154 M C K I N S EY Q UA RT E R LY Enhance Personalization Through Gen AI Personalization has long been a key ingredient of experience design. As gen AI technology advances and its costs come down, it is now more feasible than ever to integrate personalized experiences into offerings. Creating ways to make each experi ence feel personal should be part of any planning. - The College Football Hall of Fame in Atlanta offers a personalized tour, where visitors are asked to pose for a photo and answer several questions upon arrival. Using AI, the photos and answers are incorporated into exhibits that make guests part of the attraction (for instance, by generating fake documentary videos that portray guests as suc cessful college football coaches). The experience ends with guests being featured in videos imagin ing them being recruited to play for their favorite college football teams. - - Make Tangible Memories Part of the Experience Tangible products can help visitors remember an experience for years to come. These items can come in the form of ancillary merchandise that is sold or, if the primary goal is to drive affinity and loyalty, given to visitors as gifts. Themed menu items and specialty drinks can be tied into the overall design of an attraction and paired with take- home mementos to become integral parts of the experience. (The recent popularity of novelty pop corn buckets offered at movie theaters and theme parks helps illustrate this opportunity.) Given the high levels of consumer food and beverage spend ing in the attractions industry—which can be two or three times more per capita compared with con sumer spending on other categories connected to attractions, such as retail sales and parking—it can be worthwhile for developers of attractions to focus efforts on both lifting the quality of food and beverage offerings and weaving them into the holistic experience. - - - Analyze Data to Adjust Consumer- Facing and Back-of-House Operations Digitalization, robust data gathering, and the use of advanced analytics can help a short-term attraction (with limited time to get things right) quickly adjust to improve operational efficiency and identify unmet consumer needs as they emerge. Real-time insights can help with staff ing decisions by ensuring workers are deployed to the right places at the right moments. Data-driven - analysis can help evolve best practices, creating standardized approaches that can be replicated if the attraction expands to other locations. A N D R I Y O N U F R I Y E N K O / G E T T Y I M A G E S Develop Distinctive, Promotable Ideas The family entertainment center Dave & Buster’s hosted a rave-themed pop-up—collaborating with the electronic music collective Brownies & Lemon ade to transform arcades into dance parties. Dave & Buster’s Chief Strategy Officer Aldo Rosales says, “The goal was to create an experience that felt distinctly Dave & Buster’s—grounded in what our audience already loves. It’s about integrating with your guests’ passion points and giving them a rea son to show up. When you start there, the marketing comes naturally. Your partners, your influencers, and your storytelling all build around that shared energy.” - - Protect Assets It’s important to bear in mind the downside risk of a failed initiative. Proposals should be carefully evaluated, and potential collaborators