Five Star Strategies: Maximizing the Impact of Customer Reviews

Online reviews can make or break your tour business. Join us to discuss review strategy and online reputation management alongside TourReview COO Juana Muro. We’ll tackle everything from encouraging customers to leave reviews to responding effectively to feedback, and we’ll find out what top-rated companies do to earn their stars. Discover how to turn feedback into actionable insights to elevate your company’s reputation and grow your business.

Open to Insider Pro Access Members. RSVP required. 

Five Star Strategies: Maximizing the Impact of Customer Reviews

Online reviews can make or break your tour business. Join us to discuss review strategy and online reputation management alongside TourReview COO Juana Muro. We’ll tackle everything from encouraging customers to leave reviews to responding effectively to feedback, and we’ll find out what top-rated companies do to earn their stars. Discover how to turn feedback into actionable insights to elevate your company’s reputation and grow your business.

Open to Insider Pro Access Members. RSVP required. 

Mid-Summer Meetup: Reflect & Connect with Arival Insiders

Summer (or winter, for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere!) is halfway over! We wanted to take a break from our busy schedules to simply check in with our Insiders and see how everything’s going. Join us for a casual catch-up where we’ll share mid-year musings, insights and more. See you there!

RSVP Required. Open to Insider Free and Pro Access Members.

The Opportunity of Openness: Attracting the LGBTQ+ Traveler

LGBTQ+ Travelers represent a lucrative, growing segment of the market for tour, activity and attraction operators: these travelers are doing more experiences when they travel, and spending more on them. Join us as we reveal the latest Arival research with a special focus on the LGBTQ+ traveler: who they are, how they choose and book, and what they’re looking to spend their money and time on. The results might surprise you! We’ll also be joined by special guests Rebecca Fisher of Beyond the Bell Tours in Philadelphia and Glenn Tkach of The Really Gay History Tour in Vancouver to give us a firsthand perspective from the LGBTQ+ travelers’ point of view.

Open to Arival Pro Access Members. RSVP Required.

A Job Well Done – Get Started Selling Corporate Tours

Did you know that corporate tours are a thing? Did you also know that it is a highly lucrative market? Join us as we dive deep into how to create, market, and sell attractive and appealing tour packages that resonate with the corporate market. Our guest Kelsey Tonner, Founder of Guest Focus, will provide tactics to navigate around corporate gatekeepers, avoid the endless customization trap, and close deals with a winning pricing strategy.

RSVP required, free to Insider Pro Access members.

Strategies to Scale Your Tour Operation

Join us to delve into the art of scaling tour operations. Our featured speaker is none other than Brian Cain, Founder of Crawl Entertainment Group.

In this exclusive session, Brian will share invaluable insights gained from his extensive experience in the industry. From leveraging innovative technologies to optimizing operational efficiency, Brian will guide us through the key strategies that have propelled Crawl Entertainment Group to success. Whether you’re a seasoned experiences professional or just starting out, this meetup is guaranteed to have a little something for everyone.

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect with your fellow Insider Pros, gain actionable knowledge, and elevate your tour operation to new heights. Mark your calendars for an hour of inspiration and expertise on February 22nd!

Open to all Arival Insider Pro members

Operator Spotlight: Peter Brown

Join us at the next Insider Pro Meetup on Thursday, January 25, as we navigate through the remarkable career trajectory of Peter Brown, Director of Business Development at Big Bus Tours. In this intimate and inspiring session, we’ll dive into Peter’s career, from his humble beginnings as an International Tour Leader at Trek America to his current role at Big Bus Tours exploring the pivotal moments, challenges, and lessons learned along the way.

Peter will take us through the diverse landscapes of his career, shedding light on the evolution of the tourism industry, the dynamic roles he’s embraced, and the insights gained from each chapter of his journey. This session offers an invaluable opportunity to gain firsthand insights, wisdom, and career strategies from a seasoned industry leader. Whether you’re a budding professional or a seasoned pro, Peter’s journey promises to inspire and impart invaluable knowledge.

So, reserve your spot and join us on January 25th for a captivating voyage through Peter Brown’s remarkable career. Let’s learn, connect, and be inspired together. See you there!

Open to all Arival Insider Pro members.

Strategizing for Success: A Pro Guide to Tour Operator Planning for 2024

Ready to set sail for a successful year ahead? Tune in to the next Arival Insider Pro Meetup on Thursday, 7 December. We’ll be joined by Renee Ventrice, Co-Owner of Cork & Keg Tours, for a dive into the essential factors that will shape your tour operator planning for 2024. In this candid discussion, we will explore the critical considerations defining your 2024.

You’ll gain valuable knowledge on how to adapt to emerging market trends, incorporate sustainability practices, embrace technology, action customer feedback and enhance operational efficiency. We’ll also discuss the art of pricing, customer loyalty, and effective marketing strategies to set you ahead of the competition and on the path to success in 2024.

Don’t miss this opportunity to connect, learn, and grow with the Arival Community. Mark your calendar, and let’s chart your course for a prosperous year ahead. See you there!

Open to all Pro Access members.

Post Orlando Debrief & The 2024 U.S. Experiences Traveler Report

Curious about the U.S. experiences traveler – who they are, what they seek, and what 2024 holds in store for them?

Tune in on Thursday, November 2 as Arival Co-founder & CEO, Douglas Quinby, joins us for a post Orlando debrief where we’ll be unpacking our 2024 U.S. Experiences Traveler Report! Based on a survey of 1,000 U.S. travelers, this report looks at the tours, activities and attractions they book, why they book and what they want, how and when they book, what matters most to them, and much more. This is an essential report for any creator or seller of in-destination experiences serving the U.S. traveler.

What You’ll Learn:

Get key insights and actionable recommendations to develop the products and services travelers are seeking in 2024

Understand how traveler planning and booking behaviors are changing and develop strategies to meet your customers where they are looking

Open to all Pro Access members.

Tours & Activities Marketing Roundtable

While we eagerly await Arival 360 | Orlando in October, we thought we would get the great insights started early! Join us and our friends from Propellic for an open-format sharing session where tour operators and OTAs will come together for a 45-minute roundtable to share experiences and discuss marketing tactics and best practices.

What You’ll Learn:

• What’s new in marketing for tours & activities
• Specific marketing tactic that tour operators & OTAs can implement to grow their businesses
• Market Pulse – How are bookings performing this month?

Open to all Free and Pro Access members.

Arival Insider Pro Summer Social

Summer (or winter, for our friends in the Southern Hemisphere!) is halfway over and we can’t believe how fast it’s going! For that very reason, we wanted to take a break from our busy schedules to simply check in with our Insiders and see how everything’s going. Join us for a casual catch-up where we’ll be sharing mid-year musings, latest industry trends, and maybe even a surprise or two depending on who pops in. Bring your favorite summer beverage or dessert and prepare to chill.

When Things Go Wrong: Incident Response Strategies

Join us for an insightful session with experts from Granite Insurance about the best ways to handle the unexpected. Granite specializes in creating tailored insurance products for Tour and Activities operators, and will help you understand the inherent risks of the industry and share tools to help mitigate risks and strategies on how best to take action when things go wrong.

Open to all Free and Pro Access members.

Surf’s Up: Make a Splash on Social Media This Summer

It’s time to level up your social media game for the summer tourism season! Whether you’re a newbie or a pro at social media marketing, this Meetup event is the place to be. We’ll discuss how to use social media to grab attention, attract new customers, and stand out from the competition.

Our social media gurus will share the hottest trends, talk killer content ideas, and foolproof strategies to make your brand shine on all the major social media platforms. Think you’ve got what it takes to make your content go viral? Come join us and prove it!

Swap stories, share ideas, and connect with other Insider experience providers. This is your chance to get inspired, take your social media skills to the next level, and make some awesome new connections.

Learn from the best of the best: Each other. A monthly gathering of Arival Insider Pro Access members to network, swap insights, struggles, and solutions with your savvy peers and experts who get it. Themed around a different topic each month, our intimate Pro Meetups are where the best industry learning and connections happen.

Free to Insider Pro Access members.

Encore! Generative AI Meetup
– Time Zones: SGT Community: Grow your Tour Business Using ChatGPT and More

Why and how can Generative AI help you increase tour bookings? Join this Insider Pro Meetup for an informal and informative discussion with experts Eliav Cohen, The Bot Lab/Seattle Ballooning and Kelsey Tonner, Guest Focus. Learn top tips (and what not to do!) on how to use powerful tools such as ChatGPT to your advantage.

This global community conversation is Free to Insider Pro Access members.

Encore! Generative AI Meetup
2 Time Zones: 1 Community: Grow your Tour Business Using ChatGPT and More

Why and how can Generative AI help you increase tour bookings? Join this Insider Pro Meetup for an informal and informative discussion with expert Christian Watts, Magpie Travel and Kelsey Tonner, Guest Focus about the most exciting new technology since the Internet. Learn top tips (and what not to do!) to take advantage of powerful tools such as ChatGPT.

This global community conversation is Free to Insider Pro Access members.

GENERATIVE AI AND CHATGPT

Is it a threat to tour operators and content marketers? Or will it be a huge advantage for tour operators and marketers who jump in and get familiar with how to use it to better their business (Hint, it’s the second one)? Hear from some experts in our industry, including Christian Watts, Magpie Travel, John Maguire, TripAdmit and Kelsey Tonner, Guest Focus about what they’ve been doing since the ChatGPT public launch in early November. Discuss the discovery of ways to use this amazing new technology to improve business offerings.

Free to Insider Pro Access members, RSVP required.

HOW DO I BEST FIND, TRAIN AND RETAIN TOUR GUIDES…AND, FAST?

If you are not experiencing trouble hiring, training & retaining guides, consider yourself lucky! Join in on our global community conversation around this where you can share how you are having success or share your challenges and discuss solutions. Guides are in demand and they are in the driver’s seat. We will discuss the consequences of this and ideas how to lock in a more solid, committed team.  Bring your questions and ideas for this discussion, moderated by experts Alan Armijo, TripSchool and Joan Keddell, International Tour Management Institute.

Free to Insider Pro Access members.

Let’s Chat! How Operators Can Use Text & Instant Messaging to Improve Customer Service and Grow Sales

Chat, text and instant messaging have become a primary means of communication across operators, guides and guests. As a follow-up to the webinar the day before on How Tour, Activation & Attraction Operators can use these means to increase sales, this Insider Pro Meetup allows you to delve into the practical applications of implementing chat, text and messaging across your operations. There will be plenty of community discussion and Q&A with leading chat experts and operators.

Free for Insider Pro Access Members

TOPIC: Owner Operators gear up! We are going to deep dive into the issues that make your business challenges unique. Whether you Own/Operate your experiences business, aspire to own/operate, or revel in thinking like an entrepreneur for your company, this is for you.

DESCRIPTION: Owner Operators face unique challenges, operationally and strategically. Meetup participants will help drive what is sure to be a lively conversation, with some potential topics to include the pitfalls and successes of growth, choosing to grow or stay small, how to implement new ideas and strategies with limited resources, how to add staff to a growing business and more. Join Torin Kexel from Flying Bike Tours and Chad Brodsky of City Brew Tours for our free, members-only global community conversation.

Research Roundup: Key Trends for 2023

Recovery or recession? The big shift to small groups. The rise of TikTok. Mobile takes over. Last minute leads. Join Arival CEO Douglas Quinby to wrap up 2022 with an in-depth discussion around these key questions, trends and more.

Douglas will review key takeaways from several new Arival research reports from Arival and lead a discussion with Insider Pro Access members around what’s happening in the marketplace and how to prepare for 2023.

New research on the outlook for tours and attractions, based on the findings of current Reports:

• The Outlook for Travel Experiences: 2019-2025
• The 2022 Experiences Traveler
• The Global Attractions Traveler
• The Outlook for Operators

Bring your questions, share your learnings, Or, just listen in to the peer-to-peer discussion. Either way, you’ll come away with actionable insights to take you into the New Year.

Recommended viewing on-demand video from Arival 360 Las Vegas ahead of time: Douglas’ research presentation on the 2022 experiences traveler.

TOPIC: Steps to Bring 2023 into Focus

Priorities! Step into the weeds during this community conversation around preparing your strategic direction for 2023 and beyond. Join your Insider Pro Access member global peers to talk candidly about what you are doing, what you wish you were doing, and what are others doing that is needed now to future-proof your business. Free to members, RSVP required.

Facilitators:

Andrea Ross, Cultivate Advisors

Brian Cain, Crawl New Orleans

TOPIC: Arival Talks How to Measure Your Marketing

Do you ever wonder if the time and money you put into marketing has any real effect, or if you’re just sending all that marketing cash to the trash? Whether you’re bootstrapping your own marketing yourself, hiring marketing specialists to do it in-house, or working with external marketing agencies, join in on the community discussion on best practices to Measure your Marketing results. What is working and what isn’t? How do you find that out? Join your global peers and pros to talk ROI, results and resources, together.

Topic: Arival Talks Storytelling and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion)

All members are invited to join this special Insider Pro Meetup for a discussion around Storytelling and DEI (diversity, equity, and inclusion). Crafting the perfect story arc and including diverse people and cultures drives our industry, let’s talk more about it. “There is no better return on investment for tour operators than creating phenomenal stories.” ~Akila McConnell

Summertime Social Media Skills to Last

Remember when social media did not influence your business? Neither do we. Join us for quick tips on finishing your tourism season strong with social media skills to last. Free to Insider Pro Access members. Participate in the community conversation, along with Arival expert leaders, around what makes social media work for you, especially when pulled in many different directions.

Mid-Summer Meetup – Social

2022 is a game-changer.  Join our community conversation for a social hour, where we can vent, cheer, talk and trade tips. Bring your beverage of choice and wind down with peers who are all invested, too, in the Best Part of Travel.

Topic: Making Sure Your Website Delivers Direct Bookings: Conversion

Free for Insider Pro members! Join our continuing discussion around maximizing direct bookings on your website. What does your website tell your guests? What is working, what is not to convert to more sales? This is the second in a two-part series with the past April Meetup focusing on Content Creation and Ad Campaigns and this upcoming May Meetup focus on Conversion.

Arival Experts, speakers and presenters Vitality Levit, Gondola and Tom Kratsch, Activities & Tours Marketing, will help steer the community conversation among peers. You are encouraged to watch the Arival Direct Booking MasterClass and Content Masterclass sessions on-demand in advance of the Meetup.

TOPIC: Making Sure Your Website Delivers Direct Bookings: Content Creation and Ad Campaigns

You are invited! Join our community discussion around maximizing direct bookings on your website. What does your website tell your guests? What is working, what is not and how to make effective change on the “face” of your experience? This will be a two-part series with the April Meetup focusing on Content Creation and Ad Campaigns and the May Meetup on Conversion.

Arival Experts, speakers and presenters Ryan O’Grady, Fotaflo and Nathan Andrew, Blend from our Direct Booking Masterclass sessions on-demand and from San Diego will help steer the conversation among peers.

You are encouraged to watch the Arival Direct Booking Masterclass on-demand sessions in advance of the Meetup.

TOPIC: Let’s talk DEI (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion): What is it anyway, and why is it good for your business?

We dug into the topics around DEI in San Diego, and the conversation continues here! Join our community discussion facilitated by some of our amazing Arival 360 San Diego session hosts as we continue to discuss ways to implement DEI practices and understand how they can positively impact your business, from product development to hiring to marketing. Whether you have expertise to share or questions to work through together, let’s connect at the next Insider Pro Access Meetup.

“Insider Pro Meetup – In person! No Zoom this month, as we celebrate our community poolside in San Diego for an exclusive happy hour. We’ll share drinks, toast to our colleagues afar and enjoy delicious appetizers as we connect (or reconnect!) with members from around the world”

Topic: Hiring and Retention

Let’s talk about staffing. Hiring and retention has a tremendous impact on your business. Connect with experts and colleagues in your Insider Pro community on what is working, what isn’t and steps to take in the New Year for the Best Part of Travel.

Our December Pro Meetup is Operators only and is open to both Pro Access and Free Insiders. We will open the floor to topics specific to operators, giving attendees the opportunity to learn from the experiences of others. After all, no one wants to have to reinvent the wheel, and this community is a wealth of knowledge and information! See you there!

In October we talked distribution strategies for different business types and sizes, the state and outlook for distribution, and more, but with the outsized role online travel agencies (OTA’s) and other distribution channels are set up to play in travel’s comeback, we just scratched the surface.

With so much ground to cover, November’s Pro Meetup will continue our community discussion, diving deeper around connectivity and OTA strategy, the growing importance of technology solutions, and how to know if a channel manager is right for you. Whether you have questions to ask or experience to add, join us!

OTAs and other distribution channels are set up to play a big role in travel’s comeback. In October’s Insider Pro Meetup, we’ll begin digging into distribution strategies for different business types and sizes, the state and outlook for distribution, the growing importance of technology in connectivity and distribution, and the role of channel managers. We will continue the discussion into the November Pro Meetup – there is a lot of ground to cover!

As the global travel industry shifts, we are all interested in better Understanding Today’s Traveler. The traveler of today is not the same as the pre-pandemic traveler. This Insiders Pro Meetup will focus on how that traveler has changed and what they’re looking for now. We’ll discuss what you are seeing from your guests, share exclusive new research from Arival, and brainstorm on how to serve traveler needs for the foreseeable future.

One of the many benefits of your membership is a series of private member Meetups. Register Now for your members-only virtual Insider Pro Meetup.