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A New Milestone:

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50 Million Experiences Provided to Travelers Around the World!

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With 2025 well underway, this February we have served our 50-millionth customer. After celebrating our tenth year anniversary in 2024, having provided enriching experiences to 50 million people around the globe is a milestone that makes us especially proud. This figure does not just represent a number, it symbolizes a whole decade of dedication and collaboration in transforming how the world accesses culture and attractions.

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Central to our success are the robust partnerships we\u2019ve developed with museums, cultural institutions and experience providers globally. These partnerships are the essence of our growth, and we are tremendously grateful for them all. Despite facing challenges over the years, including the upheavals caused by the COVID pandemic, our resolve to adapt and innovate has always been unwavering.

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As we celebrate this achievement ten years since our first ticket sold, we acknowledge all of the partnerships that have shaped our success so far. Reaching 50 million customers marks an important part of our journey with suppliers of culture and remarkable experiences around the globe: together, we\u2019ve inspired millions of travelers to discover all of the gems, landmarks and experiences you offer. Thank you to everyone that has made our growth possible over the last ten years. We are glad to be on this adventure with you!

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\u2013 Maarten Raaijmakers, CSO of Tiqets

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Reflecting on our journey, it\u2019s clear that this achievement is not just a matter of data \u2013 it’s about the personal experiences and connections we\u2019ve helped create. Through our platform, our customers have had the opportunity to tailor their travels to match their own preferences and schedules. Key innovations such as city cards, themed experience bundles and combo tickets offer a curated means for people to access multiple attractions with flexible ease. These developments embody our ongoing commitment to making exploration both hassle-free and enriching. 

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Central to our continued growth are also our online distribution partners, who use our affiliate and API tools to spread the word about all of the exciting venues made available to travelers worldwide. By writing about, sharing and promoting the experiences offered on our platform, together we\u2019ve inspired adventure-seekers to discover a whole world of opportunities.

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Our mission from day one has been clear: to make culture and experiences accessible and enjoyable for people everywhere. As we provide another unique experience to our 50-millionth customer, we\u2019re full of pride for the path we\u2019ve traveled and the ones we\u2019ve facilitated. This milestone is a testament to our team\u2019s commitment to making our platform ever better at connecting people with curated opportunities to experience all of the treasures our world harbors. Looking ahead, we are excited to continue making these experiences tailored and unique as we shape the future of travel together.

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\t\t\u2013 Laurens Leurink, CEO of Tiqets

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Looking ahead, our focus is on further enhancing our platform’s accessibility and expanding its curatorial power. We envision a future where everyone can effortlessly access the cultural landmarks and adventures they dream of, and where every cultural institution can share its treasures with a global audience. We are excited about the partnerships that will continue to shape our path. Together, we\u2019ll continue to educate and inspire, fostering a global community enriched by diversity.

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Thank you to everyone who has been part of our journey thus far. To the travelers, our distribution partners and the institutions that have put their trust in us: this milestone is as much about you as it is about us. Your enthusiasm and passion for culture have been the driving force behind our efforts \u2013 and successes. 

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Join us as we embark on the next chapter of our journey, curating travel experiences while we enrich curious minds. Here’s to the next 50 million!

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The post Celebrating 50 Million Experiences appeared first on tiqets.com.

Each year, Tiqets celebrates the Remarkable Venue Awards to honor partners that go above and beyond in delivering unique experiences to travelers, thrill seekers and culture lovers. This year, they were celebrated a little differently: taking place in a series of six celebrations across Europe, the 2024 Remarkable Venue Awards were designed to highlight regional excellence and foster a sense of community among industry members. For the first time, each awards ceremony took place in a local setting, bringing attention to standout achievements within each region.

The ceremonies were hosted at Tiqets-partnering venues, each representing the vibrant spirit of their respective cities: Barcelona\u2019s Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau, the Associa\u00e7\u00e3o Fado do Casto in the heart of Lisbon, the London Transport Museum, Milan\u2019s iconic Duomo, the Distillerie de l’Arbre Sec in Paris. In the case of Amsterdam, the Dutch awards we celebrated at Tiqets’ very own headquarters! These remarkable locations not only provided a chance to celebrate the hard work of notable partners, but were also a rare opportunity for industry members and our team to make connections and network on a local level.

“Tiqets is proud to host the Remarkable Venue Awards, our annual celebration recognizing the best venues and activities in the industry. This year, we are excited to take this to a local level, honoring top performers in each of our local markets. These events provide a wonderful opportunity not only to acknowledge excellence, but also to strengthen our enduring relationships with valued suppliers throughout Europe.”
\u2013 Laurens Leurink, Tiqets CEO 

A total of 120 nominees were selected based on feedback from more than 2 million customer reviews worldwide on our platform, competing across six categories: Best Museum, Best Landmark, Best Family Experience, Best Hidden Gem, and Best Activity. The winners per category were determined through a public online voting process, totalling over 15,000 consumer votes. The 5 winners per region then competed for the prestigious title of Most Remarkable Venue, an award decided by an internal panel at Tiqets. The recipient of this honorable title is chosen based upon their fulfillment of Tiqets’ core value: being remarkable. 

Discover them here.

Barcelona, Spain

Held on October 8th in Barcelona\u2019s Modernist gem Recinte Modernista de Sant Pau, the first of all six Remarkable Venue Awards recognised Spanish museums, attractions and experiences voted to be the winners in their region. Guests sat down for an inspiring ceremony in the stunning venue, followed by a reception with drinks and bites.

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Among the winners for the five categories, the Museu Nacional d\u2019Art de Catalunya (voted Best Museum) was also awarded the title of Most Remarkable. Located in the iconic Palau Nacional de Montju\u00efc overlooking the city of Barcelona, this museum celebrates Catalan heritage through the lens of its artistic talent: featuring Romanesque murals, Catalan Modernism and Gothic art, the Museu Nacional d\u2019Art de Catalunya captures the dialogue between a rich history and how its evolution has been expressed over the course of centuries. Tiqets recognises this museum as the Most Remarkable Venue in Spain of 2024 for its socially-rooted program and proactive approach to education, knowledge and visitor participation.

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Meet Spain's Remarkable Venue Award winners of 2024

Amsterdam, the Netherlands

On October 10th, the Dutch awards were held at our very own headquarters in Amsterdam. Overlooking the great city, Tiqets colleagues and correspondents of the nominated venues came together to celebrate the 2024 winners in what was an evening of laughter, cultural exchange, and music. 

The star of the night was Keukenhof: known as the ‘Garden of Europe’, this vast and colorful Tulip garden is considered one of the largest in the world and attracts visitors from all over the globe during the blooming season. This makes it no wonder that it was not only voted Best Landmark, but also awarded the Most Remarkable Venue prize. At the celebration, Sales Officer of Keukenhof Bianca Hillebrand commented: 

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“We are incredibly honored to receive these awards for Best Landmark and Most Remarkable Venue. Our partnership with Tiqets has been key to our continued growth, as their openness to new opportunities has allowed us to reach even more visitors from around the world. Thank you, Tiqets, for your ongoing collaboration and for recognizing Keukenhof with these prestigious awards!”

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Learn more about all the winners of the Dutch Remarkable Venue Awards!

Lisbon, Portugal

On October 15th, the Portuguese Remarkable Venue Awards were held in the traditional music venue Associa\u00e7\u00e3o Fado do Casto in the center of Lisbon. As guests sat down for a local dinner, they enjoyed live singing \u2013 after which the winners were applauded for their achievements. 

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Voted the Best Family Experience in its region, the Ocean\u00e1rio de Lisboa was celebrated for its extraordinary work immersing visitors of all ages into an aquarium of over 8,000 underwater animals and 500 ocean species. In light of the Ocean\u00e1rio\u2019s commitment to the conservation of our world\u2019s oceans, its fascinating world-recognised exhibitions and educational vision of its aquarium, members of the Tiqets panel awarded this venue with the Most Remarkable award. 

In receiving the award, the Ocean\u00e1rio’s CEO, Roque Cunha Ferreira, emphasized that \u201cthe recognition of visitors is the best barometer we have to confirm that we are fulfilling our mission. It is the visitors who allow the Ocean\u00e1rio to continually invest in knowledge about species and their protection. We believe that it is this inspiration that leads each visitor to adopt changes in behavior that are critical to the conservation of the ocean.\u201d

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Discover the winners for all categories of the Portuguese awards! 

London, United Kingdom

On October 22nd, the UK Remarkable Venue Awards took place at the London Transport Museum. In the heart of the bustling Covent Garden, the UK winners for all the categories were celebrated in true British fashion, followed by witty conversation and a good laugh over drinks.

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Winning the award for Best Activity and Most Remarkable was ABBA Voyage \u2013 the long-anticipated rerun concert honoring the iconic 70s Swedish pop band and geniuses behind Dancing Queen, Mamma Mia, and Waterloo. Featuring cutting-edge technology, astonishing lighting and curated acts in a purpose-built arena, the digital avatars of one of the most well-known bands on the planet perform in a ground-breaking concert like never seen before. The future-embracing nature of ABBA Voyage in creating remarkable experiences for its crowds certainly deserves the prestigious title.

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Meet the UK's 2024 Remarkable Venue Awards Winners! 

Milan, Italy

The Italian awards took place on the 30th of October at the iconic Duomo di Milano. Starting with an exclusive private guided tour of the Museo del Duomo, the presentation and ceremony took place within the Chiesa San Gottardo \u2013 a church within the Duomo itself. After the insightful presentations and applauding of the winners for each category, guests mingled over an aperitivo in the Archive and Library of the Duomo.

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The spotlight during the awards ceremony was on Parco Natura Viva, a safari park and natural zoologic garden in Northern Italy home to animals of 250 different wild species. Receiving the Best Family Experience award for its excellence in creating a youth-friendly and enriching environment for visitors since the 1960s, the park is centered on breeding and preserving wild animal species while actively promoting conservation in its programs. Their purpose-driven work was recognised as they were awarded Most Remarkable. 

Upon being honored with the award, Sales & Marketing Director Maria Ordinario described how \u201creceiving confirmation that our mission to protect and conserve biodiversity is felt and appreciated by those who visit us is the greatest reward for us\u201d, recognising that having their doors open to visitors of all ages \u201cis not only a privilege, but an extraordinary opportunity to raise awareness of the importance of preserving endangered species among the younger generation\u201d. 

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Discover Italy\u2019s full list of winners for the 2024 Remarkable Venue Awards

Paris, France

The last of 2024\u2019s Remarkable Venue Awards took place on November 7th, marking the end of an exciting month of recognition for cultural venues, attractions and experiences across Europe. At the Distillerie de l’Arbre Sec in Paris, guests enjoyed craft drinks and food as they applauded the region\u2019s winners. 

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On this occasion, Disneyland\u00ae Paris was given the title of Most Remarkable of all competitors in the region upon being voted the Best Family Experience. Founded on the principle to spread joy throughout all generations with entertainment and fantasy, it stands as Europe\u2019s most-visited theme park and largest single-site employer in France. In a statement from Disneyland\u00ae Paris, the fulfilment of their mission is clear. As a place that \u201ccelebrates joy through captivating innovation and constant attention to detail (…) in 2024, Disneyland Paris is making the magic shine, unveiling several new features and achievements to amaze the whole family.\u201d

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Meet all of France's 2024 Remarkable Venue Awards winners!

The winners for each category received a trophy as an emblem of their recognition, as well as a complimentary Tiqets Marketing Package offering wide-range visibility on our web app and communication channels. Explore the full list of winners for each category and region here.

Now, as the 2024 Remarkable Venue Awards have come to a close, we are already thinking about next year! Stay tuned for information to come. 

Interested in leveraging your visibility, ticket sales and recognition as a museum or attraction? Contact us to find out more about becoming a supplier.

See the full list of winners.

The post Meet the Winners of the 2024 Remarkable Venue Awards appeared first on tiqets.com.

When a potential customer is planning their trip, they want to make the most of their precious time. 

Their goal is to enjoy their trip, learn something new, and certainly make memories. They seek curated experiences, novel ideas, and, above all, value from their money spent.

Tiqets\u2019 new Supplier Packages are designed to meet these needs by improving the customer experience.\u00a0 Supplier Packages are a unique service provided by Tiqets that makes it possible for you to sell your product bundled with another experience. By offering packages on your site, you provide your visitors with more options and a more comprehensive experience. This added value not only improves their satisfaction but also allows you to receive revenue from both your own tickets and commissions on the bundled experiences.

When your attraction is part of another venue\u2019s package, it reaches a larger audience and gets more visibility. Supplier Packages help everyone involved by using the combined reach and recommendations to bring in more visitors and boost sales.

How Tiqets\u2019 Supplier Packages work

Tiqets\u2019 Supplier Packages allow you to combine any experience at your museum or attraction with that of one or more Tiqets suppliers, and offer the package on your own website.

Here\u2019s how it works. 

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1. Submit a request in the portal to show your interest in Supplier Packages. A regional manager will reach out to you and will help create the right package using their data on top-selling products and customer insights to combine the most successful experiences together. They will then create the package for you to sell.
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2. Add the package to your website using a simple link provided by Tiqets.
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3. Start selling. Customers will click on the package link on your site, and Tiqets will handle checkout and payment on a co-branded page featuring your brand colors. Customers will receive all tickets from Tiqets.
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4. Get paid. Tiqets will invoice you as a supplier under the existing terms. You will also get a separate invoice for your commission as the package seller.
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Once you\u2019ve set up a package through Tiqets, you\u2019ll not only receive your own full ticket value from each sale but a revenue share from any other experiences bundled into the package. 

In addition, for up to a month after purchasing a ticket package via your website, any customer that buys another experience via Tiqets will earn you a commission on that sale, too \u2013 regardless of what museum, attraction, or activity they buy tickets to. We consider this purchase a referral through you, and you\u2019re compensated accordingly.

Why consider a package on your website?

One of the benefits of adding a package on your website is the improved customer relationship from curating the most memorable experiences for those who visit your website. When you recommend a riverboat cruise or a dinner experience to complement your own offering, your recommendation adds value to your customers’ experience and increases their satisfaction with their trip.

Your customer will get individual tickets to each experience they want to visit. Even better, doing this requires no additional overhead or training for your staff. 

Another reason to consider creating packages through Tiqets is the increased revenue you get \u2013 not just the commission you get for selling the experiences of other suppliers, but the commission for any returning customers. It\u2019s an increase in revenue without a corresponding increase in effort. In fact, the effort is largely passive, while the payoff is limitless.

Even if your sales are already good and you\u2019ve nearly reached your full capacity, offering packages is a creative way to increase revenue and to give your customers a better experience.

Best of all, you only have to add on your site a simple link provided by Tiqets \u2014no extra admin work, no new process; we can even help find the right package for you!

The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) and Top of the Rock

A great success story of Tiqets’ Supplier Packages is the collaboration between The Museum of Modern Art and Top of the Rock at Rockefeller Center. These venues had been selling package tickets on-site for many years. 

By partnering with Tiqets to offer the package online, they were able to increase their sales, streamline operations, and improve customer experience. 

In just three months, they generated over \u20ac11k in commissions and sold more than 6,000 tickets. This partnership not only satisfied customers but also boosted the visibility of both venues on their websites.

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Ch\u00e2teau Royal d’Amboise

Located in the Loire Valley, an area known for its historic castles, the Ch\u00e2teau Royal d’Amboise used Tiqets’ Supplier Packages to improve visitor experience and boost revenue. 

Recognizing that tourists often visit multiple castles, Ch\u00e2teau d’Amboise offered two exclusive packages online:

– Ch\u00e2teau d’Amboise + Ch\u00e2teau du Clos Luc\u00e9

– Ch\u00e2teau d’Amboise + Ch\u00e2teau du Clos Luc\u00e9 + Ch\u00e2teau de Chenonceau

This strategy paid off. They sold over a thousand tickets in the first month, earning more than \u20ac3K in commissions and seeing a ~60% increase in revenue per sale. 

By offering these packages, Ch\u00e2teau d’Amboise provided visitors with a richer experience of the region\u2019s history, ensuring a better visit for their customers.

Stand back and let the results speak for themselves

Bundling your experience together with other nearby experiences is a gift to your visitors and a boost to your revenue. This passive partnership with other venues can ultimately broaden your audience and increase your authority in the tourism industry. More than anything, though, it\u2019s a simple way to take advantage of the broad supplier base that Tiqets already offers. 

With over 10,000 published products on our website, available in 18 languages and around the world, it shouldn\u2019t be too challenging to build one or multiple Supplier Packages that are right for your business!

Get started now.

Not a Tiqets partner yet? Contact us to find out more.

The post How to Enhance Customer Satisfaction and Drive Revenue with Tiqets\u2019 Supplier Packages appeared first on tiqets.com.

Events like travel trade shows are crucial for tourism professionals. They offer a centralized opportunity to stay informed about industry trends, discover new products, and network extensively. As managers of museums, attractions, or tour companies, participating in these shows can substantially benefit your business.

Key Advantages of Participation

Stay Current with Industry Trends

Trade shows help you stay updated on the latest trends in your specific market and the travel industry as a whole. The travel landscape is constantly evolving, and being well-informed is essential for business success.

Network with Key Industry Players

Networking is a major benefit of attending travel trade shows. These events are attended by travel advisors, agents, and other professionals who influence travel decisions. Building relationships with these individuals can lead to more visitors and expanded business opportunities.

Engage with Travel Influencers

Travel influencers have an increasing impact on shaping travel preferences. Many attend these shows, offering a unique chance to connect and potentially collaborate with them to promote your attractions or services.

Form Valuable Partnerships

Travel trade shows are prime locations to discover new partnership opportunities. You can meet potential business partners, learn about cutting-edge products, and explore collaboration possibilities that can improve your offerings and boost revenue.

Build Connections with Industry Peers

Meeting peers from other travel brands can help mitigate the isolation that sometimes accompanies work in tourism. Sharing experiences and insights in a laid-back, non-competitive environment can increase camaraderie and mutual learning.

Take Time to Relax

These events also provide a chance to relax and have fun with fellow professionals. They often feature activities and social gatherings that allow you to unwind and recharge.

Selecting the Best Trade Show

With numerous shows available, it\u2019s important to strategically decide where to invest your time and money. Consider both your personal and professional objectives. Whether you want to meet a specific vendor or explore a new market, identifying your goals will help you choose the most suitable events.

Investing time and resources to attend travel trade shows can yield significant returns in terms of knowledge, connections, and business growth. Below is a list of our top recommended travel trade shows for 2024-2025. Attending at least one of these events could provide substantial benefits to your business.

Top 5 travel trade shows globally for 2024-2025

There are so many awesome travel trade shows that it\u2019s challenging to narrow down the best of the best, but these are five popular proven events we consistently recommend. 

1. BTL

12 – 16 March 2025

Lisbon

Bolsa Turismo Lisboa, or BTL, is one of the most well-known international travel trade shows, hosting nearly 80,000 visitors and 1,500 exhibitors. A whopping 84% of professionals in the travel trade think of BTL as contributing to the projection of tourism at an international level. It\u2019s a lively five days of discussion, networking, and activities.

2. Digital Travel Summit US

7-8 October 2024

Austin, Texas

Billed \u201cthe conference destination for digital travel leaders,\u201d this travel trade show is focused on how digital travel brands can do marketing and networking. It welcomes \u201cthe top minds from hotels, OTAs, airlines, transportation companies, and everything in between\u201d to help shape and participate in the future of the travel industry. 

Keynotes include topics like \u201cNavigating the Modern Roadmap for Data-Driven Personalization\u201d and \u201cLeveraging First-Party Data for Lasting Loyalty & Genuine Traveler Engagement.\u201d 

But if that sounds intimidating, know that this travel tourism conference is for everyone, and a variety of presentation formats, from roundtables to panel discussions to ample networking opportunities, mean there truly is an opportunity for all kinds of travel brands.

3. ILTM

2-5 December, 2024

Cannes, France

One of a series of global travel trade shows and conferences, ILTM stands for International Luxury Travel Market, and your next opportunity to join it is this December in France, where travel advisors from all over the world will convene to meet established luxury travel brands. The Cannes event is considered the brand\u2019s \u201cflagship event\u201d \u2014 its iconic end-of-year show every luxury travel brand clamors to attend.

4. International Tourism & Travel Show

1-3 November, 2024

Montr\u00e9al, Canada

Ranked by many as the number one travel and tourism event of the year, this Canadian event features tourism office reps, travel agencies, and tour operators from over 100 countries to get fresh ideas to promote to travelers. 

This will be the show\u2019s 34th year and the entertainment alone will be worthy: don\u2019t miss the world cuisine events, and the annual \u201cIndustry Day\u201d where travel industry businesses meet to mingle. 

5. ITB Berlin 2025

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4-6 March, 2025

Berlin, Germany

The 2024 travel trade show in Berlin saw 100,000 attendees from 190+ countries attend over 450 events. With thousands of travel trade exhibitions and nearly as many media representatives, ITB Berlin is typically the place to be in March. 

This trade show produces highly convincing metrics about its effectiveness.

For instance, 86% of exhibitors who participate say they expect positive post-trade show business as a result, and 95% of visitors are happy with the offerings. 

ITB Berlin is a favorite travel trade show. If you\u2019re in the industry, you\u2019ve probably heard of it already.

Top travel trade shows regionally 

If your market is specific to one particular geographic area, consider a more regionally focused trade show like the five below. 

The African Market

World Travel Market (WTM) Africa

9-11 April, 2025

Cape Town, South Africa

This April event in Cape Town helps tourism professionals focused on or interested in expanding to the African market get a toehold. 

In the past decade, this travel trade show has grown tremendously and increased its exhibitors by nearly 50% \u2014 and now represents 99 countries.

The Asia Pacific Market

ITB Asia

23-25 October, 2024

Singapore

Asia\u2019s \u201clargest travel showcase\u201d is an offshoot of ITB Berlin and built on the same remarkable brand. This travel trade show covers leisure travel, corporate travel, travel technology, and more. 

It features thousands of exhibitors from all over the world and all industries, including destinations, air travel, hotels and resorts, theme parks and attractions, and more.

The Latin American market

Fitur 2025

22-26 January, 2025

Madrid, Spain

Fitur is the leading trade fair for the Latin American travel market, and in January 2024, this event hosted over 9,000 exhibitors and welcomed 153,000 participants from 152 countries.

Because it happens in January, it\u2019s an important annual kickoff for tourism professionals in both inbound and outbound markets \u2014 a five-day celebration where professionals grow their networks, find out about new market trends firsthand, and get inspired by the best of the sector. 

The Middle Eastern Market

Arabian Travel Market Dubai

28 April to 1 May, 2025

Dubai, UAE

Welcoming thousands of travel trade visitors and suppliers from all over the world, the Arabian Travel Market, or ATM, bills itself as being \u201cfor the true pioneers of progress in travel and tourism.\u201d Set against the backdrop of the cutting-edge city of Dubai, it\u2019s a very exciting show. The 2024 conference held a spotlight on environmental consciousness, featuring entrepreneurs focused on net-zero business models. 

The United States Market

Travel Adventure Show

Various locations across the U.S. in the winter and spring of 2025

In the U.S., the Travel Adventure Show is the favorite, bringing together visitors eager to discover new vacation destinations and tourism professionals to connect with that audience. Each year, this established travel trade show welcomes over 150,000 participants to what is essentially a \u201ctravel marketplace,\u201d giving travel advisors, tour operators, museum and attraction managers, and suppliers one place to meet up and learn.

More fairs not to miss in 2024:

TTG Rimini (9-11 October): Discover the power of truth at TTG Travel Experience. This year’s theme, Veritas, explores the importance of authenticity in an age of misinformation.

WTM London (5-7 November): Connect with the world of travel and tourism at WTM London. This premier event brings together industry leaders to discuss the latest trends and opportunities.

Post-event management and evaluation 

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Some travel and tourism professionals attend the same event each year. They know what to expect and can cultivate important relationships season after season. If you\u2019re relatively new to attending travel trade shows, it\u2019s important to take the time to evaluate how effective and enriching your experience turns out to be.

After the event, take the time to conduct an audit of how valuable you found the experience, perhaps breaking it down by the list above on why travel trade shows are important to business in the first place. This will help you figure out the best show to attend next.

Good luck, and above all, don\u2019t forget to have fun.

Don\u2019t forget to look for Tiqets at whichever event you decide to attend! 

Reach out to your account manager to find out if we\u2019ll be at the same events as you.

If you\u2019ve not worked with us yet but want to, get in contact here.  Whether you already work with us or want to, we\u2019re always happy to connect with fellow travel and tourism professionals!

The post Travel Trade Shows You Shouldn\u2019t Miss in 2024-2025\u00a0 appeared first on tiqets.com.

Duomo di Milano summer calendar 

It\u2019s not too late to kickstart your Italian summer holiday! If Milan is on your itinerary, make sure you check out these upcoming events happening at the world-famous Duomo di Milano.

Evening guided tours

Duomo di Milano invites visitors to spend long summer nights at the top of Milan\u2019s most recognizable structure. Join an evening guided tour with an expert and capture spectacular views of the city, learn about the history of Milan and its people, and immerse yourself in Italian culture. 

Become a part of the Milanese skyline on a special guided tour every Thursday evening from June 6 through September 12, 2024. It\u2019s the perfect place to capture a photo or end a romantic evening in Milan.

Live music on the Duomo Terraces

As if the views from the top of one of Milan\u2019s most iconic landmarks weren\u2019t enough, every Thursday this summer will have a musical performance on the rooftop.  

Starting June 6 through September 12, 2024, visitors and locals can enjoy a sunset view from the Duomo\u2019s terraces with accompaniments performed by a rotating selection of featured artists. 

With the waning sunlight hitting the Duomo\u2019s signature pink spires just right, you\u2019ll swear it\u2019s magic. 

Tiqets x Duomo di Milano

Sunsets and terraces are the perfect pairing \u2013 just like Tiqets and Duomo di Milano! This summer, Tiqets is sponsoring a summer calendar filled with events at the Duomo, specifically designed to take advantage of the best time of year \u2013 and the best time to see Milan.

Tiqets\u2019 Remarkable Venue Awards

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Duomo di Milano keeps the party going as the official host of the Italian Remarkable Venue Awards, an annual awards ceremony sponsored by Tiqets to recognize the best of the best venues, landmarks, and activities across the globe.\u00a0

This fall, tune in as the regional Italian winners are honored at this iconic venue in Italy.

Want to be in on the summer fun? Become a supplier for Tiqets today!

The post Celebrate Summer with Tiqets and Duomo di Milano! appeared first on tiqets.com.

Forget about the old-fashioned notion of annual vacations. Older generations normalized travel during a two-week vacation slot or waited for retirement to start checking off global bucket list items. But today\u2019s young adults believe frequent travel is a birthright.

We\u2019re talking about Gen Z \u2013 those now reaching their mid-twenties. Gen Z travels to immerse themselves in other cultures, learn more about the world, see for themselves the cool stuff they\u2019ve glimpsed in the media, go clubbing in exotic places, explore their heritage, and have brag-worthy experiences.

But Gen Z is also globally minded, has a lot of climate anxiety, and worries about money and mental health. When planning travel, this demographic makes different choices than those who came before. And as this young generation comes of age, its spending power is rising. 

Gen Z is a prime audience coming into its travel spending glory. For your museum or attraction to appeal to Gen Z, you need to capture the attention and the loyalty of an audience that\u2019s about to be central to the world of travel. 

Gen Z travel vs. millennial travel

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Millennials are known for valuing experience and adventure over material goods. They’re the original FOMO folks, focused on personal experience and their own cultural worth. Today, the oldest millennials are in their early forties, many of them settled into careers and family life. 

The oldest Gen Zers, on the other hand, are still just in their twenties. The youngest aren\u2019t even old enough to vote. Raised around collective social values, this audience is more apt to make consumer and travel decisions based on environmental and social impact. They prefer to support companies that share their values. 

Gen Z is also a more diverse generation, apt to embrace different cultures and want to learn about their heritage in specific ways. They love to immerse themselves in urban culture, local gastronomy, and heritage-based experiences.

Unlike millennials, who were born in the earliest days of the internet, Gen Z has a born connection to technology and an ease in turning to social media. Yet, for all their digital nativity (and likely because of it) they are hard to trick. They easily discern authentic experiences from shallow marketing tactics.

Marketing Gen Z travel

Gen Zers coming of age introduces an audience you want to appeal to early in order to capture their attention and loyalty. Doing so requires knowing what they\u2019re into and how they make travel decisions. 

Here are eight points any museum or attraction can benefit from knowing about Gen Z: 

1. Technology is second nature to Gen Z

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Gen Z kids grew up with every type of technology, and there\u2019s never been a time for them when technology couldn\u2019t solve everyday problems. To meet new people, or even learn a new skill, they will go online. They spend an average of 9 hours and 36 minutes online a day \u2013 every day!

They are not shy about using technology to book an experience, and they enjoy experiences that use technology in innovative ways. Once-futuristic technologies, such as VR, XR, and AI, are now becoming mainstream. Immersive, technology-enhanced visitor experiences are huge for this demographic.

Case in point: MeowWolf

An underground art collective in Santa Fe has grown into one of the most hyped immersive storytelling and art experiences in the world. At MeowWolf, the tagline is \u201chard to describe, easy to enjoy.\u201d That mystique has gotten the event ranked as the #1 immersive experience in the US by trendy Time Out. 

MeowWolf combines video, live performance, and portals to transport live visitors to a fictional world \u2014 a multisensory immersion into art. Designing artists use all kinds of physical mediums \u2013 sculpture, painting, writing, film, and more. But it\u2019s the technology component that really brings MeowWolf to life. When the museum reached its one-millionth guest back in 2018, that was just the beginning.

How to act on this fact: Read Interactive Exhibits and the Future of Tourism for ideas on how you can integrate more technology into your exhibits and experiences.

2. They consider social media to be a bona fide source of information

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In one notable 2024 survey, 89% of adult Gen Zers said they\u2019ve found travel destinations via TikTok, and 70% actively use TikTok as a trip-planning tool. For Gen Z, turning to social media is second nature. They\u2019re also tuned into YouTube, Snapchat, and Instagram. 

But Gen Z isn\u2019t just passively hanging out on social. They\u2019re actively creating their own original content (known as user-generated content or UGC). Get them in the door and give them something inspiring, they\u2019re highly apt to document it on social media, tagging your venue for an organic marketing boost. Add to that your own original social content, and social media marketing takes on a life of its own. 

How to act on this fact: Read 6 Museums on TikTok \u2013 and How They\u2019re Using It to Market to Gen Z for social inspiration and ideas on how to improve upon your existing content.

3. Gen Z prioritizes cool, new, unique experiences 

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\u201c70% of Gen Z travelers actively look for travel experiences off the beaten path that their family and friends have not heard of.\u201d

\u2013 Travel Perk

Influencers are seemingly always doing cool new things the rest of us have never thought of before. Most young people now have a notion that authentic, unique experiences are to be expected when they travel.

While millennials have been widely known to spend their money on experiences versus things, Gen Z thinks differently. They\u2019re not necessarily interested in all-inclusive resort or cruise types of vacations, but instead seek out cool, unique things. 

Unique might mean trying local food and drink specialties, learning about specific urban subcultures, or being the first of their peers to try a new immersive experience. In fact, the #1 reason they travel is to see sights and experience different cultures.

Case in point: Spiritus Light Show

In 2023, Spiritus Light Show won Tiqets\u2019 Remarkable Venue Award for Most Remarkable Venue. This multimedia experience uses state-of-the-art technology to project imagery onto the classic architecture of Igreja dos Cl\u00e9rigos in Portugal. Historic churches and innovative experiences may not seem like they\u2019d go hand in hand, but visitors to the Spiritus Light Show experienced a sort of creative enlightenment. 

How to act on this fact: Read about Tiqet\u2019s other Remarkable Venue Awards winners to see how notable museums and attractions around the world delight young audiences with novel experiences.

4. They expect authenticity, not marketing razzle-dazzle

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\u201cTo successfully persuade Gen Z to buy your product, you’ll want to make content that quickly cuts to the chase and explains why your product will provide value to them.\u201d

\u2013 HubSpot

For all the time they spend online, or perhaps because of it, Gen Zers are savvy and highly skeptical of being sold to. They can always sniff out a marketing veneer pasted over a lame experience. For this reason, always be absolutely authentic in your presentation and communication with this crowd.

The way to speak to Gen Z is directly. They like very short videos and quick social media updates, and they\u2019re not averse to informative ads. More than any generation before them, Gen Z kids will willingly watch an ad if they think it\u2019s worth it (and if it\u2019s optimized for mobile). They consider marketing and advertising to be valuable channels for information, but they\u2019re highly attuned to the messaging and don\u2019t like to be tricked.

How to act on this fact: Read The Remarkable Venue Awards 2022: Insights from 3 Innovative Winners and 7 reasons to visit the Lisbon Oceanarium!

5. They\u2019re conscious of their spending

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Gen Zers in their twenties are still kids, for all practical purposes, and they haven\u2019t reached the height of their careers yet. And while some of them expect (or hope) their parents will help them with costs, only a scant 8% of Gen Zers are willing to go into debt to go on vacation. So these are not your VIP, first-class travelers \u2013 they are frequent, intrepid, enthusiastic travelers. 

To afford the travel they want, Gen Zers practice conservative fiscal habits and practical decision-making. They\u2019re also more likely than any generation before them to make mobile purchases. They\u2019re twice as likely as millennials to make an online purchase. 

To appeal to the Gen Z traveling crowd, lean into value for money \u2013 a top reason Gen Z travels to any destination, according to an E&Y study. Some of the easiest ways to give Gen Z visitors bang for their buck are to offer them deals and promo codes. Also, knowing a lot of people plan trips around visiting multiple attractions when you team up on a package deal with another museum or attraction, you attract people who are excited about booking two experiences in one shot. 

Perhaps the most important way to give your visitors true value right away is to ensure their online ticket-buying experience is smooth and stress-free. The checkout process they encounter when booking through your website or an OTA should be extremely easy. With Gen Z as your target audience, never skimp on this aspect of your technology. Remember, they\u2019re tech-savvy and know good interface from bad.

How to act on this fact: Read 5 Advanced Partner Marketing Strategies for Museums & Attractions for ideas on how to team up with other museums, attractions, and OTAs to improve upon your offers.

6. They hew closely to values

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While they care about the bottom line, when Gen Z travels they tend to make decisions based on values more than money alone. The \u201csocially conscious generation,\u201d votes with their dollar, and choose travel experiences the way they\u2019d choose any product: partially based on the ethics of the brand.

As a museum or attraction, know that they care about how you treat your employees, whether you\u2019re contributing to or harming the environment, and how you respond to hot-button political issues. The majority of them choose hotels, transportation, and experiences that are conspicuously environmentally friendly, for instance.

Case in point: Terra

Some museums, like the award-winning Terra in Dubai, exist to educate and entertain on the matter of environmental sustainability. This World Expo exhibit launched with a primary focus on attracting young visitors with a stake in the impact and benefit of proactive environmentalism. An impressive immersive experience, the Terra Sustainability Pavillon takes visitors on what Chief of Education and Culture Marjan Faraidooni calls a \u201cnet-zero journey.\u201d

As not every museum or attraction has the budget, or mission, to entirely orient exhibits around the topic of environmentalism \u2013 for your museum, a shift might simply mean adopting more sustainable practices, cutting back on your carbon footprint, or launching marketing campaigns highlighting the environmental efforts you already make.

How to act on this fact: Read 5 Ways to Become a More Sustainable Museum in 2023 for ways to improve your environmental impact, both big and small.

7. They love OTAs!

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And finally, we come to Tiqets favorite thing about Gen Z: it\u2019s a generation that prefers to book via an online travel agent (OTA). In every category, from flights to transport to accommodation to activities, ETC\u2019s findings are that these young adults strongly prefer to book via an OTA. 

Notably, they prefer to use OTAs via mobile devices, so as you search for an OTA to partner with, make sure you choose one that offers a smooth mobile experience and easy ticketing checkout on a smartphone or other mobile device. 

While naive marketers might assume they can appeal to a broad population with one homogenous marketing strategy, those who hone in on Gen Z as their own demographic will reap more rewards. 

If you\u2019re interested in partnering with Tiqets on your Gen Z marketing efforts, we invite you to next read Leverage Your Digital Presence in 2024 with a Tiqets Marketing Package.

The post Understanding Gen Z Travel Preferences: How to Appeal to a Critical New Audience appeared first on tiqets.com.

For many, summertime means it\u2019s time to travel! And this year, summer travel looks promising. There\u2019s been a big jump in flight and hotel bookings in the U.S., according to recent AAA travel data. Europe is also looking at a strong summer for travel and tourism after a record-breaking summer in 2023.

To get in on the travel action, your museum or attraction needs a good marketing plan \u2013 and fast! Marketing, of course, goes hand in hand with your actual event schedule. If you need some inspiration or you want to know how to best position your museum or attraction this summer, read on for our top ten museum marketing ideas for summer.

When to start thinking about summer marketing

The further out you plan your event schedule and your marketing, the better. In big organizations, marketing campaigns are often approved on an annual basis. A major museum knows what exhibits are coming a year or two in advance. For summer marketing, spring is almost too late!

Even with the best intentions to plan ahead, things come up. Museum marketers often live in a triage state, focusing on the next big emergency first. This is a paradox many museum promoters find themselves very year, and once the summer actually gets rolling, you run out of time to do anything but hustle.

If you haven\u2019t started thinking about your summer marketing yet, or your existing summer events aren\u2019t performing like you want them to, you\u2019re not alone. Read on to learn more about how to boost marketing for your summer season (and existing exhibits and events, too).

10 summer marketing ideas for museums and attractions

1. Honor the summer solstice

In ancient agrarian cultures, the summer solstice was traditionally a time for celebration. Planting was completed and the crops were starting to sprout. The summer solstice does not just mark the official start of summer (aka holiday time!), but the longest day of the year, granting plenty of daylight to be out and about.

The Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C., stays open late on summer solstice, with programs and performances scheduled well into the night. The museum institution partners with Hofstra University, which hosts a simultaneous Astronomy Festival on the National Mall. To hype the solstice celebration, the Smithsonian\u2019s digital marketing is laden with sun imagery from its collections.

If celebrating with the sun does not correspond with your museum or attraction, there\u2019s always the moon! The Strawberry Moon in June, the Buck Moon in July, the Sturgeon Moon in August, and the Harvest Moon in September are all full moons worth worshiping. Start strategizing your astronomical alignment now so you\u2019re ready to invite in visitors for these special days of summer.

2. Hone in on major holidays

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Speaking of solstice, Sweden\u2019s Midsommar celebration, known locally as Midsommarst\u00e5ng, has long been a celebratory occasion in the far northern hemisphere. For the nearby museums and attractions that enjoy 18 hours of daylight in June, marketing their venues around Midsommar just makes sense. Everyone\u2019s in the mood to celebrate, so why not invite them to do so at your museum?

There are plenty of specific holidays and occasions that mark moments of summer in other parts of the world. In Japan\u2019s Aomori Prefecture, the lanterns float every August for the Aomori Nebuta Matsuri Festival. In the U.S., Independence Day in July calls for a riotous celebration of fireworks. The messy La Tomatina Festival in Bu\u00f1ol, Spain, tempts residents and visitors to throw tomatoes at each other in late August. In Poland, the midsummer holiday known as Wianki has roots in ancient pagan fertility rites. And in many parts of the world, late summer means regional oyster festivals.

What\u2019s big in your area? Hitching your star to a local, regional, or national celebration is a smart way to increase the reach of your marketing and take advantage of audiences that may be coming to the area for other reasons. This might mean a tweak in your social media messaging or it might inspire a brand-new marketing campaign.

3. Ask visitors to stay late, or even stay over

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Lean into the lengthening daylight and extend your museum or attraction\u2019s hours. This may already be a part of your summer plan. Look for ways to capitalize on these extended hours by making them special. Depending on your setup, think garden parties, classical music concerts, events catered to specific audiences, and evening soir\u00e9es. Or \u2013 and here\u2019s a bold idea \u2013 invite visitors to spend the night!

During the pandemic, Rijksmuseum Muiderslot, did just this. In 2020, the historic castle outside of Amsterdam launched its Camping in the Plum Garden experience, an invitation to 20 families to spend the night on the grounds, where they could have drinks in the garden, picnic on the lawn, and indulge in a private tour of the castle in small groups.\u00a0

Family-friendly sleepovers are a big hit for many museums as well. The British Museum in London invites young guests to experience the museum after dark and sleep in the Egyptian and Assyrian galleries. These Young Friends Sleepovers are fully curated, action-packed evenings with workshops, activities, and storytelling, followed by breakfast in the morning.

Of course, a sleepover requires the staff, security, and potentially insurance to keep everyone happy and safe while also protecting your assets. But it can lead to unforgettable memories for visitors and incredible organic marketing opportunities for you.

4. Launch a pre-booking motivational promotion

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There\u2019s an art to the timing of ticket sales. Some people love to make last-minute decisions about where to spend their time. But as a museum or attraction reliant on optimizing your ticket sales for revenue, you\u2019re likely hopeful that most people will book in advance. Give them the incentive to do so.

Early bird pricing is one technique. Giving visitors a discount if they book tickets by a certain date makes it worth their while to commit. Having an easy online ticket checkout process is obviously key to this effort. For museums and attractions that consider summer the \u201coff season,\u201d a discounted off-peak rate is the way to go. And offering first-time visitors a special promotional rate can also increase your audience.

One final summer-specific idea: a discounted evening rate for the extended daytime hours. Boston\u2019s Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, for instance, offers visitors free admission from 3 pm to 9 pm on the first Thursday of every month. While free admission may not boost your actual revenue, it can be a great way to increase your visitor numbers, spread awareness of your venue, and gain significant numbers of loyal followers.

5. Position your venue as the place to beat the heat

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Weatherwise, summer can be tricky. Indoor museums are at a disadvantage when the weather is optimal, and outdoor attractions are often entirely reliant on good weather. On the other hand, people love to come into a nice air-conditioned space when the sun is blazing. 

In Europe, many tourists are starting to find summer to be hot and crowded. In 2024, Cond\u00e9 Nast Traveler notes a trend toward \u201can increased interest in lesser-known destinations offering a more laid back (and cooler) holiday.\u201d

This is positive news for off-the-beaten-path museums and those with extra powerful AC systems. Positioning your venue as a place to beat the heat and escape the sweaty throngs could be your mainstay this summer. 

6. Connect your online and offline marketing with QR codes

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In the summer, people are out and about, on the move and going places. Take advantage of this with strategically placed out-of-home advertising, or OOH, which includes publicly visible large-format media such as billboards and posters that appear on the freeway, in the subway station or airport terminals. 

For eons, OOH ads were notoriously unengaging. Then came QR codes. QR, in this case, literally stands for \u201cquick response,\u201d and is a way for a person with a smartphone to quickly scan the code and access your ticketing page \u2013 perhaps with a special promo code. 

QR codes aren\u2019t just useful for getting people to buy tickets or book spots in general. There are many creative ways you can incorporate them into your OOH. Perhaps you have a new exhibit you want to let the world know about, or a recent upgrade to your facility. QR codes allow you to direct digital visitors to a specific website or social media spot for more information.

QR codes have helped connect offline marketing with the digital experience, and for museums and attractions, this is an excellent way to inspire viewers to follow through with ticket purchase. It\u2019s also an effective way to track data on your OOH advertising so you know whether it\u2019s working well enough.

7. Plant a garden

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In a time when climate awareness and environmental sustainability are incredibly important to all businesses, but especially to culture-holders like museums, planting a single tree is a gesture. But a whole garden can make a statement and simultaneously create a gorgeous, peaceful experience for your visitors.

Some museums naturally incorporate beautiful gardens. The Domain of Chaumont-sur-Loire in France hosts an annual International Garden Festival along with Nocturnes in the Garden, a series of poetic musical walks in a dreamlike botanical setting. Winterthur Museum, the Delaware-based museum of American decorative arts, boasts 60 acres of gardens along with an impressive catalog of decorative arts objects and rare imprints \u2013 plus 1,000 acres of protected meadows, woodlands, ponds, and waterways.

Your museum or attraction might not have the acreage or the resources to build out a true botanical wonder, but there are ways to get creative with your gardening as part of your museum marketing strategy. Rooftop gardens, walled gardens, indoor greenhouses, and hydroponic gardens are all options for urban spaces.

The roof garden (and the bar) at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is a famous seasonal spot for museum-related events and is also available to any ticket holder to the museum. Not just a pleasant botanical space, the Met\u2019s roof garden has been written up in many publications, and New York Magazine calls it \u201cone of the best pickup spots in Manhattan.\u201d While being a hotspot for dating may not be your museum\u2019s goal, good PR most certainly is, and a high-profile garden can bring that type of exposure.

Gardens take cultivation \u2013 and not just literally. You\u2019ll want to create a strategy, set a budget, poll your staff for interest, and potentially hire additional staff or bring in outside resources to help with the physical work. Step one is to create a garden plan that suits your museum or attraction\u2019s theme and culture.

8. Throw an al fresco party

Photo credit: Night Forms: Infinite Wave

If you have any kind of outdoor space at your disposal \u2013 whether it\u2019s a garden, a back alley, an empty lot, or manicured grounds, close your eyes and imagine what sort of magic you could make there. Now, add it to your list of museum marketing ideas.

Evening parties work well in the summer, and even better if they include multisensory exhibits \u2013 lights, music, and artwork. As just one example, the New Jersey contemporary art museum Ground For Sculpture launched a two-year series of rotating outdoor exhibits. The first, Night Forms, included interactive art scattered among the existing sculptures in the museum gardens, along with stunning displays of light.

Key to the Ground For Sculpture outdoor exhibit series was a partnership with outside artists and other organizations. These types of collaborations make outdoor events both more economically viable and more exciting. Having multiple entities involved is also helpful when it comes to museum marketing ideas. The more organizations are involved in marketing an event, the bigger the reach.

Consider what kind of outdoor activities would sync with your museum or attraction\u2019s vibe. If your attraction is already outside \u2013 for instance, if it\u2019s an amusement park \u2013 think beyond what you already know. Where might there be opportunities to add to your current experience and bring in a new set of summer visitors by hosting a particular type of event?

9. Dream up a festival

Museumsufer Festival, Frankfurt. Photo credit: Intrepix via Shutterstock

Intimate outdoor gatherings can be wonderful, but nothing says summer like a giant, over-the-top party. If you have the time and want to go big, think festival.

Mass MoCA in North Adams, Massachusetts, is equally famous for its live music shows as its incredible collection of contemporary art. Summer begins each year with the launch of the Solid Sound alternative music festival and ends with FreshGrass, a bluegrass festival that draws huge crowds from miles around.

In Frankfurt, the Museumsufer Festival takes place every August, when Europeans tend to be on holiday. A collaboration of the German city\u2019s esteemed cultural institutions, the English as the Museum Riverbank Festival, combines arts, culture, and music along the riverbank of the Main, and attracts around 2.5 million people each summer. 

One of the challenges of launching a festival is that it requires the effort and contributions of a lot of different outside partners \u2013 musicians, technicians, food vendors, sanitation companies, and much more. This is also the advantage of launching a festival, though \u2013 you can recruit a lot of support and a huge marketing net.

10. Team up with an OTA or another marketing partner

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Summer is indeed a peak time for planning events and launching promotions at museums and attractions, and having the right partner can be paramount to that effort. An online travel agency, or OTA, often brings a fresh spin to museum marketing. They also often have a large built-in audience to deliver promotional ideas to in the first place.

A bigger OTA typically has a destination website known to travelers as a good place to get information about museums and attractions. For instance, in 2024, Tiqets has posted on such topics as The Ultimate Vienna Travel Guide and The 10 Best Things to Do in Madrid With Kids. Embedded within those posts are links to purchase tickets, making the customer journey from \u201cresearch\u201d to \u201cbuy\u201d as smooth as possible \u2013 thus giving mentioned museums an advantage.

OTAs don\u2019t just help you promote, of course. They can also streamline the online ticketing experience for your visitors and enable you to participate in ticketing packages with other nearby events. Partnering with an OTA is often a crucial business decision for museums and attractions.

For more insight into how your museum or attraction can capitalize on seasonal marketing ideas this summer, next summer, and all year round, download the e-book Museum Marketing: A Go-to Guide to Maximizing Visitors All Year Round.

The post Maximizing Sunshine: 10 Summer Marketing Ideas for Museums and Attractions appeared first on tiqets.com.

Celebrate a decade of success with Tiqets!

Tiqets is turning 10 in 2024! To mark this milestone, we\u2019ll be running a marketing campaign across all our marketing channels to celebrate. 

Who\u2019s invited to our birthday bash? Tiqets will feature 10 destinations from the United Kingdom, Portugal, Germany, the United States, UAE, Belgium, Spain, Italy, France, Austria, and The Netherlands. 

As a little birthday present, we want to provide our customers with exclusive discounts in June, designed to boost your business reach and sales via different marketing channels.\u00a0

Why should you participate in our 10th anniversary campaign? 

This cross-channel campaign is a celebration of Tiqets.com and discovering and booking unforgettable experiences across the globe. 

We’ll be offering exclusive discounts, immersive content, inspiring CRM campaigns and engaging social media activations throughout June to connect with our loyal users and welcome newcomers into our Tiqets community.\u00a0

Our broad network of partners will also participate in promoting the 10th year anniversary campaign. Increase your exposure, reach new audiences, and be part of our celebration campaign. 

How does it work?

Getting in on the fun is a piece of (birthday) cake \u2013 just follow these steps!

Join Tiqets in celebrating a decade of unforgettable experiences with marketing activations and exclusive discounts.

Let\u2019s get this party started! Get in touch with your Tiqets representative to participate in our upcoming 10th anniversary campaign and help us celebrate 10 years of success!

The post 10 Years with Tiqets: Join Our Anniversary Campaign! appeared first on tiqets.com.

There\u2019s an old-fashioned notion that visiting a museum means patiently walking around and reading information from plaques. However, with the rise of interactive exhibits, museum visits have evolved into dynamic experiences where visitors can actively engage with the displays. Participating in a tour is about sitting on a bus while someone makes announcements. And while visiting an attraction like an amusement park or a zoo might feel more engaging, it\u2019s still more or less a passive experience. Right?

That myth of passivity is being challenged by a new wave of highly engaging interactive tourism experiences. Today, museum visitors, attraction participants, and tour-takers are all engaging with subject matter in ways that challenge outdated perceptions. They\u2019re being invited to learn and be entertained by engaging with art, history, culture, and science.

Interactive merely means that the visitor plays some part in the experience. This could be a low-stakes action like pressing a button to hear a recording or handling a starfish at an aquarium. But interactivity has dramatically increased in sophistication. The best museums, attractions, and tours now use a range of technologies \u2013 infused with bold creativity \u2013 to cultivate memorable experiences for their audiences. 

If you aren\u2019t yet focused on creating interactive exhibits and environments, or could use some inspiration and new ideas, read on.

What is an interactive exhibit?

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Interactive exhibits invite the visitor to take action in order to have an experience. This includes things as simple as swiping through a visual display on a touchscreen or using a joystick to control a player. But interactivity can also be far more creative and consuming than these simple gestures. Ultimately, interactive museums and tour operators that employ engaging techniques invite visitors to participate in their experience.

MUSE, a science museum in Trento, Italy, takes visitors on a journey from a tropical greenhouse to an entire floor rich in the history of primitive mankind. But it\u2019s the top floor of the building that most excites young visitors \u2013 that\u2019s where the interactive science exhibits are found. One section of this floor, playfully called Maxi Ooh!, attracts the youngest visitors (under five) to get their hands on the world of nature and science.

Child-focused museums have always focused on interaction as a way to engage and motivate young minds. But even the most grown-up of grownups tend to participate more deeply, concentrate for longer, and understand new ideas and information more clearly when invited to interact with a museum exhibit.

Interactive technologies to enhance museums and tours

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When it comes to learning, tapping into people\u2019s natural curiosity is an effective mechanism, and study after study has shown that people learn better by doing than by simple observation. Interactivity taps into multiple learning styles to appeal to a diverse range of guests.

But museums are not just about learning. They\u2019re also about entertainment, self-growth, and social opportunities. Interactive exhibits can help to break down the seriousness of the museum experience, ultimately creating a more friendly, welcoming environment. 

It\u2019s worth noting that interactivity is not just for museums. Other kinds of attractions and even tours can tap into the power of interactive exhibits. A recent report on immersive film tourism by the industry publication Arival describes how big brands use interactive experiences to place visitors inside the movies they love, with events like Bond for a Day and Stranger Things: The Experience. Fans get to embody their favorite characters within immersive environments and embrace their alter egos.

Technology is an important tool

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As just one type of interactive experience, immersion is nothing new in the world of tourism. By its very nature, any historical reenactment is immersive. When you visit Old Sturbridge Village in Massachusetts, you enter a 19th-century American town with over 40 preserved buildings, working farms and trade shops, and actors role-playing their parts. To the visitor, the experience is like stepping back in time.

But \u201cimmersive experiences\u201d have taken on a new layer of meaning in the last decade. Thanks to technologies like virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR), immersive experiences have increased in popularity, often placing the visitor into another world entirely. Led by experiences such as Immersive Van Gogh and Frameless: London\u2019s Immersive Art Experience, immersive technologies have become an incredibly popular tool for museums and events that aim to make their exhibits and experiences both more interactive and memorable.

Casa Batll\u00f3 example

At Casa Batll\u00f3 in Barcelona, visitors can \u201cjourney into the genius of Gaud\u00ed\u201d with all five of their senses. In the Gaud\u00ed D\u00f4me, an immersive experience featuring more than 1,000 screens, multiple projectors, and state-of-the-art sound, invites the visitor to lose themselves in the genius of the famous Catalan architect and experience firsthand how nature informed his work. 

In other parts of the interactive museum, still imagery on the walls comes to life as visitors approach, thanks to micro-motion sensors hidden within the pictures. Advanced machine learning and modern AI have been put to use deciphering the patterns and biomimetic structures within Gaud\u00ed\u2019s work, revealing his impeccable design logic and describing it to museum visitors in clear language. Visitors are invited to use tablets installed with AR content to go back a century in time and see spaces the way Gaud\u00ed once did.

Today, plenty of museums and venues employ AR to create a more interactive visitor experience. The Asian Art Museum in San Francisco places visitors inside of the artworks as they wander through large empty rooms rendered into a multisensory dreamscape by VR. Walt Disney World celebrated its 50th anniversary in partnership with Snapchat, inviting young visitors to virtually interact with characters from its archives and post their own content to social media.

Immersive technologies lend themselves to creating interactive experiences for visitors, but there are plenty of other types of technology that can also be used in this arena. Motion sensors, touchscreens, and innovative apps are building blocks of an unlimited number of future interactive experiences.

(But it\u2019s just a tool)

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Technology is more and more important to creating engaging interactive tourist experiences, but ultimately, it\u2019s just a tool, and not the only one.

Recently, artist Tomas Saraceno installed an exhibit called Cloud Cities Barcelona at the top of the famous cylindrical building Torre Gl\u00f2ries. The installation, built of simple physical mirrored facets and cable, invites visitors to walk around and see the city reflected in countless ways through the viewing gallery known as the Mirador Torre Gl\u00f2ries.

Cloud Cities is an elegant example of how a museum or attraction can create engaging, interactive experiences for visitors without involving computer technology at all. In fact, the most important element of interactive tourist experiences is not technology, but storytelling.

How to tell a good story with your interactive exhibit

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What kind of story is your museum invested in telling? Do you have a unique or compelling angle on a historical subject or an area of art or science? No matter the technology you choose to use (or not), interactive exhibits should come from a place of intention, not just flash.

Here are five best practices for creating interactive experiences:

1. Create a unique, compelling experience

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At muZIEum in the Netherlands, a current exhibit uses immersive technology to invite seeing visitors to experience what it\u2019s like to be blind. This is not a simple \u201cclose-your-eyes-and-use-your-imagination\u201d type of event. Visitors don VR glasses that simulate blindness and are led on a daring adventure that gives the sight-abled insight (so to speak) about how blind people must rely on their other senses to experience the world. 

Ideally, your interactive exhibit gives visitors an opportunity to have an experience they couldn\u2019t have anywhere else.

2. Invite creativity

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At Gardaland SEA LIFE Aquarium, Italy, the Interactive Ocean room invites visitors to design a fish from their imagination and bring it to life in a \u201cmagical 3D aquarium.\u201d

Children are naturally curious and creative. So, for that matter, are most adults, whether they\u2019re typically given a chance to express it or not. Let your interactive exhibit be an opportunity to invite creativity and originality from participants of all ages.

3. Gamify it

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Nothing motivates a visitor more than a challenge. London\u2019s National Gallery recently launched an AR app with a children\u2019s game called The Keeper of Paintings and the Palette of Perception. Through this app, children are invited to find clues, collect gems within the paintings, and solve puzzles as they navigate their way through the museum.

Gamification can take a lot of different forms, from a simple custom app to escape rooms and the use of motion sensors. 

4. Use a multisensory approach

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\u201cDon\u2019t touch the exhibit!\u201d is a stern warning common in museum environments. But with interactive exhibits, visitors are often invited to do just that, as well as listen, play with, and smell. 

In 2021, the Mauritshuis Museum partnered with IFF (International Flavors and Fragrances) to create a \u201cfragrance box\u201d that fans at home could order to accompany a 30-minute digital tour of 17th-century art. The scents, \u201cwinter perfume,\u201d \u201cfoul-smelling canal,\u201d \u201cgrocer\u2019s shop,\u201d and \u201cDutch bleach fields,\u201d inspire the imagination with their names alone. 

All five senses can be activated with an interactive museum experience. Keep this in mind within your own design.

5. Make it inclusive

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And finally, one of the most compelling reasons to build out interactive experiences is to make them engaging and accessible to people of all kinds, regardless of their age, level of education, cultural background, mobility, and the ways in which they learn. Considering that 15% of the population is neurodiverse, finding inspired ways to invite and include this population alone will serve your museum well. 

At the Van Gogh Museum in the Netherlands, a touchable scale model of the museum allows blind visitors to literally feel their way around the building in advance.

For more on designing accessible interactive experiences, the Smithsonian Museums have published extensive research and best practices into this subject, which you can read here.

And for further inspiration from the winners of the 2023 Remarkable Venue Awards, many of whom are doing innovative things with interactivity and technology, meet our global winners. 

Check out 10 venues leading the way with augmented reality.

The post Interactive Exhibits and the Future of Tourism appeared first on tiqets.com.

There\u2019s something in the air. Can you feel it?

Spring is the time of year when people want to get out and do things. They\u2019ve been cooped up all winter, and now it\u2019s time to have an adventure and see the sights \u2013 or more accurately, the sites. 

Museums and attractions have so much to offer people antsy with spring fever and ready to experience something new. But how to ensure people choose your venue or experience? Introducing some new spring marketing ideas that will help you create a competitive strategy for your events, marketing, and promotions. Here are a few of the best spring marketing ideas we\u2019ve seen from museums and attractions, and how you can interpret them in your own way.

1. Lean into springtime storytelling

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A Tiqets Remarkable Venue Award 2023 winner for Most Innovative Venue, La Cit\u00e9 de l\u2019Histoire, located under the Grande Arche in Paris, takes visitors on a trip back in time to experience the rich history of France firsthand. The stunning modern building houses a technology-driven immersion into French historical events, from the salons of the 17th century to the reign of Napoleon Bonaparte.

Live actors guide visitors from scene to scene, with dramatic dialogue happening in real time, enabling visitors to be \u201cspectators of the history of humanity.\u201d A stroll through the Corridor of Time invites visitors to learn about 400 key dates in world history spanning 12 centuries, with a cinematic show called 360\u00b0 Ellipse immersing visitors into the life of a historic character within a giant arena.\u00a0

What this means for you:

Storytelling is always a powerful way to reach audiences at all times of the year, but in this season of renewal, perhaps you\u2019ll feel inspired to launch a new story. The narrative approach particularly suits museums, which typically have a rich story to tell \u2013 one that weaves together societies over time and across cultures. 

A few tactical tips:

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• Take the time to put into words what sort of story your museum or attraction offers. This can inform the way you market and talk about the experience. 
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• Connect your story to a target audience. Who would be most interested in what you have to say?
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• How will you say it? Is your story fun and quirky, like that of Little BIG City Berlin? Or somber and reflective, like the Anne Frank House or the 9/11 Memorial & Museum? Read about how all three of these museums use storytelling.
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• Let all these things inform your creativity \u2014 but don\u2019t hold back your imagination as you forge forward into new storytelling ventures.
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Keep in mind that good stories naturally inspire user-generated content (UCG) \u2013 an industry term for visitors posting to social media about your museum or venue. People love to take selfies, snapshots, and videos of interesting experiences they have while traveling, and the more compelling the experience you offer, the higher the likelihood they\u2019ll post about it. When a visitor posts to TikTok, a whole new audience might find out about you. Along with that exposure, you get the automatic credibility of the poster\u2019s personal recommendation.

2. Launch spring-specific campaigns

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In the Netherlands, Keukenhof Gardens is the epitome of spring. During tulip season, the botanical gardens are resplendent with around 7 million flower bulbs in a rainbow of colors.

But tulip season only constitutes a few months out of the entire year, so to make sure visitors know exactly when to buy tickets \u2014 and to maximize the number of visitors who do \u2014 the marketing team at Keukenhof has to be strategic year-round.

To stay on the radar of global anthophiles (a fancy term for people who love flowers!), social media is, of course, a must-do. But which platforms? And how?

Keukenhof Gardens has more than 120K followers on Instagram, where the social media marketing team posts updates, news, and memories all year long, from fresh bulbs planted in autumn to full bloom in spring. And on TikTok, the venue has built a presence with short panoramic videos set to upbeat music. At the tail end of winter, when the floral display is imminent, posting picks up on all of the venue\u2019s social media accounts.

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What this means for you:

Regardless of whether your museum or attraction seeks visitors year-round or only for a short season, a steady cadence of social media posting keeps you on the radar of fickle, forgetful tourists. Engaging with your audience throughout the year means that when it\u2019s their time to travel, they\u2019ll think of you.

3. Celebrate spring-specific holidays

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Not everyone celebrates Easter or Passover, but these occasions still present opportunities for museums to host special events, parties, and celebrations. But there are also a few occasions celebrated in spring that are virtually agnostic. For museums and attractions, they provide excellent promotional inspiration.

Mother’s Day

There are many ways to celebrate moms besides flowers and brunch, and even more ways your museum can get on the radar of those looking for ideas. It might be as simple as free entry for mothers on this day in May, or the organization of a more formal event that celebrates moms.

Here\u2019s one example to inspire you: The Museum of the American Revolution in Philadelphia hosts an annual Mother\u2019s Day Weekend that doesn\u2019t just celebrate moms, but reveres the trailblazing women and mothers who played critical roles in the Revolutionary War. For instance, the Forten family of Philadelphia was critical in founding the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society in 1833. Charlotte Vandine Forten and her daughters were at the forefront of that movement.\u00a0

In 2023, the museum\u2019s Mother\u2019s Day program also included:

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• Talks on the women who traveled alongside their husbands during the Revolutionary War, as well as how voting rights for women evolved in the US
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• A Mother\u2019s Day card-making activity based on the German paper-cutting craft of scherenschnitte
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• Mother\u2019s Day gift suggestions from the museum\u2019s gift shop
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This fully rounded Mother\u2019s Day experience both celebrates and entertains moms.

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To get the word out about the bevy of celebratory options, the Museum of the American Revolution’s Mother\u2019s Day marketing efforts included a comprehensive web portal devoted to the occasion.

Spring Equinox

In late March, the sun crosses the equator line, rendering day and night equidistant around the world. Since ancient times, Spring (Vernal) Equinox has been honored with ceremonies, such as planting seeds and storytelling. And since Spring Equinox has long been considered a symbol of growth, rebirth, and new beginnings, this is a great time to launch a fresh new marketing campaign!

Spring break

People with children are looking for things to do during this week, and your museum or attraction provides a fantastic option. Family-friendly events, discounts for kids and students, camps, and workshops are all ways your museum can attract both local families and those traveling to your region over spring break.

What this means for you:

Latch onto a spring celebration and let your creativity reign. It starts with the museum exhibition idea, but your marketing does the heavy lifting. For help executing your spring marketing strategy, check out these resources:

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• Read more about how to create elevated online marketing campaigns on your website and beyond.
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• Find out how to take advantage of specific generational travel trends and appeal to targeted audiences with your events and marketing.
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3. Create spring-themed installations

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Sometimes, spring marketing ideas rely on photogenic exhibits that naturally draw in visitors with iconic imagery. Large installations that take their cue from nature are some of the most eye-catching and photo-worthy things you see at museums this season. Here are three examples:

At the National Gallery of Art in Washington, DC, spring brings floral abundance to the West Building Rotunda, first with the museum\u2019s famous Ames-Haskell Azalea Collection in March, then with white Easter lilies. Located at the axis of the imposing National Gallery, the rotunda is itself a breathtaking space, with its double circle of Italian marble columns surrounding the fountain, which is topped with a small-scale bronze replica of the sculpture Mercury. The springtime flowers bring a breath of fresh air to the Rotunda.

At Mifuneyama Rakuen Park on the Japanese island of Kyushu, the installation Megaliths in the Bath House Ruins took over an abandoned bathhouse in 2019. This nature-inspired large-scale installation consisted of multiple \u201cmegaliths\u201d acting as canvases for projected artwork rendered in continuous real-time by computer programming. As visitors interacted, the artwork would shift and change.\u00a0

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The Louisiana Museum of Modern Art featured the opposite aesthetic with the work of Olafur Eliasson, whose 2017 installation Riverbed was referred to by the artist as an \u201cinvasion.\u201d Visitors were invited to walk across the muddy indoor landscape made of rocks and water \u2014 not unlike a stroll in spring, in some parts of the world.\u00a0

What this means for you:

Think about designing exhibits so marvelous, noteworthy, and original that people will flock to your museum out of curiosity and transmit the pictures they take there back to their own social circles, in turn inviting more curious art and experience seekers.\u00a0

Awakening spring marketing ideas

These are just a few of the ways your museum or attraction can make a tactical effort to get strategic with each season. Spring may be the season of \u201cmarketing awakening\u201d for your venue, but don\u2019t let up in summer, fall, or winter!

Download the e-book Museum Marketing: A Go-to Guide to Maximizing Visitors All Year Round to get more inspiration and ideas for every season. 

The post Spring Marketing Ideas for Museums and Attractions 2024 appeared first on tiqets.com.