Events

Our next Learning Journey will take place on 29th April to Edinburgh Zoo, winner of the Central and East Regional Thistle Award for Best Visitor Experience and the national Climate Action Award. This is a great opportunity to connect, network and engage with industry colleagues while gaining insight into what it takes to deliver an outstanding visitor experience at one of Scotland’s most iconic attractions. During the visit, we’ll explore how Edinburgh Zoo creates a memorable and engaging day out, from first impressions through to departure, and how every touchpoint contributes to overall visitor satisfaction. Participants will gain insight into: How the Zoo designs and manages the end-to-end visitor journey, with a focus on creating standout moments across a large and complex site Approaches to wayfinding, interpretation and storytelling that enhance engagement and provide a high quality experience at a large scale Learn how the Zoo puts sustainability practices into action Commercial opportunities including events, retail and catering, and how these support the charity as well as overall experience The session will run from 10am to 1pm and will include a mix of site exploration, discussion and insight from the team, with opportunities to hear what’s working well, what they’ve learned, and where they’re continuing to evolve. This session is designed to spark ideas, challenge thinking and provide practical takeaways that can be applied within your own attraction.

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Visitor attractions have spent years building websites that rank well on Google. But the rules are changing fast. AI-powered search tools like ChatGPT, Google's AI Overviews and Perplexity are now answering questions directly, without sending visitors to your site. For many attractions, that means organic traffic is quietly disappearing. In this Industry Insight webinar, Neil Lewin shares a practical playbook you can act on straight away. Neil is Managing Director of Semantic, a digital agency that created LOOP a web platform purpose-built for visitor attractions, museums, zoos and heritage sites. LOOP powers websites for venues including Real Mary King's Close, Twycross Zoo, Brighton Palace Pier, Silverstone Museum and The Crystal Maze. The strategies he shares come from real experience of what works for the kinds of venues ASVA members operate. What you'll take away: A clear picture of how AI search works and why your current site may be invisible to it A simple audit framework you can run on your own site this week Practical, jargon-free tactics to improve your visibility in AI-generated answers The content and structural changes that make the biggest difference for attractions Whether you're a small heritage site, an immersive experience or a multi-venue operation, this session is built around the reality of how attractions actually work. About Neil Lewin Neil is Managing Director and co-founder of Semantic, a UK digital agency that created LOOP, a website platform tailored to the sector.  LOOP is pitched as "Premier League website at Division Two money." Neil speaks and writes regularly on websites, digital strategy, AI-driven search and what the shift to AI discovery means for experience-led businesses.

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This  Industry Insight webinar will explore how AI is transforming paid media and what that means for visitor attractions across Scotland. Delivered by specialist paid media agency, The Media Shop, it will unpack the latest AI-powered tools available across platforms such as Meta, TikTok, and Connected TV providers including STV, showing how advertisers can now generate and optimise ad strategies and content at scale. The session will focus on the practical opportunities AI presents, particularly for smaller marketing teams, from faster content production and smarter A/B testing to dynamic personalisation that helps turn screens into ticket sales. It will also address the potential pitfalls, including brand safety risks, over-automation, and measurement challenges when AI-driven campaigns evolve in real time. The webinar will be presented by Ruth Berry, Insight & Strategy Director, and Teresa Turner, Senior Campaign Manager, from The Media Shop. Drawing on experience with leading visitor attractions such as National Museums Scotland, National Library of Scotland, and Paisley Halloween Festival, as well as several Scottish DMOs, they will share evidence-based insights and real-world results. Attendees will leave with practical guidance on how to balance AI efficiency with human insight, to maximise ROI while safeguarding brand integrity.

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Exclusive to ASVA Members This event will provide a structured yet informal opportunity for ASVA members to come together to share experiences, explore challenges and exchange best practice around visitor experience and engagement. The focus is on practical learning, peer discussion and collective insight. The exchange will feature a short case study from an ASVA member attraction (details to be confirmed), offering insight into their approach to visitor experience and engagement, the factors that have driven success, and key lessons learned. This will act as a catalyst for wider discussion and shared learning across the group. Throughout the session, members will be encouraged to contribute their own experiences, ask questions and learn from peers facing similar challenges across the sector. This event will offer members: • Exclusive access for ASVA members • Insight from a member attraction case study • Peer-to-peer sharing of experience and best practice • Open, facilitated discussion in a trusted environment • Practical ideas that can be adapted within individual attractions

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Exclusive to ASVA Members This session will provide a practical forum for members to explore insight-led strategy and marketing. The Exchange will feature an industry case study, offering a real-world example of how insight-led approaches are being applied in practice, alongside key trends and considerations shaping visitor behaviour and engagement. Designed to be informal, open and collaborative, the session will move into facilitated peer discussion, enabling members to share experiences, compare approaches and identify practical ideas they can apply within their own organisations.

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Our final Learning Journey takes place at Highland Wildlife Park on 18th June, national winner of the Thistle Award for Best Visitor Experience. Set within the Cairngorms National Park, this session offers a chance to explore how a large-scale, outdoor attraction delivers a consistently high-quality and engaging visitor experience across a diverse and expansive site. Join fellow members to hear directly from the team about how they design and manage the visitor journey across both drive-through and walk-around areas, balancing conservation, storytelling and visitor expectations. During the session, we’ll explore: Designing a seamless visitor journey across a large and varied landscape Creating meaningful engagement through interpretation and wildlife storytelling Embedding conservation and sustainability within the visitor experience Supporting the overall offer through retail, catering and secondary spend The session will run from 1.30pm to 4.30pm and will include guided exploration, discussion and insight from the team, with opportunities to share ideas and ask questions.

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