Gamifying Tourism

What makes a visitor stop, stay, and tell the story afterward? More and more, the answer is “play”. Games turn passive visitors into active participants. The same instincts that keep people hooked on a scavenger hunt, a passport stamp, or an unlockable secret can be applied to a main street, a museum, a trail, or an entire municipality. You don't need a big budget or a custom app to do it. You need to understand what makes play work. In this half-day session, storyteller and experience designer Rob Malo unpacks the mechanics behind game design (challenge, discovery, reward, narrative) and shows how to layer them onto the assets you already have. Through hands-on activities and real examples drawn from his award-winning projects, you'll learn to spot the game hiding in your own place and leave with practical tools to build it. Who it's for: tourism operators, attraction and event managers, business owners, BIZ organizations, economic development officers, and municipal staff working on placemaking and visitor experience. You'll leave with: • A working understanding of core game mechanics and why they drive engagement • A method for identifying "game-ready" assets in your business or community • Low-cost, low-tech starting points alongside tech-enabled options • A fresh lens on what you already offer and the inspiration to act on it Tuesday, November 24, 2026 8:30 am — Welcome and check-in, light breakfast and refreshments served 9:00 am — Session begins 12:00 pm — Wrap-up Location: Stonewall Quarry Park Heritage Arts Centre, 166 Main Street Free parking ITA Member:$40 per person Non-Member: $50 per person Includes light breakfast and refreshments Rob Malo / TiBert is a Franco-Manitoban storyteller, performer, and experience designer whose award-winning work spans graphic novels, AR audio tours, and VR language learning. He was Storyteller-in-Residence at the University of Manitoba and is behind Histoire cachée – In Plain Sight, a 2025 Winnipeg Tourism Award winner and 2026 Dare Innovation Award winner.