Carolyn Childs presented her findings of a recent study and analysis of available research at the 2016 Travel and Tourism Research Association International Conference in Vail, Colorado. In this presentation she talks about the challenges and critical success factors for mobile and pop-up Welcome / Visitor information Centers.

1. © MyTravelResearch.com® 2014
Client:
Prepared by:
Date:
Best practice in Visitor Information Centres (VICs)
TTRA International Conference
Carolyn Childs
June 2016

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Outline
1 The challenge
2 The process
3 The building blocks: critical success factors for VICs overall
4 Critical success factors for Mobiles and Pop Ups
5 The solution and learnings

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The challenge
• Based on projects we did for 2 Local Government Areas (LGAs) in Australia
(similar to counties)
Source: Eurobodalla VIC Service Review Report
Challenge 1:
Between 5-14% of
Eurobodalla’s visitors use the
VIC
A poor ROI on the two thirds
of council budget required to
service them
Opportunity cost of investing
in digital which is growing
Challenge 2:
An LGA facing cost pressures
and under-utilised assets
wishes to co-locate its
Entertainment Centre box
office and main VIC
Currently only 5% of visitors
use any of the VICs
Set against the background
of a major state government
funding review

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The process
Project 1 Project 2
Desk Research ✔ ✔
Customer/stakeholder survey ✔
Expert consultation ✔
Staff workshops ✔
Immersion ✔
Industry workshops ✔
Some key facts
• 1,200+ pages of evidence reviewed from around the
world – including both qualitative and quantitative
• Looked beyond VICs to Retail, Financial Services,
Government, Aviation
• Input from TTRA LISTSERV – Thank you!!
Everyone was encouraged
to participate – with
flexibility on how

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5 critical success factors for a VIC
Location
Stakeholder
Mix
ExperienceBranding
Integration

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More on the success factors
Location
Fish where
the fish are
A destination
in its own
right
Strong retail
offer
Absence of
digital
alternatives
Don’t think
this means you
shouldn’t do
wifi

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More on the success factors
Stakeholder
Mix
Supportive
locals
Supportive
industry
Visitor Profile
Match of
opening
hours to
visitor mix
Quoted in the WA
Haeberlin study

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More on the success factors
Quality of
experience
“Stories you
can’t get
anywhere
else”
The
Bestpertise
Multi-modal
and flexible
Get the
basics right
Somewhere
you want to
be
(destination)

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Getting the basics right
Source: Roger Brooks International
“We got so fed up of people only
popping in to use the toilet that we
put the information we wanted them
to see in the restrooms. It works”
Tracey Overgard, Calgary in
conversation on VICs

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More on the success factors
Branding &
Integration
Know what
it is
What i am
i?
Warm and
welcoming
language
Consistent
branding at
all
touchpoints
The
touchpoints
work
together
Beyond
jurisdictions

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Key takeouts on overall success factors
• Users of VICs continue to spend more
• Know correlation, but no evidence of causation 
means risk to close
• Evidence you can reach new audiences
Evidence of value,
no evidence to
support losing
• No one size fits all and the precise solution you
adopt is particular to your circumstances
• Need to take time to consider all the details – be
granular
Although the
principles are
common, you’re
unique
• We used the model developed by Haeberlin
Consulting for Western Australia
Identified the very
specific one which
met clients needs

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East of England did an examination of different
models.
Is it the case
that “All
happy VICs
are happy in
the same
way, but
unhappy ones
are unhappy
in different
ways”?
Need to follow the rules but
reflect them through our own
circumstances
Service diversification e.g. Co-
locate with disability services
Opening up more of a VICs historic
house location to visitors
increased footfall, created new
product opportunities and enabled
better staff utilisation on fun stuff
(ghost tours)
Downsizing within property and
subletting reduced overheads and
created a revenue stream to use
the small space more innovatively
Close existing visitor centre and
relocating to an iconic attraction (a
racing circuit) improved the
efficiency of its asset utilisation
and provided visitors a reason to
detour
Outsourcing to another tourism
body to run the service reduces
overheads and creates an incentive
to drive up revenues – but only
over time

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Most people continue to do a mix of offline and online – North
Carolina, US is well recognised and has an imaginative mix
http://partners.visitnc.com/partner-opportunities/visitor-services.html
Warm and
friendly
wording
Work with
other
agencies
for greater
benefit
Tell stories
Build
commitment
to the Visitor
Economy

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Case studies of new models in action
Wollongong’s Mobile Visitor
Centre reaches out to a new
audience
Melton reoriented its visitor
strategy to co-location and pop
ups – saving money and
reaching more people
Sources: Wollongong Tourism
Tenille Bradley, Visitor Servicing presentation, ARTN 2014

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Case studies of new models in action
Minstead, Hampshire (UK) enables a small
village to have a VIC by outsourcing to a
combined post office and tea rooms
Footfall is further driven by participation in the
Community Toilet scheme and a water top up
point – in our view a genius idea for driving
footfall

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We looked at experiments in bold new ways to engage and inform customers –
the bar is lifting all the time.
http://www.futuretravelexperien
ce.com/passenger-services-and-
wayfinding/page/3/

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We looked carefully at the specifics

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We looked at what sort of model we should be moving to
Source : Future of Visitor Centres in WA – Full Report, Haeberlin Consulting 2014
Destination NSW

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Our proposed solution – an ecosystem to attract,
engage and inform visitors
Council provides Council enables
Visitor
Contact
Centre
1800 Phone
numberLive Chat
Ideally these would operate after 5pm at least Thu-Sat
perhaps via use of volunteer staff
Training &
accreditation
support
Product racking,
wifi and digital
access at Moruya
Library
Outsourced Visitor
Engagement Centre New
Batemans Bay site
Outsourced Visitor
Engagement Centre
Current Narooma
Digital
Engagement
and contact
centre
Mobile
web
Main
website
Social
media
White label
booking
service
Performance metrics to amend and improve
Mobile or pop up VIC
Note dotted lines
denote options
If budgets do not permit council to
do both can opt for EITHER mobile
option OR the outsourced centres.
But it MUST offer one of them

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The ideal co-located centre – the staff perspective
Should evoke a sense of
place
Appeal to ALL the senses
Instant acknowledgement
and clear wayfinding (both
before and inside)
Supports staff in being
EXPERTS: facilities, systems
and other services
Extra facilities like ATMS,
phone chargers to
encourage footfall
Mix of materials both
paper and digital including
WIFI
Somewhere I feel proud
and happy to work
Clear and uncluttered/easy
to find things when I need
them
Things to sell – bookable
content, tours
Link front office and back
All the basics taken care of
– toilets, parking etc
Ability to grow the
experience over time (not
necessarily physical space)
There is a strong overlap between these and the success factors noted earlier

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We also looked at other evidence for good co-
location practices – to build a checklist of success
factors for VICs (1) Key takeouts:
• Needs:
– Have we understood the needs of our different target
audiences (VIC and Box Office)? Do we have a plan to satisfy
these?
• Branding and Recognition:
– How will our two separate audiences recognise the new
service?
– What cues like uniforms/titles will there be?
• Roles and responsibilities?
– Is it clear who is leading what elements?
– Who is the lead agency for set up?
– Who is the lead agency for on-going management? Who will
staff report to?
– Will roles and responsibilities be managed jointly? Do we have
clear job descriptions for this?
– Whose job is it to promote?
– Do staff work together or alongside one another?
– Who is responsible for engagement and promotion?
– Who owns success or failure?
We found this guide had lots
of great tips – despite being
about co-location of local
services

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We also looked at other evidence for good co-
location practices – to build a checklist of success
factors for VICs (2) Key takeouts:
• Engagement and Promotion:
– What steps are being taken to engage key stakeholders and local
customers (VFR Hosts and Entertainment Centre visitors)?
– What is being done to drive footfall (e.g. Signposting, promotion of the
centre)?
• Funding and financing:
– Who owns this?
– How are costs and revenues allocated between the parties?
– What are start up costs? [Not to be underestimated]
• Operations, Logistics and Practicalities:
– Have we managed transport access? (in our case parking)
– Have we planned for the different opening hours services may need?
– How have we managed OH&S issues?
– Are we confident are changes meet planning regulations?
– What are legal arrangements e.g. Tenancies, ownership etc.,?
• Future-proofing
– What flexibility is built into the design to change or adapt?
– What flexibility is built into staff roles and responsibilities?
– What flexibility is built into management structures?
• Other
– How will success be monitored?
– Are we managing the set up and operational phases separately?
We found this guide had lots
of great tips – despite being
about co-location of local
services

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Critical success factors for Mobiles and Pop Ups
Great design
•Shouldn’t just be a
mobile brochure rack
– should catch the
eye/be different
•Ensure the design is
‘on brand’
Give reasons to
visit
•Must provide new
news (again not just a
brochure rack)
•Perception may be
that people at events
already know – so tell
them hidden secrets
•Co-locate it with
something like a
coffee stand or
merchandising
Staff engagement
•Management need to
believe in the
concept to provide
leadership
•Staff must also
believe in it – be
motivated to make it
a success. Change
management may be
important
•Staff can’t just stand
there – need to
engage. Think abut
which staff to use
Location
•As with any VIC
choice of location is
vital.
•Events and markets
are popular
•But also places
people naturally go.
Often visitors may
just go to the beach –
so a mobile or pop
up close to lunch or
ice creams could be
an opportunity to
upsell them
•Don’t just think
about being part of it
– think where in the
venue is best

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My other learning
Start by asking the right question...
Not
‘Do we need a visitor centre or not?’
BUT
What is the best way to maximise the benefits to our
community AND visitors from tourism with the
resources we have?

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purpose of addressing the items for the proposed research between MyTravelResearch.com Pty Ltd and
Participants in the TTRA International Conference 2016.
It may not be suitable for other applications. The use of this data for any other purpose should be discussed with the
lead author. MyTravelResearch.com accepts no responsibility for unauthorised use of this data by a third party.
© MyTravelResearch.com® 2016
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+Carolyn Childs