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Creating an experience

by Diantha Vess

Tourism is the act of seeking experiences

In tourism we’re in the business of selling memories and aiding travellers on their quest for authenticity and self-discovery.

Through research conducted in collaboration with Visit Victoria we know that the majority of visitors to Bendigo are seeking:

  • To be enriched with new ideas and knowledge
  • To be transformed through creative inspiration
  • To be deeply indulged and immersed in crafted stories and experiences
  • To feel a connection to the community and the city through the streetscape, the locals, the land and the stories.

Why is it important for your business?

Creating new experiences is a great way to:

  • create a point of difference for your business
  • create an emotional connection with the visitor and your business
  • diversify the offering of your business to attract new customers and encourage repeat visitation

Design experiences with your customer in mind

There’s a great tool by Strategyzer called the Value Proposition Canvas that helps you design for your customer. You can download the canvas for free from their website, and watch this great video that explains how to use it.

Bendigo Tourism also has a Brand Toolkit that explains the visitors we are marketing to, and the experiences and content that we are looking for.

Tips for designing experiences for visitors

  • Seek inspiration, steal good ideas and mash them up/remix them to make them something new
  • Offer something unique they can’t do elsewhere
  • Go behind-the-scenes, offer something exclusive
  • Relate it to the region, they want to connect emotionally to the destination
  • Collaborate – team up with others to create a new experience/package
  • There’s nothing wrong with niche experiences,  even if only one in a million people likes your product that’s still 7000 customers
  • Create seasonal offerings or limited time offerings
  • Join campaigns around seasons or exhibitions. Click here to find out more about getting involved in campaigns
  • Consider the price-point
  • Consider how you’re going to market your experience, including strategy and budget
  • Provide a social media moment

 

Is there a topic you’d like to hear about? Let us know! Contact Diantha Vess on [email protected] or (03) 5434 6280.