Important factors for deciding what experiences to spend money on

The Immersive Experience Network recently released the Immersive Audience Report 2024. The report is based on 2,000 survey respondents in the UK who attended at least one immersive experience within the last 12 months.

"It has value for the money" had the highest ranking. Value for money doesn't necessarily mean low cost. We are seeing a premiumization trend with people preferring higher cost premium experiences over lower cost, less premium ones. This has as much to do with an excellent value for limited leisure time as it does for the money. (see the Premiumization article in this issue).

Second and fourth in importance were "something I can do with friends" and "can attend with family/children." Being able to communally participate in an enjoyable experience with friends or family is a key appeal of immersive experiences. The growth of social gaming (competitive gaming) venues speaks to the appeal of communal experiences.

Getting away from digital screens at home is a significant draw for immersive experiences (see article on the backlash against digital culture. And people are looking for interactive rather than passive experiences.

Survey participants were asked what would make them return to an experience, and again, the opportunity to do it with their friends was a continuing trend. The ability to experience different versions of an immersive experience (keeping it novel) was also a draw.

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