Growing Your Tour Business with Collaborations

Last Updated May 09, 2019

Finding new potential revenue streams is vital for tourism and event businesses. Market leaders are finding ways to get further ahead while up and comers are looking to gain a bit of ground. The fact you’re not alone may actually be the key to increasing revenues.

The Great Pizza Tour Collusion of 2019

At the Global Food Tourism Association’s conference in 2018, Scott Wiener met Andy Potter. Scott’s Pizza Tours is a New York City Icon, while Andy runs the very successful Austin Eats Food Tours.  They hit it off while bouncing between sessions, and Scott says he really admired the camaraderie between operators at the conference. It wasn’t long before Andy got a brilliant idea: join forces to offer a one of a kind pizza tour in Austin.

“The seed was kinda planted back last year. Then, I met Scott in New York a couple of months ago and we started talking about it.” Andy was very excited about the possibility of bringing something new to his fans, but also the industry. Within two weeks, the pair had mapped out a tour for 32 people, visiting four different pizzerias in the Texas capital. Developing a new tour typically takes about four weeks, so it would appear they were just a bit motivated.

Scott and Andy started spreading the word, and it wasn’t long before every single ticket was sold. The only question left is when will they team up again.

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Ingredients for Your Collaboration

The Right Expertise

Obviously, Andy is the Austin expert, and Scott is the pizza pie guru, so it’s pretty easy to end up doing a special pizza tour in Austin. When looking for an expert to bring into your market, be sure to consider what potential subjects have enough depth.

Let’s examine bakeries, for instance. If you’re already working with a few you love and know of a couple more, a dessert collaboration might make sense. Next, start exploring your digital Rolodex to find a pastry chef, chocolatier, or other experts in that field. This is where membership in an organization like GFTA can be of real benefit.

If you’re the expert in a specific field, however, start exploring what markets may benefit from getting to know you. If you fancy yourself a go-to resource on wines, look for collaborators who’ve built businesses between the vines.

The Right Marketing

Maintaining a great email list will certainly come in handy when you’re creating special events. The fans who’ve followed you on other tours will want to know about your collaboration right away. Consider early access for your loyal customers before throwing open the floodgates to a wider audience.

Using video interviews on Youtube, Instagram, or Twitter is the perfect way to introduce your new team. Set a date and time to hop online together and tell everyone something special is on the way. Provide this special access to the star of your show: the expert.

Room to Grow

After selling out in Austin, Andy was kicking himself for not making more room to have a few extra departures with Scott. The good news is, they’re talking about making the experience something they do annually or even quarterly.

The work you’re putting into your first collaboration will bring better value if you can make use of it more than once. Take care of this great new relationship and look for ways to explore additional opportunities.  Who knows, maybe Andy will join Scott in New York to seek out the best BBQ in the big apple!

Tell Us About it!!

We love collaborations between our friends and colleagues. If you’re teaming up with other operators and experts around the world, send us an email so we can help you spread the word.