Creating Engaging Experiences Through Walks, Talks and Tours

ID: WMA2026_555

Track:

What are the powerful practices we should use to ensure an engaging and quality visitor experience? Using workshop techniques, participants in this session will work in small groups to inventory and catalog the best practices they use or have observed in developing walks, talks and tours. What is the best way to begin a program? What are good practices to carry the program? How do we end our program that leaves the visitor with wanting more? 

Session Information

Format: Regular session/panel (roundtable, single speaker, etc.)

Uniqueness: This session will crowd source the best practices we all have used or seen that make walks, talks and tours an engaging experience for our audiences and guests.

Objectives:

Session participants will

• Identify at least two best practices each for walks, talks and tours 
• Review the walks, talks and tours at their home sites for best practices
• Be inspired to share these practices at their home sites

Engagement: The participants will be broken into three groups (Program Prep & Introduction, Program Body and Program Conclusion & Post-Program) to document the best practices they have used, observed or experienced by identifying and discussing the techniques and then documenting them. Participants will receive a summary of the results post-conference.

Relationship to Theme:

Audience

Audiences: Curators/Scientists/Historians Events Planning Marketing & Communications (Including Social Media) 

Professional Level: Emerging Professional Mid-Career Student 

Scalability: Best practices for walks, talks and tours are universal and can be implemented at most sites by tailoring them to specific audiences. Participants will be able to share information about their current practices and compare them to other’s experiences to gauge their applicability at their home site.

Participants