From IAAPA Inspiration to a Better Leisure Venue Customer Journey

The most useful innovation starts with a problem

IAAPA Expo Europe 2026 filled ExCeL London with ideas spanning attractions, technology, services, education and guest experience. IAAPA reported more than 870 exhibitors and attendees from across the international attractions industry.

The scale of an event like this can encourage operators to focus on what is newest. A better starting point is what currently creates friction for customers or staff. Technology delivers value when it solves a defined problem and supports the wider experience.

For an Irish play centre or leisure venue, the opportunity is to turn inspiration into a prioritised improvement plan rather than a collection of disconnected purchases.

Treat the digital journey as part of the attraction

The guest experience begins before arrival. Search results, social content, the website, booking flow and confirmation messages all shape expectations.

If information is inconsistent or the checkout is difficult, the customer experiences friction before meeting the team. Conversely, a clear journey can build confidence and reduce repetitive questions at reception.

Review every digital touchpoint using the same standards applied to the physical venue: clarity, accessibility, safety, service and attention to detail.

Use technology to remove effort

The best operational technology often feels simple to the guest. It remembers the selected activity, shows suitable times, explains availability and sends the right information automatically.

For staff, it should reduce duplicate entry, prevent avoidable errors and make daily information easy to access. Automation should handle predictable tasks while leaving people available for service and exceptional situations.

Do not automate a confusing process without improving it first. Otherwise the business simply delivers the same problem faster.

Design for different guests

Families are not one audience. A first-time visitor, party organiser, member, school teacher and grandparent buying a voucher will have different questions and confidence levels.

The journey should also consider disability, sensory needs, language, device choice and digital confidence. Accessibility is not a final technical check; it influences content, navigation, forms, imagery and on-site information.

Use customer questions, support enquiries and staff observations to identify where different groups need additional clarity or choice.

Connect marketing promises with delivery

Advertising can create demand, but it also creates expectations. If a campaign promotes a calm toddler session, premium party package or fast entry process, the website and venue must deliver that promise consistently.

Campaign landing pages should explain the relevant experience, not direct every visitor to a generic homepage. Booking options, prices and policies must match the advert.

Measure complaints and operational feedback alongside clicks and bookings. A campaign that creates unsuitable demand can add pressure without producing healthy growth.

Give staff a role in digital improvement

Front-line teams hear the questions customers ask and see where processes fail. Include them when reviewing websites, booking systems, automated messages and new technology.

Provide training that explains the purpose of a system rather than only which buttons to press. Staff are more likely to use technology well when they understand how it supports service and reduces avoidable work.

Create a simple route for reporting recurring problems. One observation from reception may reveal an issue affecting hundreds of online customers.

Prioritise integration over novelty

A new tool should fit the venue's wider systems and responsibilities. Consider how it exchanges information with the website, booking platform, payments, email marketing, reporting and on-site operation.

Disconnected tools can create inconsistent data and make support harder. Before adding a product, identify its owner, required integration, ongoing cost, maintenance plan and measure of success.

Innovation does not always require replacement. Improving an existing customer journey or connecting current systems may produce a faster and more reliable return.

Create a 90 day action plan

During the first 30 days, map the complete customer journey and rank friction by commercial and operational impact. In the next 30 days, improve one high-value area such as mobile booking, confirmation messages or essential service information.

Use the final 30 days to measure results, gather staff and customer feedback, and decide whether the change should be refined or expanded. Record a baseline before work begins so the effect can be judged honestly.

Myk Baxter Marketing Ireland helps PALI members connect digital strategy, custom websites and 0% commission booking software. Explore digital marketing, review the commission-free booking software or complete the PALI questionnaire to claim your free digital review.