Insider Pro Meetup | An Uncertain Summer: What’s Going On & How to Respond

Thursday, 12 June 2025
11-12PM EDT/5-6PM CEST

Uncertainty is the watchword for 2025. U.S. inbound travel is down, domestic demand is soft, and while international markets seem steady, the outlook remains unclear. Join this special Arival Pro Meetup, hosted by Arival CEO Douglas Quinby, with Nathan Andrew (Managing Director) and Brian Nicholson (Partner) at Blend Marketing, for an open Town Hall on what’s going on — and what operators can do about it. We’ll share the latest insights from Arival research and other industry sources, and you’ll have an opportunity to connect with fellow operators and industry leaders to discuss how to adapt —from product and pricing to marketing, operations, and more.

Bring your questions, ideas, and real-world experience. This is an open, interactive forum for members to connect, share, and chart a course through a very different summer season.

 Available to Insider Pro Access Members. RSVP required.

Insider Pro Meetup | Breaking into Luxury: Attracting the Affluent Traveler

Thursday, 8 May 2025

Thinking about targeting the luxury market? Learn from experience suppliers who serve luxury clients every day as they share what truly defines a premium experience. Industry pros Renee Ventrice, Founder, WineauxClock Culinary Experiences, Kelly Lewis, CEO, The Wine Spa, and Habiba El Kasri, Managing Director, Asgunfa, will lead the discussion and show you how to elevate your offerings to attract this high-value market.

 Available to Insider Pro Access Members. 

Insider Pro Meetup | THE BUSINESS OF SELF-GUIDED TOURS: STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

Thursday, 3 April 2025

Join us for an in-depth look at the latest trends and strategies in self-guided and audio-guided tours. In this exclusive discussion with Andrew Lawrence of Vox Group, we’ll delve into Arival’s latest report and offer actionable insights to help you create engaging and profitable self-guided experiences.

 Avaialble to Insider Pro Access Members. 

Insider Pro Meetup | Power Panel: Women+ in Travel Leadership

Thursday, 6 March 2025

Join us for an inspiring panel featuring wmnsWORK founder Iris Serbanescu and several female+ entrepreneurs who have launched their own tour companies, both from the day tour and multi-day tour side. We’ll discuss industry insights on women+ in travel leadership, the formula for a thriving business, and inspiring stories of women+ defining their own versions of success.

 Avaialble to Insider Pro Access Members. 

INSIDER PRO MEETUP | CONTENT TO CONVERSION: LEVERAGING CREATORS FOR GROWTH

THURSDAY, 6 FEBRUARY

Social media content – especially video – is increasingly important for marketing tours, activities and attractions. But most operators don’t have the time to become full-time video editors or the budget for hiring influencers: enter creators! Discover how to harness creator partnerships and user-generated content (UGC) to amplify your experiences brand with insights from Sally Bunnell, CEO of NaviSavi.

Avauabke to Insider Pro Access Members.

Insider Pro Access Meetup | 2025 Kickoff: The Travel Trends Outlook

THURSDAY, 9 JANUARY 2025

Be the first to know what’s next in travel. Join us to kick off the new year in this session featuring Dan Christian, host of the Travel Trends podcast, as we explore the tourism trends set to define 2025. From AI innovations to the rise of social video, discover actionable insights and join the conversation as we record the session for season two of Arival’s new podcast, The Voice of Experiences.

Available to Insider Pro Access Members.

A YEAR IN REVIEW WITH EXPERIENCE THIS!

It’s a podcast crossover! Join Arival Co-founder & CCO Bruce Rosard and his Experience This! travel show podcast co-hosts Lori Timony (Go City) and Christian Watts (Magpie Travel) for an open-style 2024 year-in-review discussion. What were the highlights and challenges of the year for you? What are you looking forward to in 2025? Arival Insider Pro Access members are invited to join the conversation, which will also be featured on the Experience This! travel show after the session.

Open to Insider Pro Access Members. RSVP required. 

Research Insights on the State of Experiences

Join Arival CEO and Co-founder Douglas Quinby for an exclusive review of the key findings from The Global Operator Landscape, Arival’s definitive annual report on the current state and future outlook for operators of tours, activities, attractions, and experiences worldwide. Based on an extensive survey of more than 7,000 operators across the globe, this study provides deep insights into the operator landscape. It explores crucial trends in experiences, sales and distribution, the role of Online Travel Agencies (OTAs), technology adoption, business performance, profitability, and the top priorities and challenges facing operators today.

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.

On-Demand session available to Arival Pro Access Members.

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.

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.