A number of significant improvements were made at JORVIK during 2005/06, which continued the strategy of improving the visitor experience by focussing on staff interaction with visitors, the content of the Galleries and new offers to all sectors of the public including educational groups.

JORVIK’s visitor feedback continued to reflect these efforts throughout the year, resulting in an average of 94% of the visitors to JORVIK confirming that they would recommend the experience to their family and friends, a 2% increase on the previous year. In addition, 87% of visitors during 2005/6 said that their visit met or exceeded their expectations, a 3% increase on the previous year.

The major project of the year was the addition to the Artefacts Gallery of six interactive IT pods which explain the objects on display in more detail. In addition, four new Viking ‘Pepper’s ghosts’ were installed inside the main artefact cases which provide a narrative to the contents of the cases. To fund these improvements, entitled Artefacts Alive, a grant for £134,815 was gained from the Millennium Commission and the Wolfson Foundation within their Rediscover programme. The Trust engaged Amazing Interactives to complete the project, who, with staff from both the Explanation and Exploration Divisions, developed the information, innovative designs, scripts, images and games employed within the IT pods and Viking ghosts. The redeveloped Gallery was launched on the 26th January 2006, having been completed on time and to budget.

Building on the success of previous years, the Interactive staff at JORVIK continued to make incremental changes to their presentations within the galleries. New subjects for talks were introduced within the Fearsome Craftsmen and Unearthed galleries, and work commenced on including information and artefacts in the Unearthed gallery linked to the recently excavated headless Roman burials found in Driffield Terrace during the previous year. A number of new events were also introduced which explored Viking mythology, and staff took part in a series of well-received presentations to visitors during the autumn and winter seasons.

In addition to the Artefacts Alive project, other significant improvements to the JORVIK experience throughout the year included the addition of smoke effects on the ride, a number of new signs and explanation boards within the three galleries and external areas, and a separate schools shop, designed to accommodate the increased volume of children during school visits. Operational improvements included the development and installation of a new till system for the shop and admissions, which included the capability to collect gift aid information electronically at the point of sale and from the queue. The retail operation also went on-line to enable souvenirs and gifts from the shop to be purchased via the website.

It is now five years since JORVIK reopened following the installation of an entirely new set. The complex engineering involved in its operation is proving extremely robust and the costs of maintenance have remained constant throughout the last five years. The technical team at JORVIK has worked to develop a highly effective scheme of maintenance enabling the ride and the exhibition space to function effectively for 364 days a year.

In terms of visitor numbers JORVIK faced a number of challenges within the year including the fact that the financial year 2005–06 did not contain an Easter period, traditionally a period of high income and visitor numbers, as Easter fell in March 2005 and April 2006. In addition, in June York hosted the Ascot races which dramatically affected the numbers at JORVIK during what is usually a very busy period. Numbers fell significantly (by 35%) during the main Ascot week compared to the previous year. As a result numbers at the end of the year totalled 383,000, a 9% decline on the previous year.

The 2006 Viking Festival proved an enormous success both in terms of attracting visitors to the City and by generating media coverage. Taking place between the 16th –26th February, the Festival attracted in the region of 37,500 visitors of whom 86% were non-York residents, 55% of visitors were visiting York specifically for the Festival, and 19% were repeat visitors to the event. In 2006, in addition to feedback received from visitors to JORVIK, the Trust conducted an on-street questionnaire campaign. Detailed feedback was received from 150 festival-goers. This research enables the Trust to demonstrate the impact and contribution it makes to the City, as 51% of non-York residents were staying in York for one night or more for the Festival, 48% of attendees spent £50 or more in York, and 31% spent more than £100.

In terms of media coverage, in 2006 the Festival generated PR coverage with a value of approximately £1,200,000 and an audience figure of around 11,000,000. Exposure was achieved within numerous national newspapers such as The Daily Mail, The Times, The Daily Express, The Independent and The Independent on Sunday. Publicity on broadcast media included coverage on ITV Calendar, BBC Look North, Viking FM, Real Radio, Minster FM and BBC Radio York, and international promotion was achieved by broadcasts aired on Russian television and an editorial which featured in Swedish and Norwegian national newspapers.

Throughout the year the Explanation team continued to closely monitor and react to changes in the tourism and education market to maximise visitor numbers to JORVIK from all sectors of the public. A number of new initiatives such as re-branding, retail and café development, external funding applications, and web redesign were initiated during the year, the impact of which will be seen in 2006/7.

The main objectives of the attractions remain to be at the forefront of the tourism and informal education market within the UK, offering products and services of the highest standard, to be innovative, and to deliver the aims of the Trust. The awareness of what is happening within the sector and how the Trust can deliver initiatives to meet these needs remains crucial to JORVIK’s, and DIG’s ongoing success.

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