Attraction venues are turning to technology, such as sensor-based tracking, virtual queuing, and gamification apps, to manage crowds and enhance visitor experiences as they prepare for the busy autumn and winter event season.
The summer season is a great time for attraction venues like theme parks, outdoor centres and museums and galleries. Now, though, over a month into our meteorological autumn and on the cusp of the clock change, owners of such venues will be enacting strategies to lure visitors out of their homes and onto their sites.
CTOs will also be playing a role, trialling and deploying solutions to support this. Technologies like sensor mats, sensor-based visitor tracking and queue management can aid crowd control and optimise the visitor experience, while gamification and virtual queuing and augmented reality (AR) apps can boost interaction, providing a pull-factor for visitors.
Less sun, more seasonal opportunities
Despite the decrease in sunshine hours, the upcoming season offers an increase in social events and holidays which can serve as anchors for marketing existing attractions and creating new ones, further boosting visitor numbers.
This year, for instance, sees Scarefest at Alton Towers, Fright Nights at Thorpe Park and Brick or Treat at LEGOLAND Windsor. November 5th will see fireworks and bonfire events run by grassroots organisations and local councils across the UK. Christmas and New Year will involve grottoes, Christmas markets and parties for young and old. And throughout this period visitors will be able to experience a growing number of light shows and illuminated trails at sites like Longleat, Blenheim Palace and National Trust estates.
Get it right and there’s an opportunity to unlock new revenue streams, attract new visitor demographics and boost visibility through PR campaigns and review sites. However, get it wrong and an attraction can easily end up gaining negative press and attention for all the wrong reasons. Hyde Park’s Winter Wonderland, for instance, has drawn criticism for overpricing and overcrowding, while last year’s Willy Wonka experience in Glasgow became a global viral sensation for all the wrong reasons.
The attraction of apps and technology
Technology should play a central role in seasonal events. Crowd control software and gamification and apps can provide a safe and interactive experience for visitors, while presenting attraction owners with a means of measuring and analysing traffic to optimise operations and – by upselling experiences and intelligently allocating resources – profits.
Get in line: crowd-control software
It may be a British institution, but in reality no one likes queuing. With ticket prices at many attraction venues rising, paying for entry and then having to wait in line does not add up to a positive visitor experience.
Crowd control software is one solution to this problem. There are a number of platforms, apps and systems that can be deployed to manage crowds and optimise attraction layouts and operations. These include:
- Sensor mats and sensor-based visitor tracking: strategically placed mats and IoT sensors can be deployed to track visitors in real time. Areas of congestion can be quickly identified, with rerouting guidance relayed either to staff on-the-ground or via digital display boards and audio announcements. In addition to improving the visitor experience, this also enhances safety and ensures attractions comply with health and safety regulations, reducing the risk of hefty fines.
- Virtual queuing apps: Instead of standing in line when they arrive at a venue, virtual queuing apps allow visitors to reserve timed spots for attractions in advance, via a website or mobile app. This also allows venue managers to inform visitors of predicted queue times. Finally, less time waiting in queues means more time spent at other areas of an attraction, increasing revenue opportunities.
- Digital twins: Creating a digital twin – a virtual replica of a physical space – can help venue managers better plan the layout of their attraction to improve traffic flow and direct visitors to specific areas. The ‘exit through the gift shop’ model, for instance, can encourage additional selling opportunities. Visitors and their movement can be simulated using a digital twin, pre-empting congestion areas and allowing venue teams to adopt strategies and re-work room layouts in response.
Game on: how to increase interaction
Phones are an embedded part of most of our lives. Instead of resisting this, venue and attraction owners should lean into it, by creating apps embracing gamification that encourage interaction via a visitor’s phone. Experiences can be more personalised and fun for the visitor, while collecting, analysing and actioning data from apps can be used by venue owners for marketing opportunities and to improve operations.
- AR apps: AR aps can provide additional information and experiences by overlaying digital content, like animations and audio, onto a physical environment. The Story of the Forest at the Museum of Singapore, for instance, turned a space with a 15m-high ceiling, 170m passageway and footbridge into an immersive digital artwork. Projecting visuals of moving flora and fauna, the attraction was a major hit and ran for eight years.
- Gamification: Creating an attraction-specific gaming app is another way to enhance the visitor experience while targeting and appealing to audience segments that may not traditionally have visited museums – or have a negative opinion of doing so. Scavenger-hunt apps are popular: The British Museum offers Treasure Hunters and the V&A has created Secret Seekers, for instance.
In addition to enhancing interaction, gamification can increase loyalty and return visits, by offering rewards and incentives for completing activities and visiting different areas of an attraction. Integrating features like social media sharing make these apps a useful marketing tool, while in-app purchases present upselling opportunities.
Crowd control software and platforms that optimise engagement can be tailored to the specific needs of any venue or attraction. At Appdrawn, we offer bespoke event and attraction software development, including solutions for footfall counting, virtual queuing and interactive apps. Get in touch to find out how we can help you improve the experience for visitors and your team, whatever the season or occasion, all year round.