Lessons From Across The Sector

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Published by:
Neil
Owner

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It's been a busy few months on the road seeing clients and spending time supporting sector events, conferences and webinars.

In the last month or so, we've exhibited, presented, and contributed at eight sector events. 

For us, conferences aren't just about leads. In fact, they're mainly about helping share our knowledge, demonstrate the latest best practices to attraction owners and marketers, and to check in with clients and friends from across the sectors and sub sectors.

They help us stay connected to what's actually going on in the sector - the real challenges that marketers are wrestling with day-to-day. and often the stuff that doesn't make it into reports.

That feeds directly into how we build and develop LOOP. It's a win both ways.

Where we've been

  • Museums + Heritage London - exhibited / presented
  • BALPPA Marketing Conference, Paultons - presented / sponsored
  • ASVA Webinar - presented on AI search
  • BALPPA Webinar - presented on AI search
  • Visit Isle of Wight Webinar - presented on AI search
  • Association of Indoor Play Conference - exhibited and presented
  • National Attractions Marketing Conference - presented on evolving websites vs rebuilding and chaired a tabletop discussion slot about whether Google Analytics is still relevant in 2026.
  • BIAZA Annual Conference, Edinburgh - exhibiting and presenting this week

What we're hearing

The 20% opportunity.
Around 20% of UK consumers have been largely untouched by the cost of living crisis. Premium experiences and value-add packages are a real commercial opportunity that marketers can tap into.

Toilets, cafes, and weather.
Still the biggest drivers of visitor satisfaction beyond price. No digital strategy changes that.

Families are still spending on memories.
Bernard Donoghue puts it well: families are still prioritising cash for special memories, with special people, in special places. The emotional driver behind a day out hasn't gone away so showcasing your value proposition online is key to convert demand into revenue.

Flexibility has a value.
Visitors will pay for sensible upgrades, cancellation options, and timeslot choices. The sector is behind travel and hospitality on this.

The sector is collaborative.
Attractions share knowledge and challenges with competitors in a way most industries don't. That's being channelled into things that matter, including the VAT cut campaign this summer.

AI search is going mainstream.
We've been saying this for two years. Now Google's own guidance (published June 2026) is saying the same thing. Strong SEO, good content, clean technical foundations. No tricks - the stats tell the story:

  • 50% of Google searches now include an AI summary
  • 34.5% drop in CTR for the top result when an AI overview appears
  • 60% of Google searches are zero-click
  • Google's search market share has dropped 9.5%
  • ChatGPT has 500 million more weekly users than this time last year
  • Only 16% of brands are tracking their AI search performance

The conversations that matter most

The real value of conference season isn't the stand or the slides. It's the coffee-break conversations. That's where you hear what's actually going on.

If we crossed paths at any of these events and you've been meaning to follow up, drop us a line. We're always happy to talk websites, AI search or what LOOP could do for your attraction.

For more on AI search check out our blog post on the LOOP site: AI Search Is Here. Your Website Still Matters

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Photo Credit - Tim Hardy