Hi, I am Martin Fuller. I have set up Magpie Cottage as a ho...
Latest reply
Hi, I am Martin Fuller. I have set up Magpie Cottage as a homestay BnB in Taumarunui in the centre of the North Island of New...
Latest reply
Hi folks!
Would love to hear your thoughts 💭 and opinions 🗣 on how to keep and build demand for Online Experiences / Virtual Events post COVID.
Thank you!
Good to see you are doing market research for your business but hosts and guests here aren't likely to know what sort of virtual events there will be a demand for. Or how to make a virtual event more like an in-person event. @Tolami0
The appetite will change massively once the UK opens up from lockdown .
Personally I always prefer face to face experiences post lockdown.
The virtual events I have attended are comedy nights , music gigs, cookery lessons.
But different target audiences will have an appetite for different events.
I would have thought that post lockdown Airbnb won't necessarily be the best channel for you to use.
Thanks so much @Helen3 for your response! So helpful to know the type of virtual events you like and participated in. You bring up an interesting point, i am thinking of building a virtual experiences booking page or app to complement airbnb but with a human touch! What features would you like to see on a booking platform to make it even more personalised?
@Tolami0 This is a great question. We live in the states and did a food demo from a couple in Argentina. It was quite the experience to interact with people clear across the globe and experience a bit of their culture without having to travel.
My husband is a professional chef so he especially enjoyed learning and adding a new skill set.
I'm not sure how many people would be into this or not. The biggest thing, I have found, is many people did not even know that Airbnb had virtual experiences or experiences at all. Maybe all of the hosts need to add an experience to their listing??
Not much input, just some thoughts 🙂
Thank you @Casey-And-Dane-lle0 for such helpful feedback! I LOVE the sound of an Argentinian food demo!! I'm far from being a chef 😅 so you've inspired me to look into booking a similar booking 🙂
From that booking, what did you value most in the interaction with the hosts during the event booking process? So true so may people don't know about airbnb's virtual experiences and I wonder if there is a way to make the booking process for a virtual event more personal and what would make the airbnb booking process for online experience standout?
P.s - I don't work for Airbnb, just want to give hosts for online experiences a good chance especially when things open up again!
There are lots of experiences platforms or third party ones such as FB already out there. Why would you want to go to expense of developing your own @Tolami0 ?
Just read the comments and I'd like to add an interesting perspective to it! I may have an unpopular opinion but I believe online experiences are here to stay and here are my top 3 reasons why :
1. Remote teams love it!
A lot of teams are distanced and globally working in different corners of the world. For them this might be the only fun way to meet often and not wait for once a year opportunity to hang out together and have fun! I think they will continue to use these experiences nevertheless!
2. For the old & medically unfit to travel
We had majority of guests joining in with their grandparents joining from screen and loving it. Lot of elders who now live alone found solace in online experiences (OEs), meeting new people and being friends with them. I have a grandma guest who checks on my health often and writes me most lovely emails of the world! They are the people who will continue to book OEs 🙂
3. They are cheap way to learn from local before actual visit
Imagine in $10 you are able to sit on a local expert from Paris before getting there. The joy of meeting them when you get there , woudnt that be incredible? Its a peanut price for incredible value! Who would want to let go off that? In fact the latest series of OEs are 'make your dream itenary' where you sign up for OE to make a perfect itinerary online!
Call me super optimistic but I belive they are here to stay and grow each day
*wink wink*
The excitement of future is worth the wait 🙂
Best!