Christmas Trails 2020
Christmas 2020 has been and gone. There is no doubt that COVID-19 brought about a unique set of challenges for the tourism industry this festive season. COVID-19 wasn’t going to stop Brilliant Trails bringing some magic into our Christmas trails again this winter. The pandemic may have changed the type of work our clients typically offer around the festive season. Still, we worked harder than ever with our clients from various sectors to create new seasonal opportunities for themselves this winter.
Profitable Potential
Magheramorne estate being one client who realised the profitable potential of their 80-acre site this year—hosting their first of what we hope to be many outdoor Magical and Mistletoe trails.
Christmas was undoubtedly not cancelled this year for Magheramorne; we thoroughly enjoyed working with the team guiding them along the way to adapt their 19th Century House and Gardens into a visitor attraction for everyone to enjoy. Magheramorne team are experts when it comes to catering and hosting stunning weddings and corporate events. Brilliant Trails offered our all-inclusive services from concept to final installation. We were ensuring a seamless and professional covid-safe event. Every aspect of our work is individual to each client’s exact vision and brand guidelines.
Magheramorne requested an event designed to create a socially distanced, interactive experience with live characters and festive scenes throughout their wood. The trail among the enchanted woods included live interactive Christmas characters, an outdoor nativity scene, a live animal farm, and of course a visit to see Father Christmas!
Reviews spoke for themselves; Magheramornes team said after the event ended: “In a year of so much uncertainty, it was a joy to see so many embark on our outdoor Magical and mistletoe trail to meet Santa. Special thanks to Brilliant Trails”.
Magheramorne being one new and happy client from 2020. A customer relationship we are sure has just begun. Many more of our long-standing clients didn’t let a challenging year stop them returning with their highly anticipated festive trails.
Seasonal upgrades
The faeries returned with new Christmas mysteries to our friends in Luss. Brilliant Trails like stay connected with our clients upgrading our trails seasonally. Loch Lomonds Christmas Faerie trail upgrade included new markers and festive trail guides with a further 22-page activity booklet bringing the festivities to life. Loch Lomond used their attraction combined with discounts and offers to the market and drive visitors to the local area’s villages’ supporting services.
Similarly this year our fairies brought back the magic to Galgorm Castles Fairy Trail once again to what has been a strange year for us all. Candy, the sweetest fairy of them all made sure the visitors to Galgorm Castle, still experienced all the traditions that make Christmas a magical time. Children collected lots of treats and goodies in their loot bags, as they met and interacted with all the festive characters along the trail including Santa’s Elves, The Grumpy Grinch and many more characters along the way. It’s this creativity and attention to detail which is key to the success of each project.
Alongside our traditional festive fairy trails, we had the pleasure of working and installing a Nativity trail at Benburb Priory over the Christmas period too, bringing a more traditional Christmas experience to explore.
Adopting a virtual model
Belfast One is the business improvement district (BID) for Belfast City Centre. Belfast ones aim always to improve all the businesses in our Belfast city centre. A mammoth task any year but due to the coronavirus, the Belfast One industry was forced to adopt a virtual model overnight. Translating events from physical to virtual is challenging creatively, technically and financially. Luckily for them, Brilliant Trails know how to adapt and learn how to offer a full range of digital solutions to support and enhance our core products. Our digital team where there every step of the way from design, marketing to install. We created a digital trail to Explore Belfast City Centre safely this festive season with the kids and take on the challenge of spotting the colourful Gingerbread House-themed Christmas props in the windows of local businesses on Belfast One’s magical free outdoor Christmas Trail.
Brilliant Trails was a full-service company. We also built and installed the magical Fairy Houses along the way before visitors discover our three special Santa Postboxes, where children could send their letter to the North Pole! The letters then were collected, but before being sent to the north pole, listeners of Cool FM’s Breakfast Show got to listen for little ones’ messages being read out on air.
Our Christmas visitor experiences are always a huge success, but this year we felt a far more significant engagement with our clients online as well personally. Our mischievous elves even appearing on This Mornings Social pages!
While nobody can predict what the new year will bring, one thing is sure Brilliant Trails are well equipped to design innovative visitor experiences, visitors can still enjoy the outdoors and have socially distanced adventures.