The Attraction is intended as a space for creativity, discussion and collaboration for students studying Visitor Attraction Management at the University of Northampton and for professionals working in the sector.
In late 2024. Glasgow police were called to an event in the city after several complaints were made about an event in the city, billed as a ‘celebration of chocolate in all its delightful forms’. Some families spent hundreds of pounds on tickets, only to fins that the ‘experience’ was merely a sparsely decorated warehouse with a bouncy castle, cheap plastic props and unscripted actors. This prompted an outraged backlash on a multitude of social media platforms. Subsequently, the organising event company ‘House of Illuminati’ are under investigation but have refused to issue full refunds as of early March 2024. The full Independent article on the topic is viewable below.
Annual passes and tickets are now a commonplace product within the tourism and events industry. They offer an alternative to the traditional shorter time contstraints of attractions ticketing/purchases. Below is the promotional literature for the Merlin annual pass:
A Merlin Annual Pass is the ultimate passport to a year* of epic togetherness at the UK’s BIGGEST and best attractions and you can choose from four spell-binding options! Unlock over 200 days entry during our quietest periods with the Merlin Discovery Pass or add more fun with the NEW Merlin Silver Pass to access over 300 days of EPIC.
For more access to Britain’s most thrilling and awesome experiences, excluding our busiest dates, treat yourself to a Merlin Gold Pass for over 340 fun-filled days of attractions. Or, if you have an insatiable appetite for adventure, take advantage of even more fun and more memories with a Merlin Platinum Pass! Thorpe Park Resort, Chessington World of Adventures Resort, Alton Towers Resort, SEA LIFE and LEGOLAND® Windsor Resort are just a few of the Merlin attractions included! (Merlin, 2024)
Points to consider:
Do annual passes really add value for the consumer?
Who are annual passes aimed at?
From a marketing/social media perspective, how are these products marketed?
What are the benefits for the attraction involved?
Are there issues around topics such as monopolisation of the sector and sustainability?
The UK has staged 130 major international events since 2012 and has identified a further 97 similar opportunities over the decade from 2021, with football’s 2028 men’s European Championship the highest-profile of these. The 11 major events other than the Commonwealth Games staged in the country during 2022 have been assessed as generating a combined £132 million in direct economic impact (Mintel, 2023).
While price has been, and still is, the most prominent purchase driver for many consumers over the past 18 months, sustainability is still high up on the agenda. 40% of consumers most want brands to prioritise sustainable practices while trying to keep prices low, and the majority say the environment has remained the same level of priority to them (Mintel, 2023)
Points to consider:
Although events are not necessarily the same as retail purchases, do attendees want events they attend to be sustainable?
Does the events sector have an obligation to contribute towards the SDGs and sustainability/climate change agenda and engendering positive change?
Are events a visitor attraction?
What can events do to move towards more sustainable practices and what are the benefits for the asscoiated stakeholders?
Apple Vision is the latest new tech release from the global giants Apple Inc. Apple Vision is a pair of high-resolution cameras in a headset which transmit over one billion pixels per second to the displays so you can see the world around you clearly. The system also helps deliver precise head and hand tracking and real‑time 3D mapping, all while understanding your hand gestures from a wide range of positions.
The use of technologies such as VR and AR are increasingly becoming prominent with attractions that have the financial scope to apply them. However, there are areas of controversy around technologies that completely alter the interpretation experience for the consumer.
How do technologies such as Apple Vision impact the visitor experience and interpretation? Do they enhance or detract?
How does this type of technology impact interaction and authenticity at an attraction?
Early reports around Apple Vision are that it can cause headaches and other health issues. Does technology and it’s application at attractions have to be considered from a safety perspective?
What are the potential benefits for story telling?
The Mona Lisa is arguably the most iconic piece of art in the world. Created by Da Vinci in 1503, it has resided at the famous Louvre Gallery/Museum in Paris, France since 1797. Millions of visitors have taken the opportunity to see the painting and its famous characteristic of the subject’s eyes following you!
On January 28th 2024, the Mona Lisa (which is protected by a screen) was subject to an attack by an activist group called Riposte Alimentaire (Food Counterattack).Video shows two female protesters wearing T-shirts that read “food counterattack” throwing the liquid. They then stand in front of the painting, saying: “What is more important? Art or the right to healthy and sustainable food?
The room was then evacuated and the protesters arrested. No damage was caused to the Mona Lisa but does it leave security at attractions, the Louvre, France and wider society with soup on their face? Similar attacks and protests have been common in other countries E.g. Extinction Rebellion in the UK.
Clifford’s Tower in York has been closed for 5 years but has just been re-opened in 2022 by English Heritage. The tower has always been unpopular with visitors as, despite its heritage, it has always been an empty shell of an attraction. However, the site has now been fitted with aerial walkways, interpretation techniques, guidebooks and a base for those unable to ascend the tower. This begs the question… How important is the choice and appropriateness of interpretation at attractions? Equally, does the nature of the attraction itself impact the methods available? E.g. a heritage attraction v new build?
Northampton Museum has recently opened an exhibit on the history of trainers at its town centre site. Possibly, a slight, modernised twist on the town’s long and treasured shoemaking heritage and history? Is this an attempt to bring a potentially, previously unattractive part of the town’s heritage to a younger audience? If so, should interpretation techniques applied be dictated by projected audience, age, gender, culture, ethnicity, etc or be driven by cost, space and more pragmatic considerations? Or both?!
Discussion Points:
Several questions around the merits of interpretation are embedded in the post above. What are your views on how to chose between display panels and audio guides, actors and pre-recorded videos, interactive technologies or tangible artefacts? plus all of the other types of interpretation methods available.
Visit the Northampton Musuem and look at the trainers exhibit, whilst considering the above.
Technology is arguably at the forefront of our lives in the developed world. It is omnipresent from the ways that we consume media and purchase goods to how we travel and entertain ourselves.
Disney is developing an augmented reality (AR) ride which could offer riders 3D experiences without the need for headsets or other devices. The information comes from a patent filed by Disney with the US Patent and Trademark Office, which outlines plans for a visual effect system that allows users to see 3D AR images without the use of any form of glasses.
The patent application reads: “A system creating an autostereoscopic augmented reality (AR), virtual reality (VR), or other visual display experience involving 3D images, presented to a viewer without glasses or other head-gear. The system includes a projection screen, which includes a reflective surface formed using retroreflective material.
“”A controller operates the projector assembly to project left and right eye images toward the projection screen. The left and right eye images are then directed to left and right eye positions so a viewer with eyes positioned at the left and right eye positions perceives a virtual object concurrently with light from the physical scenic space.”
The patent could potentially revolutionise the way 3D rides are created at theme parks and visitor attractions.
Discussion Points:
Should attractions increasingly seek to include technological advancements into what they offer? Is this in line with what consumers want? Does this vary according to the segmentation of visitors?
Is this type of technology only available to attractions with significant profits and design budgets?
Does the wider application of technology as an an interpretation technique have implications for authenticity at attractions?
COP27 is the 27th annual UN meeting on climate. It will take place in Sharm-El-Sheikh, Egypt from 6-18 November. Controversially, new PM Rishi Sunak, will not be in attendance. UN climate summits are held every year, for governments to agree steps to limit global temperature rises. They are referred to as COPs, which stands for “Conference of the Parties”. The parties are the attending countries that signed up to the original UN climate agreement in 1992. The current UN SDGs are set to expire in 2030 and recent reports from the UN suggest that the majority of countries are behind on their targets of slowing climate change.
All industries have to make a commitment to sustainability and change. The attractions sector is no different in this respect. However, according to Attractions Management (2022), research indicates that ‘47% of attractions don’t have recycling bins on site and only a third have some sort of sustainability accreditation on view’.
Additionally, there is a presumption that consumers are increasingly sustainably minded. Market Research company BVA BDRC (2022) claim that only 16% of their sustainability attitudinal survey sample are ‘Eco Envagelists’ who are ‘are individuals who care deeply about the environment and regularly make sustainable choices, from recycling to reducing meat consumption, to switching energy suppliers to direct action on the streets.’
The energy crisis could pose more of a threat to UK museums than Covid-19, the Museums Association (MA) has warned. MA director Sharon Heal (2022) said that museum directors are “desperately searching” for solutions to rising energy costs, which have seen some bills increase by up to 500%.
Heal commented that “Earlier this year, museum directors across the country were focused on steadily reconnecting with their communities in the aftermath of Covid-19. Few of us imagined that another storm was brewing – one that could prove even more damaging to the British museum community than the global pandemic.”
The warning comes after a survey by the Association of Independent Museums (AIM) found that of 350 institutions in the UK, 90% were planning actions to tackle cost pressures by reducing operating hours, increasing income, using reserves, reducing energy consumption and cost-cutting measures, while 40% were planning to save money by reducing public events, delaying or cancelling projects and scaling down the public offering.
Some attractions are looking to innovation to survive. At Dublin Zoo, where energy bills have gone up by 90%, electricity is a necessity as it is needed for animal life support systems, lighting, habitat barriers, gates, veterinary equipment, food preparation, storage and visitor-related systems such as admissions and zoo catering outlets. The zoo has made an investment to ensure its Wild Lights event can run this year without impacting the national energy grid this winter.
To ensure Wild Lights has no impact on the energy supply it will be taken off the grid and powered by hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) made from 100pc renewable raw materials.
“Hydrotreated vegetable oil is synthesised from waste fats and vegetable oil. Other steps taken to reduce energy consumption include LED lights and shortening the daily running time of the event by an hour,” a spokesperson said.
“Dublin Zoo had the option of running Wild Lights off the national energy grid at a much lower cost to the organisation in comparison to the cost of HVO, but given the upcoming electricity issues faced by the Irish public, we made the decision to invest in alternative sustainable means to power the event.”
Talking points:
What can attractions do to survive financially/economically in such a challenging fiscal climate? Are their other options than closure?
How can attractions pan for crisis management of various types. Remember that this ‘economic meltdown’ is following hot on the heels of a global pandemic!
With the passing of HM Queen Elizabeth II on September 8th, 2022, a 70 year reign came to a close and a new chapter of the British monarchy began. Given the longevity of the late queen’s reign, she has become synonymous with inbound and domestic tourists and in popular culture/media on a global scale with attractions such as Buckingham Palace, Windsor Castle and Balmoral Castle to list but a few.
In the immediate aftermath of her passing, UK (and particularly London) saw a surge in tourism visitation and associated expenditure with hotel occupancy rates up to 95% (AP News, 2022). According to Windsor.gov.uk (2022) ‘In total, around £473 million was spent on trips to Windsor in 2019 by overnight and day visitors, a rise of 7% on 2018. 16% of this expenditure was made by domestic staying visitor; 24% by overseas staying visitors and 60% by day visitors. Even though these are pre-pandemic statistics, the convey the value that the royal brand has in relation to tourism.
Despite it’s economic value to the UK in tourism terms, the concept of the British monarchy in terms of its relevance to modern day life is increasingly under question. If the monarchy ends, will it’s associated attractions lose their lustre, appeal and ultimately, their visitor numbers?
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