1 October 2013

Rotorua’s Pop-up i-SITE innovation reaching more visitors

Rotorua District Council has developed an innovative ‘Pop-up i-SITE’ – a fully mobile information and booking service operating at various locations and giving more visitors access to comprehensive and independent information on what to see and do in Rotorua.

The new initiative is an extension of the council’s Rotorua Visitor Centre & i-SITE operation and enables the centre’s team to proactively reach visitors rather than wait for them to walk through the doors.

Rotorua Visitor Centre & i-SITE assistant manager, Craig Hammond, said the Pop-up i-SITE concept received excellent feedback when it was presented to delegates at this year’s annual i-SITE New Zealand conference in Hamilton last month.

“Our new Pop-up i-SITE is designed to support conferences and expos as a sort of concierge-style information desk where people can access information and advice, and make bookings during their stay in Rotorua.

“At the i-SITE conference the concept was hailed as a very positive step forward for New Zealand tourism and many in the industry are keen to follow our lead. With i-SITEs across the country regularly looking for new ways of engaging with more visitors, this mobile service is being seen as an initiative with real potential.”

Already proving popular in Rotorua, the Pop-up i-SITE is booked for seven large conferences before the end of the year and was a big success at the recent Wood Expo 2013 and NZ Association of Orthodontists Conference.

“It’s great for us to be able to interact directly with visitors at these large meetings and to add an extra dimension to conferences being held in Rotorua,” said Mr Hammond.

“Our team are the professionals in providing information and advice for what to see and do in Rotorua but some of our visitors don’t get the opportunity to visit us at our Fenton Street i-SITE premises. So the potential to influence visitors’ satisfaction levels and encourage longer stays by offering accurate and comprehensive information at other locations are important reasons for us to provide this service.”

Mr Hammond said there is a good opportunity for the concept to grow further, including developing a model to enable a Pop-up i-SITE to be set up at major outdoor events.

ENDS

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