Behind the scenes of a great laboratory tour
French comedian Smaïn once said of his profession: “The cabaret is a laboratory. There’s no place where you’re closer to your audience. The cabaret doesn’t lie, it teaches you what works.” What if the same were true of site visits? During a laboratory tour, the guide is right there with the audience. They are an actor, delivering their script with energy and conviction; a director, designing the route through the lab; a stage designer, positioning both equipment and visitors to ensure everyone can see; and a sound engineer, making sure everyone can hear.
So yes, in many ways, “the laboratory is indeed a cabaret.” And Gérald knows this exercise inside out. This guide and speaker at Agent Majeur agreed to take us behind the scenes of his profession.
For more than ten years, Gérald has been designing and leading laboratory tours for major research and development organisations. To make each visit a success, he draws inspiration from researchers, builds on technical content and pays close attention to his audience. Step into his world and pick up a few practical tips along the way.
What is the purpose of a laboratory tour?
For an industrial company or a research institution, the laboratory is a showcase. It demonstrates the organisation’s ability to innovate and make an impact on the world around us. That’s why these visits are so popular.
For the host organisation, the goal is to highlight its research activities, innovations, teams and facilities. Sometimes, the visit also serves to demystify what happens behind the scenes, challenge misconceptions and give visitors a more accurate picture of the company.
For visitors, it’s an opportunity to learn what the company is working on, understand its objectives and discover the different careers.
More broadly, though, I believe the real purpose of a tour is to create connections through genuine encounters.
What makes a laboratory tour successful?
When visitors leave happy, in a good mood, with plenty of questions, a fresh perspective on the company and perhaps even the desire to come back for another visit—or work for the organisation—that’s usually a very good sign!
My own state of mind is also a useful indicator: how did I feel during the visit? Did I get the message across? Did I have meaningful exchanges with the audience?
How do you make a laboratory tour a success?
Reception plays a crucial role. Visitors appreciate a warm welcome. It may be basic, but it’s absolutely essential. I think it’s important to make people feel comfortable with coffee and pastries. Then I try to maintain that welcoming atmosphere throughout the tour.
The visit also needs to address the visitors’ expectations. Whenever I receive a request, I always ask my contact what they’re interested in. Based on that, I design the programme and select a targeted range of topics.
Another key factor is making sure everyone can see and hear properly. When I give explanations, I always choose locations with minimal background noise and enough space for everyone to have a clear view. If the environment is too noisy, I arrange microphones and headsets. I also make sure that all the employees we encounter are aware that a tour is taking place.
The final thing I pay close attention to is timing. A successful visit ends on schedule. I try to pace my tours carefully so that visitors leave satisfied rather than frustrated.
What mistakes should be avoided during a laboratory tour?
I think the biggest mistake is trying at all costs to stick to your script without taking the context into account. There may be people around, maintenance work taking place or unexpected circumstances that require you to change the route or adapt certain stages of the visit.
The audience can also be tired, more or less receptive, interested or distracted. It is therefore important to adapt, make choices, set some points aside and spend more time on others.
The guide also needs to address everyone and make sure no visitor feels left out. This constant attention may well be the secret to a useful and truly interactive tour.
Looking for a method to prepare your laboratory tours?
Discover our training course: “Conduct successful visits”
How do you usually begin your tours?
I generally start in a room where I begin the laboratory visit with a PowerPoint presentation. I start by giving an overview of the company or institute hosting us, then move on to the specific laboratories and projects involved in the tour. Once the topic has been introduced, the visit itself can begin.
What kind of audiences do you welcome as a guide?
I work with what we call a “non-strategic” audience, meaning groups with no direct economic stakes in the site or its research activities. I welcome employees and company partners, high school and university students who may be interested in future career opportunities. And sometimes associations that simply want to understand what goes on inside research laboratories.
How do you work with researchers to build a tour?
I first meet the researcher, who shows me around the laboratory and explains what they do, how they do it and their objectives. I also ask what message they want to convey. I record our conversation, take photographs, then listen to it again, do further research and select the ideas most likely to interest the audience. After that, I summarise, simplify and structure the content, using hooks, examples and research results whenever these can be shared. Twice a year, I reconnect with the researcher to see how their work has evolved and update my tours accordingly.
Why have someone else conduct the tour rather than the researcher?
In most cases, we’re contacted by the company’s communications department to reduce the workload on researchers or to increase the number of tours that can be organised.
At first, visitors may be disappointed not to meet the researchers themselves. But in the end, they leave satisfied. As guides, I think we’re particularly well placed to identify engaging topics, to highlight everyday applications and to communicate with clear, accessible language.
Is it really necessary to evaluate tours?
Audience feedback matters and contributes to building a positive image of the company. Asking visitors to complete a written evaluation seems important to me, even if it takes time. People rarely provide detailed, constructive feedback in person.
You want to welcome visitors in your laboratories or factories? At Agent Majeur, we design visitor routes, customised materials and showrooms. We can also organise and lead your tours and support your visitors throughout their experience.
