Self-guided tours have been around for a while. Still, the emergence of new platforms, technologies, and traveler trends have coalesced to open up new possibilities for tours, activities, and attractions. We have assembled a program to shine a light on self-guided and help creators and sellers of experiences assess if and how they should approach the medium.
The Arival Self-Guided Tours Forum takes place March 2–3, with two half-days of programming packed with accessible, actionable sessions from self-guided tour experts, operators, and guides who have designed and sold tours and opportunities to learn about leading platforms and connect with like-minded operators.
The Forum runs on Tuesday and Wednesday from 10 am-1:45 pm EST / 16:00-19:45 CET. We would like to send a big thank you to our four Forum sponsors – Clio Muse, Geotourist, Junket, and Questo – as well as to all of our speakers. It’s because of all of them that we can put this learning event together for you.
Here are a few key highlights from our upcoming program and why you should consider attending, even if you’re unsure if self-guided is right for your business.
Hear from operators and guides who’ve developed and sold self-guided experiences. On Tues March 2, Pats Madeira of Lisbon with Pats and tour guide Marc Cortese will give short talks on their learnings from developing different self-guided tours. The next day, I’ll host discussions with the leaders from Experience North DMC and Vivre Athenes to discuss their lessons learned from self-guided experiences. We’ll have an extended discussion with Brad Prickett of Extranomical Tours on their building and how they chose a platform.
Get insights from sector experts on key trends in the evolution of self-guided tours and their role post-pandemic. Here key talks from the CEOs of Questo, Secret City Trails, and VoiceMap on the role of games and puzzles, the potential for urban renewal, local discovery, and how we have to look beyond our smartphones – and our notion of tours – to understand where self-guided experiences are headed.
Practical workshops on experience design, audio recording, and content creation to give you essential insights on what’s needed to create genuinely engaging self-guided experiences that serve your business.
Learn about leading self-guided tour platforms. Our Forum sponsors Clio Muse, Geotourist, Junket, and Questo will be delivering Innovation Labs to help you go deeper into key areas of tour development. They’ll give you a hands-on feel for their platforms and how to develop tours (but without the heavy sales pitch).
Connect with experts and operators in our intimate roundtable discussions. The most popular feature of Arival’s virtual events is our structured networking. Choose from one of several themed roundtable sessions each day, and join fellow attendees in a moderated topic on everything from itinerary development and audio recording tips to how to price, sell and make money.
Hear the story of VisitScotland’s popular self-guided tour based on the novel and TV series Outlander. On Tuesday, March 2, a special roundtable will feature a short talk and interactive discussion with Jenni Steele, who oversees filming and creative industries for VisitScotland. She will share the story of the development of the themed self-guided tour.
We hope you’ll join us to explore this young but growing trend in how travelers are experiencing destinations – especially during the pandemic recovery.
Arival Insider Pro Access members may register for free. Simply log-in at www.arival.travel, and you can register for the forum right from your dashboard.
Pricing starts at $39 for non-members. Learn more here. And consider becoming a Pro Access member, and get easy access to all of the Arival Accel series of virtual events and premium research for a full year. Learn more here.
