Visitor experience in the digital age: why analogue isn’t dead yet

Planning, parking, queuing, lukewarm chocolate, and overpriced souvenirs are all part of the fun. Allegedly.

Does the digital age mean the end of analogue experiences? Judging by the unending inflow of ads for Halloween and Christmas experiences that grace my ever-scrolling feeds, the answer is a firm ‘not yet’.

The analogue world, with its ‘overpriced’ tickets, cardboardy hotdogs, and minimum-wage-aspiring-actors in nylon costumes, is very much alive and well. But its supremacy is no longer unquestioned. Digital alternatives, once dismissed as the sad consolation prize of those who couldn’t find a babysitter, are quietly making themselves indispensable. They are cheaper, more accessible, and sometimes, more fun — provided you don’t trip over the coffee table in a VR headset.

The enduring appeal of human storytelling, in my view, will never be toppled. Since the dawn of time we’ve communed, sharing stories and songs, grunts and grimaces — and that’s just Monday morning at the school gates. The campfire effect of a shared, all-senses-switched-on immersion creates a collective buzz. A visceral, charming togetherness that often ends up remembered for years.

That said, digital storytelling is a colossus, already coming over the horizon.

Digital isn’t everything (but don’t take it lightly)

Digital experiences, as they come romping into the limelight, bring with them a host of benefits. Consider accessibility — those who cannot travel, or with physical or financial barriers, or those who may become overwhelmed with queuing or crowds — digital experiences often offer the opportunity to participate with fewer barriers.

There is also the question of scale. How many in-person attractions can sprout flailing tentacles from the windows of their stately home, have Father Christmas loop-the-looping off the end of a pier, or welcome dozens of mermaids dancing around in the shark tank? (I would genuinely love to see someone try).

VR, AI, and AR are making these experiences more and more attainable. And who’s to say they’re not real, really?

The generational divide is narrowing.

We might also be forgetting that, for the most part, younger audiences being immersed in digital environments is the norm — multiplayer games, RPGs, VR headsets, and AR filters might be just as real and social to them as face-to-face events. For businesses, this suggests digital experiences shouldn’t be merely a compromise or an add-on; they should be an authentic channel of engagement in their own right.

But, are we falsely lumping digital-savvy youngsters into the ‘already converted’ segment too hastily? It’s not like attractions have the budget, skill or comms teams that EA, Nintendo or Roblox have.

Can an attraction ever do it ‘properly’?

We’ve all been in a situation where someone high up says ‘let’s gamify it’ or ‘let’s make an app’ with approximately zero forethought or insight. Phrases like this are stored away in my internal filing unit alongside ‘let’s make a viral TikTok’ and ‘can you make the logo bigger?’

If an experience can truly be developed to sit on its own, or to considerably enhance an existing in-person experience (The Gruffalo Spotter from Magic Light Pictures x Forestry England, and The Invisible Rainforest by Eden Project x Marshmallow Laser Feast both spring to mind!) then it can really be worth it — acting as an opportunity to share fun moments, bring interpretation to life, or to champion and communicate a purpose.

Going hybrid

Blending an experience portfolio between analogue and digital allows attractions to capture multiple markets, and achieve diverse goals. Like a physical haunted house paired with a VR ‘bonus level if you’re brave enough’, or AR overlays of elves and flying reindeer along a physical Christmas trail.

Attractions are built on distinct, tangible experiences, so ensuring that fully at-home-only digital experiences are available as well breaks down barriers to entry. It might even be the gateway to a family visiting in person in the future. This approach maximises ROI by diversifying revenue streams and setting firm foundations to build legacy in digital income.

Attractions are expensive to run, and highly seasonal. Monetised digital experiences provide scalable products that can smooth cashflow across the calendar. This mitigates the ever present risks we face in the industry, like poor weather, fierce competition, transport disruption (*cough* global pandemics) etc.. all of which reduce footfall. But digital offerings can keep the customer relationship alive.

Analogue 🤝 Digital 

Digital experiences can’t replace the bag of sweets at the end of a trail, the adrenaline of someone leaping out from the dark, the beautiful crunch of frosty leaves underfoot, nor the smell of mulled wine in chilly air. But digital can add layers — making experiences more flexible, more personalised, more accessible. They can enhance meaning, engagement and recognition long after the sweets are devoured, and the mulled wine drained.

Haunted houses can sell out and still offer a parallel revenue stream from downloadable bonus scares. Santa’s grotto can be both a queue in a theme park and an AR elf invasion on an iPad. In the process, attractions diversify their risk, expand their reach, and discover that the scariest thing of all isn’t a ghoul in the dark, but an annual business model reliant on a single (not entirely unflappable) seasonal event.

Analog isn’t dying. Digital isn’t taking over. They perform a seasonal duet, Freddie Mercury’s flair, Brian May’s steady hand, each indispensable to the whole. Amplifying one another’s excellence.

The ‘more acronyms than Line of Duty’ glossary:

VR – Virtual reality

AR – Augmented reality

AI – Artificial intelligence

ROI – Return on investment

RPGs – Role-playing games