Our next event, Arival | Activate Edinburgh is just around the corner, and the pieces are falling into place for our first-ever Arival event dedicated to tours, activities and attractions in the UK, Ireland, and the Nordic regions.
We’re expecting several hundred attendees for this more intimate regional event, which will bring together the best of the in-destination experiences industry to focus on the Northern Europe regional market.
Take a look below to see what our team has been working on putting together for 23-25 November 2024, and what we’re most looking forward to!
Join us at an upcoming Arival event to connect, learn, & grow your tours, activities, & attractions business
It Starts With… Experiences!
For Arival | Activate Edinburgh, we’re leaning into experiences, because a conference about experiences should be… well, an experience! We have 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 the morning of Sunday 24 November.
Whether you choose to learn about crafting unforgettable visitor experiences aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia and the Fingal Hotel, or designing products for groups at the Edinburgh Zoo, you will have the opportunity to dive deep into your chosen theme, learn from local experts, and share insights and experiences with your peers in a dynamic, real-world setting. Here’s a full list of the experiential sessions we have planned:
- Creating Unforgettable Visitor Experiences: Learn how Camera Obscura & World of Illusions engages visitors with a hands-on experience, allowing them to explore optical illusions and visual phenomena in a fun and memorable way.
- Designing Products for Groups: Learn how the Edinburgh Zoo, home to the Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS), designs products for groups.
- The Power of Food and Drink: Join Scotland Food and Drink at the Bonnie & Wild Food Hall to learn hear how Scottish businesses are inspiring visitors with immersive tastings, tours and talks, while experiencing a tasting of your own.
- Designing Experiences with a Social Mission: Join Invisible Cities founder and visionary Zakia Moulaoui on a tour and learn how to think about developing experiences with a social mission.
- Innovative Experience Design: See firsthand how Johnnie Walker Princes Street puts inclusion at the heart of innovation whether you’re a whisky lover or not.
- Crafting Unforgettable Visitor Experiences: Enjoy tea and scones while aboard the Royal Yacht Britannia and Fingal Hotel and discuss the attraction’s commitment to creating five-star, unforgettable moments.
Hint: Registration for these sessions opens soon and they will fill up quickly, get your Arival Activate ticket now so you don’t miss out on your top choice! Learn more about the sessions here!
Plenary Sessions Featuring Fresh Industry Research & Hot Topics
The Arival theater sessions are always a highlight of Arival events. For Arival | Activate Edinburgh we’ve put together a packed program for the main stage, covering everything from the latest Arival research on the Global Operator Landscape to the latest insights on distribution (online travel agencies (OTAs) and beyond!), digital marketing (TikTok!) and of course AI.
Don’t miss Arival Co-founder & CEO Douglas Quinby’s opening address, where he sets the scene by highlighting the essential trends, research insights and big shifts shaping the future of tours, activities, attractions, and experiences.
We’re also looking forward to hearing from David Harry, a.k.a. The London Spy, on his experience of going “viral” on TikTok, and his journey from traditional tour guide to TikTok sensation. We’re certain he’ll have some valuable insights to offer to tour and activity operators looking to harness the potential of social media.
Finally, working with online travel agencies is always a hot topic in a room full of tour operators, so we’re putting some of the largest online travel agencies — including Viator and GetYourGuide — in the hot seat for the OTA Town Hall in the closing Plenary Session. This open town hall forum is your chance to ask questions, share experiences, and engage in candid, in-depth conversations with OTAs and your operators peers. Expect things to get a little spicy.
Join us at an upcoming Arival event to connect, learn, & grow your tours, activities, & attractions business
From “Explore” to “Elevate” — Workshops for All Levels!
Beyond the plenary sessions, a curated series of breakout sessions will help you get practical with what you’re learning, from marketing to AI to distribution strategy, whether you’re new to the industry or a seasoned pro. We’ve put together two distinct breakout tracks tailored to what your business needs:
- Explore Sessions are designed for smaller organizations and individuals just beginning their digital journey and looking to master foundational industry best practices.
- Elevate Sessions are for experienced practitioners already familiar with the in-destination experiences basics and are now ready to learn more advanced strategies for scalable growth.
Explore sessions at Arival | Activate Edinburgh include topics such as choosing a booking system, mapping the post-booking customer journey, and real-world applications for AI. Elevate sessions dig deeper with topics on corporate tours, pricing strategy and strategic digital marketing. The biggest challenge is always choosing which sessions to attend, get a full view of the agenda here!
It Ends With… The People!
While we’re excited for the experiential learning, plenary and breakout sessions that make up the core of the event, something we’ve heard from our attendees over and over is that “the best part is the connections and community.”
We expect Edinburgh to be no exception to this and we are personally so excited to be making new connections with new people in a new place! So we’ve built in plenty of opportunities for networking, making new connections and building a sense of community, from tea time in the networking lounge to evening pub nights and parties and we’ve also worked out deals on pre- and post-event experiences you can enjoy with your peers.
Meet up with old friends and make new ones over tea, and make a toast to your next great deal, hire, partnership or product upgrade at the pub afterwards over beers (or haggis!). Cheers!
All That and So Much More at Arival | Activate Edinburgh!
This is just a taste of what will be on offer for Arival attendees at Arival | Activate Edinburgh in November — learn more and get your tickets on the event page here!
You can come for a day or come for the whole shebang — we’re offering a special single day ticket for operators who simply want to test the waters (though we can’t emphasize enough how much more you’ll enjoy it if you come for the whole time!) Whichever option you choose, we hope to see you there!
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Header photo: Janelle Visser
