest in our involvement. We used the reach and capability of PickMe Explore to support a public initiative and help the Zoo engage with its visitors in a new way.” Zulfer added the programme also demonstrated the purpose of Colombo Connect within the wider Explore platform. “Colombo Connect is about bringing the city’s attractions, experiences and people closer together.

That does not always have to begin with a transaction. Sometimes it can begin with participation, giving a child the opportunity to name a baby hippo and become part of the story of a much-loved public institution,” he added.

Digital participation also allowed submissions to be processed more efficiently than under a traditional paper-based competition.

“With a conventional naming competition, entries may have to be completed by hand, posted and then processed individually. A digital platform makes it easier to collect responses, identify popular suggestions and understand participation. We gathered the information through Explore and handed it over to the Department, which made the final selection,” Zulfer said.

PickMe Explore has expanded from its origins as an event-ticketing service into a platform connecting users with attractions, public activities, sporting events and city experiences. Its current offerings include access to the Colombo Lotus Tower and ticket purchases for the recently concluded Colombo International Book Fair.

Within that broader Colombo Connect initiative, PickMe Explore focuses specifically on improving the way people discover, access and engage with Colombo. The naming initiative shows how it can also help public institutions reach new audiences and turn a familiar attraction into a shared experience.

For the Dehiwala Zoo, the collaboration gave families another convenient way to participate in welcoming its newest animal family member. A board at the hippo viewing area now acknowledges the public naming initiative and PickMe Explore’s sponsorship.

Momo has already attracted considerable attention among children and visitors, and the Department of National Zoological Gardens has invited families to visit the zoo and meet its newest attraction.