Using Attraction Management Software to Engage and Enhance Experiences

The recent lockdowns reinforced the importance of in-person interactions and having audiences within visitor attractions. Engaging with guests and understanding their interests is crucial for attractions to remain relevant and meet evolving audience needs.

Paradoxically, lockdown also underscored the significance of digital communication and interfaces. A key technological advancement now available to attraction operators is the Audience Engagement Platform (AEP). This essential component of attraction management software not only deepens the narrative told on-site but also offers a level of engagement that is becoming industry-defining, particularly through the data it generates. Consider it akin to Google Analytics for understanding on-site audience tracking and behaviour.

What an Audience Engagement Platform (AEP) Offers

An AEP combines powerful attraction management features with a highly customisable, audience-facing experience app. This includes operational functionalities such as:

• Ticketing integration
• Membership management
• Mobile check-in

Through this platform and app, an attraction can deliver a wealth of information to its visiting audience. While tour guides, curators, keepers, and wildlife rangers are invaluable, their reach is limited. Traditionally, visitors had to rely on static signage or, at best, digital displays offering limited, non-interactive information.

While more progressive venues might use video display monitors or voice recordings, these still fall short of the comprehensive engagement opportunities provided by a dedicated audience engagement platform and mobile app.

Defining the Audience Engagement Platform (AEP)

In simple terms, an AEP is a crucial piece of attraction management software designed specifically to enhance audience engagement. It is an intuitive, easy-to-use platform that empowers attractions to create, customise, and control their own interactive visitor app. Key benefits include:

• No requirement for technical or design skills.
• No prior experience needed.
• Avoids large upfront investments in one-off app projects.
• Full customisation and control for the attraction.
• Licensed as Software As A Service (SaaS).

Enhancing the Visitor Journey: Before, During, and After

The advantage of an AEP app lies in its accessibility to visitors before, during, and after their visit. As cloud-based software, an AEP can host an unlimited amount of information, video, and audio, readily available to guests. This ensures visitors have all the interactive details they need about a display or exhibit, promoting longer engagement and dwell times. By satisfying curiosity, the platform and app amplify the day's experience and enhance the memories visitors take home.

Extending Engagement Beyond the Gates

By tracking interactions and activity, the app facilitates engagement not only on-site but also off-site. It creates a digital footprint of activity that visitors can revisit at home, fostering continuous engagement once they have left. This allows attractions to offer additional layers of information and send push notifications about upcoming events or offers, tailored to their on-site activity.

Leveraging Data for Strategic Insights

The data gathered and analysed from tracking visitor engagement via the installed app provides valuable insights for attractions on several fronts:

• Understanding preferences: By monitoring dwell time, for example, attractions can identify which exhibits or displays visitors favour and send bespoke information accordingly.
• Curating experiences: Attractions can better curate their site and exhibits based on valuable insights into audience behaviour.

This represents just a fraction of the ways an AEP can facilitate engagement between the operator (be it a zoo, museum, aquarium, cultural, or heritage site), and its visitors.