On 20 August 2020 the African Association of Visitor Experiences and Attractions held its first virtual conference. Following hot on the heels of five successful in-person conferences, this year was as innovative, informative and intense as previous years and did not disappoint – although we did, of course, miss getting together face-to-face with friends and colleagues from across the country and globe, all of whom are in the attractions industry in some form or another. Nonetheless, #AAVEA2020 delivered a diverse line-up of local and international speakers, some of whom may not have had the time to visit Cape Town, South Africa, for a one-day conference.

Here are the top five things which stood out for us:

We’re all in this together

No attraction, be it a theme park, zoo, aquarium, or museum, has been left unscathed by the pandemic that is Covid-19. No matter where you are situated in the world, you will have experienced a period of closure with zero guests and zero income flowing into your facility.

Joe Pine, author of “The Experience Economy”, demonstrated that overall economic recovery needs the experience economy to reopen because the services, goods and commodity economies are no longer sufficient to keep economies thriving.

As Jakob Wahl from IAAPA pointed out, all countries are facing similar challenges – political, economic, preparedness and effectiveness of health systems, and the overall mentality of the population.  And these factors will in some way or another impact on attractions – when they open, how their visitors respond to their reopening, and what health and safety protocols they are going to have to put in place to protect their staff and visitors.

Although country context is unique for each facility, it remains critical for all attractions to collaborate and to learn from one another at this time. With input from attractions around the world, IAAPA created a set of guidelines to assist facilities with their reopening strategies - “Reopening Guidance: Considerations for the Attractions Industry”. We at the Two Oceans Aquarium relied on this document in preparing for our reopening.

After the strict lockdowns in many countries, people are desperate to get out of their homes and to reconnect with family and friends. They want to go to places where they can be together, feel safe and have a great day out. Sisa Ntshona, the CEO of South African Tourism, urged attractions to create trust among their visitors – without trust, people will not be willing to take the risk to visit.

Some of the most important factors to know right now are: Stay flexible, stay connected, be prepared for everything, and be transparent.

Visiting tourist attractions is important for mental health

While life is never without its stressors, the last six months have been particularly taxing as we have had to negotiate caring for and educating children at home, loss of income, working remotely from home, fear around catching Covid-19 or having family members and friends being sick and even losing their lives as a result.

Now more than ever attractions can provide an escape from the stressors and strains of daily life and can boost visitors’ serotonin levels as they have fun. At the Two Oceans Aquarium, we know that watching fish has a calming effect on our visitors and suspect that this one of the reasons why people visit.

According to Joep Stevens from SANParks, seven million people visit the 19 nature reserves every year and half of these are South Africans. This is great to know as we have some of the most beautiful and diverse natural areas in the world. And being in nature is critical for mental health and for making positive behaviour choices which benefit the natural environment.

And Joe Pine emphasised that when people travel they are open to change and being changed – transformative experiences which encapsulate ‘escatainment’ are what attractions should strive for. 

Staff, not stuff!

Just about every speaker mentioned the importance of staff and the critical role they play in the overall experience of an attraction. Bernard Donoghue from ALVA pointed out in his presentation that it is ‘staff, not stuff’ that really matters. Staff are not only the best advertisement for an attraction, but they are the ones who actually “deliver the experience” said Tony Sefton from VisionXS.  Staff create a memorable experience through simple actions such as welcoming visitors when they arrive and saying thank you and goodbye to each person as they leave. It is the interactions with staff which people remember and through great storytelling, they will surprise, delight and entertain your visitors. And if a staff member’s name is mentioned in a positive TripAdvisor review, then you know that the overall experience left an indelible impression on the visitor – as Bernard Donoghue said “The difference between a four-star and a five-star TripAdvisor review is someone’s name”.

Curating the visitor journey is a science and an art

It may come as a surprise to those not in the attractions industry, but visitor journeys and experiences do not just happen. They are carefully curated, blending science and art, in a complex weave of factors such as visitor flow, experience quantity, experience quality, experience value for money, capacity effectiveness, learning capability and psychological appeal, according to Tony Sefton from Vision XS.

In addition, attractions need to invest in three things: infrastructure (which includes safety), commercial (look for ways to increase your spend per visitor), and visitor experience (look at how to increase dwell time). Tracking visitors through your facility by means of simple observation, using tech, and onsite surveys will give insight into what aspects of the visitor experience are working and which are not, and this obviously has implications for future plans.

And this leads to probably the most important factor behind successful attractions: knowing your audience – internal (those who visit) and external (those who have not yet visited) through in-house and market research and then using the data to deliver an extraordinary experience.

Data is king

“Leave a space at the table for data,” said Colleen Dilenschneider from IMPACTS Research and Development. This statement landed amid a round of virtual applause from the #AAVEA2020 delegates.

It is a simple fact that organisations which are data-driven do better than those who fly in the dark. Data-driven organisations have committed leadership, source reliable market data, involve everyone and share the data transparently, are open-minded (no holy cows!), and are confident and persistent said Jim Hekkers, Chief Strategy Officer at IMPACTS.

Another key point raised by Colleen was that “outside-in organisations” want to hear from their audiences and to find what they are thinking and feeling. This data acts as a bridge between the attraction and the communities it serves. This is important when it comes to designing new exhibits and facilities within an attraction. Don’t just rely on the thinking of the staff and management, but go outside the attraction and ask what your members want – you may be pleasantly surprised!

Our thanks to the #AAVEA2020 Organising Committee which included our own Guest Experience Manager Alichia Nortje for yet another incredible conference. So much information to digest, brilliant speakers and fantastic technology. And thank you to V&A Waterfront which sponsored a number of tickets so that Two Oceans Aquarium staff could attend the conference this year.