KEY takeaways from AVEA conference 2026 in Dublin’s National Gallery

The National Gallery in Dublin proved the plushest venue yet for the annual conference of the Association of Visitor and Entertainment Attractions 2026. Key takeaways included:

The visit is only one chapter: Theme of the day: “Beyond the Visit – Storytelling for Success.” Success comes from optimising the full visitor journey, before (inspiration & discovery), during (experience), and after (memory, loyalty, advocacy). Stories are the tool that connects all three stages.
Listen first, then build the “motor car: Stephen O’Leary (Olytico) showed that people already tell you what they want online, unprompted. Track phrases like “I wish someone invented…”, harness sincere fans rather than only paid influencers, and turn those insights into products, experiences or personalised “surprise & delight” moments. Don’t just ask customers what they want; listen to what they actually say.
AI is the new front door, be machine-readable or become invisible: Orla O’Keeffe (Fáilte Ireland) stressed that the search box is being replaced by conversational AI. Your website must be the trusted source AI cites. Write clear text stories (who/what/when/where/why), add schema markup, alt tags, FAQs, accessible booking links and consistent information across platforms. Images, PDFs and pure visual content alone are invisible to AI.
Start small with AI but start now: Most tourism businesses are still at a basic or single-task stage. Practical first steps: test how ChatGPT and other tools currently answer questions about your attraction; measure AI-referred traffic; use AI for review monitoring or content; give staff secure enterprise-grade tools and training (required under the EU AI Act); create an AI policy. Fáilte Ireland is launching supports, a maturity assessment and a full digital/AI adoption strategy.
Authenticity + continuous reinvention wins long-term: Nuala Mulqueeney (Aillwee Burren Experience) shared 50 years of evolution: from a single cave to a year-round multi-experience site while fiercely protecting the core. Key lessons: know what makes you different, invest in people, listen harder than you speak, don’t fear change, and never stop “shapeshifting.”
Short-form authentic video can transform heritage storytelling: Ultan Moran (Experience Glasnevin) turned a cemetery into a social-media powerhouse (views rising from 450k to 24 million). Tips: embrace team passion and authenticity, use strong 5-second hooks, create repeatable formats, monitor what resonates, and turn niche or even “morbid” history into engaging, human content.
Be brave, different does not mean off-brand: Victoria Denoon (W5) chose mythical dragons over safe dinosaurs. Result: a record year (300,000 visitors) and lasting organisational confidence. Know your unchanging purpose (for them: curiosity and shared family wonder), listen to what visitors actually want, and take calculated creative risks rather than always playing it safe.
AVEA’s 2027–2031 strategy focuses on data, advocacy and AI readiness: Five priorities: stronger membership, better research & hard economic data, sharper advocacy (especially on rising costs of business), innovation & technology (particularly AI visibility and booking), and organisational capacity. Concrete near-term actions include an AVEA data dashboard, an index of business costs, and acting as the bridge so members are found and bookable via AI tools.
Derry next year: Derry will host the 2027 conference. The DNA (Derry on the North Atlantic) Museum is scheduled to open in 2027 at Ebrington Square, replacing the award winning 1990s Tower museum. Features will include six permanent galleries, a discovery zone, a genealogy and family history service, a café and retail space, and transferred and expanded collections from the Tower Museum—including the La Trinidad Valencera Spanish Armada collection, local maritime history, and regional social heritage.

The consistent message across keynotes, Fáilte Ireland updates, member success stories and the association’s own strategy was to “listen deeply, tell your story clearly (to both humans and machines), stay authentic while evolving, and act on the opportunities before, during and long after the visit.”

Speakers include a mis of International and Irish personalities: