“The HearMe Tour Guide System helps me lead a much bigger group tour. The devices are so much more elegant and when I watch people on my tours I can tell they are so much more engaged than on tours that are using amplification devices. Many people that are travelling; their kids can speak English but their parents can’t. They love that the family can all enjoy the tour and participate all at the same time”
– Annaline Dinkelman, Founder, Lower Manhattan Tours
Executive Overview
Lower Manhattan Tours is a walking tour company located in New York City. Founded in 2007, the company offers Wall Street, 9/11 Memorial, and architecture tours, both public and private, in the heart of the Financial District.
Lower Manhattan Tours wanted to provide distraction-free tours in the heart of New York’s Financial District for a growing market of foreign language travelers. The company expanded its services by offering foreign language tours using HearMe tour guide systems from AudioConexus to create wireless communication links between guides and their groups. This significantly reduced street noise distractions during tours and increased engagement and enjoyment for customers. The walking tour company, which provides tours in English, French, German, Italian, Portuguese and Spanish, also has the ability now to offer multiple tours in close proximity to each other without the distraction of overlapping narration.
Business Challenges
Lower Manhattan Tours wanted to provide more engaging tours to English and foreign language visitors by eliminating the distractions of the busy Wall Street area, which caused participants people to miss out on tour guide commentary, creating frustration. Another challenge was that tour guides providing live-guided narration to foreign language groups needed to be stationed far enough from each other to ensure there would be no overlapping commentary. That meant smaller tour groups and lost revenues.
It was for these reasons that Lower Manhattan Tours turned to AudioConexus for a solution that would help grow its business by creating higher levels of engagement and increased customer satisfaction while boosting revenue through larger sized groups.
Solution
Lower Manhattan Tours needed a solution that would enable clear communication between tour guides and their groups regardless of language. The company realized it had to leverage technology to create better tour experiences and bigger group sizes. AudioConexus came aboard.
Using the AudioConexus HearMe tour guide system, Lower Manhattan Tours created five-star tours that helped tour guides facilitate clear communication with larger groups even when guests are spread out. This has meant more reliable tour narration, free from distractions and street noise. Tour guides use body-worn transmitters connected to head-worn microphones to deliver live narration using wireless receivers connected to earbuds for superior listening experiences.
“The HearMe tour guide system makes my tours much better. It makes a huge difference. If there’s one thing I wish we could do is, inform tourists about the difference between the HearMe and other types of amplification systems. People don’t realize how they’re missing out on when they take tours because they can’t hear. With our tours, I feel they get the full tour value and more. One of the things that I love about HearMe is the multiple channels. It allows me to broadcast in English and Spanish. Sometimes I also broadcast in French at the same time. We’re doing a trilingual tour all through the HearMe system.”
– Annaline Dinkelman, Founder, Lower Manhattan Tours
Key Outcomes
By deploying HearMe tour guide systems the company now provides side-by-side foreign language tours, creating significant gains in the number of customers the company can entertain on Wall Street, thereby hiking revenue and business opportunities.
Business Results
- Increased Revenues
- Elimination of Noise and Distractions
- Larger Group Sizes
Only AudioConexus: HearMe Tour Guide System
AudioConexus customers use an auxiliary input to offer live and pre-recorded group tour commentary and music. Tour guides can adapt interpretation to include prerecorded narration, music and sound effects. HearMe tour guide systems enable companies to offer blended five-star tour entertainment while achieving consistency and higher levels of guest satisfaction.
If you’re an ambitious tour operator who wants to attract new customers and promote your competitive advantages, learn why an AudioConexus HearMe tour guide system is right for you.
