Norrviken Gardens – the whole world in one garden

Norrviken Gardens outside Båstad, a seaside resort on Sweden's west coast, likes to describe itself as the whole world in one garden. Its founder, Rudolf Abelin, travelled the world collecting garden inspiration from different places and eras, and in the early 1900s created several gardens in different styles. Today Norrviken Gardens is a popular attraction where visitors can enjoy a profusion of flowers, walking trails, culture and events.

Challenge

Norrviken Gardens wanted to develop its guided tours. Alongside guided tours at fixed times, they wanted to give visitors the option of walking around on their own and getting in-depth information about the gardens – telling much more than fits on a printed sign or leaflet.

They also wanted to replace printed maps of the grounds with a digital solution that helps guests find restaurants, services and other points of interest. Quite simply, it was time to become a little more modern and digital.

When they started their research, they realised that an app was probably what they needed, and they focused on finding a supplier they felt confident partnering with – a company that, besides the features they were looking for, could also offer a responsive and flexible long-term partnership.

Solution

The Norrviken Gardens app brings together key information about opening hours and tickets with an ever-growing range of digital guides for children and adults. The app is adapted to Norrviken's elegant visual identity, and the beautifully illustrated interactive map makes it easy to find your way around.

Info pins mark restaurants, toilets, viewpoints and other services. The app also has an events calendar that syncs automatically with the website's API for current events.

Over time, Norrviken has also added quizzes to create engaging activities for the gardens' younger visitors.

It was important for us to feel confident about entering a new partnership, and it has worked really well! Whenever something has been unclear, we've had quick answers. I'm truly amazed at how quickly we went from start to finished app.

Charlotte Jansson, Project Manager, Norrviken Gardens