Tour Company Goes Virtual In Time of COVID
WDCB’s Gary Zidek catches up with Chicago Detours founder and creative director Amanda Scotese to talk about her company’s pivot to the virtual realm and its new holiday tour.
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“It took a few week there, before all of us realized this is not a temporary thing, this is really going to be a while that this is going to be like this. I feel very fortunate that we’ve managed to keep the business together, and because we got onto the virtual events very early, we got good at them.” - Chicago Detours founder & creative director Amanda Scotese talking about the realization that the pandemic was going to have a significant impact on in-person events.
Chicago Detours founder & creative director Amanda Scotese
We’re all doing our best to navigate the holiday season this year, while certain traditions might not be an option right now, there are new ways to celebrate available to those yearning for some type of communal experience. For the past 10 years Chicago Detours has offered a variety of off-the-beaten path tours around the city. For example in December, the company would offer its “Holiday Tour of Drinks, Daleys and Dead Guys”. Of course in-person tours aren’t really an option right now because of social distancing requirements and capacity limits, but Chicago Detours is keeping the holiday spirit alive with a new virtual tour, Virtual Holiday Stories Happy Hour.
The company was forced to adapt on the fly back in March as the pandemic ramped up and in-person events were cancelled. Chicago Detours shifted its focus to the virtual world, offering a series of live, online tours. Company founder and creative director Amanda Scotese says the response has been phenomenal.
The Christmas tree inside the Walnut Room at Macy’s Chicago (from a past year).
