Spoiler Alert: Inside Arival Edinburgh’s Experiential Sessions

“We’re storming the castle!” Last month, Stephen Joyce and I visited Edinburgh in bonnie Scotland, and embarked on a mad quest to sample as many experiences as possible in the short time we were there. 

We did it all for YOU, of course. (Well, also for us.) But we are so excited about Arival | Activate Edinburgh later this year, that we simply couldn’t wait to experience it ourselves. 

Experiences are, after all, what Arival is all about: the tours, activities, and attractions, the things people do when they get there, the Best Part of Travel. And it should be obvious, but Arival — “THE Event for In-Destination Experiences” — needs more… well, experiences.

So for Arival | Activate Edinburgh, we’re leaning into experiences, first with a full day dedicated to experiences with Edinburgh’s attractions and tours, on 23 November, followed by hands-on, immersive, experiential learning sessions held at a number of iconic and innovative attractions around the city on Sunday 24 November. We checked some of these out on our trip, so here’s a few highlights from our “Edinburgh Escape,” and a few things you can look forward to if you’re joining us in November!

Kicking Off Arival | Activate Edinburgh With Experiential Learning

Before we get to the experiences themselves, here’s an overview of what the experiential learning sessions are all about. Taking place on the first morning of Arival | Activate Edinburgh,  attendees will be welcomed to select one session to explore in-depth at one of Edinburgh’s top attractions or during a designated walking tour led by a top local tour operator. 

These hosted sessions are designed for interactive topic discussion, engagement, and collaborative learning. As a participant you will have the opportunity to dive deep into your chosen theme, learning from local experts, sharing insights and experiences with your peers in a dynamic, real-world setting. You’ll have the opportunity to ask questions, share your experiences, discuss challenges, uncover opportunities for business enhancement, and more.

Crafting Unforgettable Visitor Experiences: In Royal Style, or In Obscurity!

You don’t have to be invited by royalty to have this unforgettable experience (anymore). Taking place aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia and the Fingal Hotel, this session will explore the art of creating exceptional and engaging visitor experiences that lead to happy customers, glowing recommendations and 5-star reviews. 

If immersive experiences and instagrammable photo ops are more your style, Camera Obscura will definitely be your jam. The brilliant minds behind this top attraction will also be hosting an experiential session on this topic, inside their World of Illusions. 

Innovative Experience Design: With a Dram of Whisky or Two! 

You don’t have to be a scotch drinker or a whisky enthusiast to enjoy the Johnnie Walker  Princes Street experience, and that’s kind of the point. Johnnie Walker Princes Street is one of Scotland’s most popular experiences and a landmark in Scotch whisky tourism. In this session you’ll discover how top attractions design innovative tours to diversify their offerings and to provide unique experiences that engage and delight a diverse range of guests. 

This session will showcase creative strategies and approaches to developing unique tour experiences that make a lasting impression and ensure relevance to new audiences when the changing cultural and lifestyle trends mean that the customer always wants something new and different. 

Designing Experiences with a Social Mission: Behind the Scenes with Invisible Cities

Invisible Cities is not just any tour company, but an award-winning operator on a mission to share the amazing stories of their cities through the eyes and experiences of locals who have experienced homelessness. 

Join the company founder and visionary Zakia Moulaoui as she walks you through one of their iconic Edinburgh tours and goes behind the scenes of how she designed the tour, works with local partners, develops and supports her guides, and much more. You’ll learn how to think about developing experiences with a social mission and how to approach important yet difficult social topics on a tour.  

Food & Drink Adventures: Get a Taste of Edinburgh!

Because what is travel without tasting the local delicacies? (Even… if it’s haggis?) This gathering will highlight the importance of peer-to-peer learning, allowing you to explore key trends and share best practices that drive success in the culinary tourism industry. Whether food and drinks are the core part of your product or an add-on, join Scotland Food & Drink to discuss how to delight through taste and smell, as well as upselling products and merchandise. 

All That and So Much More at Arival | Activate Edinburgh!

These are just a few of the experiential session options that will be on offer for Arival attendees at Arival | Activate Edinburgh in November — and there’s plenty more to come, but we can’t give it all away yet! Stay tuned to the event page for more details — and we hope to see you in Edinburgh soon! 

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