Attractions.io, a leading creator of mobile visitor apps, has announced that it will launch its new AI Assistant at IAAPA Expo 2024.
The AI Assistant connects to an attraction’s existing technology to provide personalised recommendations and real-time help throughout a visit, providing a VIP experience for every guest.
IAAPA Expo is taking place in Orlando from 18 to 22 November. The show floor opens on 19 November, and attendees can find Attractions.io at booth #4349.
AI brings benefits to operators
Attractions.io believes that a connected experience improves guest happiness and expands the potential for operators. The AI Assistant has been in development for 18 months, and, like Attractions.io’s mobile app platform, unifies key touchpoints in the visitor journey to reveal meaningful, real-time data which can then deliver personalised responses.
Attractions.io’s AI Assistant is a genuine companion for visitors. Unlike pre-sales and customer service AIs, which focus on particular points of the visitor journey, the AI Assistant collects data from many systems to answer complicated queries.
Mark Locker, founder and CEO of Attractions.io, says: “We wanted to develop an AI Assistant that could understand guests’ preferences and needs, using data collected from the entire guest journey.
“When everything is handled by one system, guests don’t need to repeat information or switch between different tools. They can find information they’re looking for quickly and then get back to enjoying their visit. Behind the scenes, operators can learn how guests experience the attraction and use that insight to drive operational improvements.”
Integrated data
The new tool integrates information from data points such as ticketing, navigation, menus, and wait times to provide real-time assistance for guests.
By leveraging this rich data, the AI Assistant can:
- Guide visitors according to their preferences or requirements. For instance, if asked, “What are the best activities for us today?” The AI uses ticket and demographic data to determine if the user is a young family or a thrill-seeker and tailors its responses appropriately.
- Recommend meal options. If visitors ask, “Where’s the nearest pizza place?”, the AI assistant then analyzes menu listings, the guests’ present location, restaurant locations, and opening times to provide relevant recommendations.
- Provide instant answers. Visitors can ask anything from “What did the elephants eat for breakfast?” to “What is the name of the big green ride?”, and the assistant will promptly provide the most helpful information.
- Surface upsell opportunities naturally. When visitors ask about wait times, the assistant can recommend fast pass choices or alternate options, such as reserving an animal experience, while maintaining a pleasant and non-intrusive tone.
And that only scratches the surface of its potential. The AI assistant retains the information that visitors have given during their stay. For instance, if you ask for a snack recommendation and specify that you don’t like fries, it won’t suggest them again. It also remembers previous visits, and so it may recall you that you had a good time at the pizza restaurant six months prior, and recommend that you go again.
Enriched experiences
The new tool streamlines guest services by addressing common requests, freeing up staff to focus on more personal encounters such as settling disputes, creating memorable experiences, and adding a sprinkle of magic to visitors’ days.
Peter O’Dare, VP of product, says: “AI Assistants give operators the ability to enrich every guest’s experience and make them feel like a VIP from the moment they step on site. It’s like visiting with the world’s leading expert on that attraction guiding you through your visit.
“With the AI Assistant handling queries and delivering that personalised touch, operators can focus on creating meaningful, memorable interactions, knowing that all their guests are getting that VIP treatment.”
Operators can customise their AI Assistant, including tone of voice and visuals, to ensure a consistent experience that reflects company values. Through 18 months of development, the Attractions.io team has implemented effective control systems to prevent misuse, manage costs, and maintain brand integrity.
‘Reshaping customer expectations’
Attractions.io believes AI will be the deciding factor in success over the next ten years, even though it has been greeted with a mixture of excitement and scepticism. The company’s polls showed that 60% of attraction leaders felt both fascinated and apprehensive about its influence.Â
“Platforms like ChatGPT are already reshaping consumer expectations around how we interact with technology,” says Locker.
“As conversational AI becomes the default interface for many tasks, guests at attractions will quickly expect more natural, human-computer communication. The biggest risk for operators is not at least experimenting with these tools and positioning themselves to deliver the personalised and convenient guest experience guests expect.”
The goal of Attractions.io has always been to maximise each visit, and the team believes AI is essential to achieving this for the coming generation.
O’Dare says: “Our priority has always been solving real-world problems for both guests and operators. AI Assistants are a powerful tool for delivering outstanding service at scale. We don’t see AI as the solution for everything. But we’re focused on using it where it can make the most impact— to reduce friction and elevate the visit so that every guest has a unique experience.”
Attractions.io’s AI Assistant will make its debut next week at IAAPA Expo Orlando. Attendees can book an appointment to see it in action at booth #4349.
Last month, Attractions.io shared details of its collaboration with Magnolia Plantation & Gardens, in Charleston, US. The attraction covers over 400 acres of protected wetlands with hundreds of species of birds and plants. Attractions.io developed a new mobile app for the attraction, which launched in March 2023 and has since been downloaded 60,000 times.
