Craig Allenby, manager of Commercial Services and Business Developmentof the National Zoological Gardens of South Africa and one of our project team members shares some usefful tips for making the most of the #Attractions18 conference:

The 2018 Attractions Africa conference presents a wealth of opportunities but I would like to offer potential conference newbies some of my insights that may help get more out of the conference.

Make a new friend:

The attractions industry can be a very lonely place. One is constantly concerned about fluctuations in your attraction’s numbers, be it attendance, per head spend or staffing numbers. This is where Attractions Africa is very useful. My first tip for conference Newbies is to get to know someone new. This sounds like such a cliché but this could be your best take home from the conference. At one of the earlier conferences, I was lucky enough to meet-up with a Managing Director of a local attraction, and even though we operate in the same city, this was the first time we got to engage and what an ally she proved to be.

Find solutions to your #Attractions18 issues:

My second tip would be to identify three key attractions management issues that you would like to get some new insights on and set about chatting to other delegates on them. It’s amazing what a wealth of knowledge there is at Attractions Africa. It’s also reassuring to find out that other managers are grappling with similar issues to those that you are. At times, I have found the solutions to my matters from very dissimilar attractions but that offer a new perspective on the matter.

Have fun:

Finally, have fun at the conference. Use all the opportunities presented to see other attractions. It’s a wonderful time to recharge and find new motivation. We all get so focussed on running our attractions that we forget what a wonderful industry we work in. Attraction Africa allows you to be a tourist again except that the experience is at a next level. You get to go behind-the-scenes and the attractions are normally more than willing to share the good and the bad of their operations and it’s this that gets us attractions managers excited.

See you at Attraction Africa at the Gold Reef City theme park hotel on 6 and 7 June 2018!

Early Bird Registration ends on 16 May 2018. Register here TODAY!