Going to Paris for work assignment - help appreciated!
 

I'm going to Paris next week, part of which is for a holiday, but I've also been asked to do some research on the Eiffel Tower and Moulin Rouge for some new websites that are being created. They will be selling tickets and tours for each place but will also have sections dedicated to helping plan a trip and for interesting information. Given that these are well-worn tourist spots and there is a lot of information floating around the internet, I was wondering if anyone had any tips they could give me about what to research, i.e. what kinds of things would you find it useful to have in one place and what would you like to know about each attraction?? I'm keen to do a good job and find out about things that people actually want to know about rather than rehashing all the same old information, so anything you could think of would be really useful. Thanks so much in advance!

One good way to answer your own question is to do a forum search here for questions that have been asked about both. Nearest metro stops. Whether advance tickets are a good idea in saving time or money. Age restrictions or other security restrictions (size of handbag/backpack allowed etc.) What other sights are within walking distance of the Eiffel Tower or a good one day itinerary including the tower. For Moulin Rouge, how many shows per day/night and pros and cons of dining there.

I'm keen to know who would appoint someone who has never been to France to write a piece like this.

Hi OS,

We get a lot of folks who want to know how long it takes to get to the top of the ET and back down, so that they can include it in their overly planned daily itineraries.

((I))

Also lots of questions about the lines to go up the Eiffel Tower. How long are they? What time of day is best to miss the long lines? Will passes allow one to skip the lines?...No. There have been tons of threads on this subject alone.

The OP will want to be sure and see the tower at the top of the hour some time after sunset. It twinkles and sparkles for about 10 minutes at the top of each hour. (Preferably, one should be listening to an Edith Piaf recording the first time one sees this phenomenon!)

Actually, I think having someone who has never been there isn't a bad idea. If the target market is first time visitors and those without preconceived ideas isn't it better to have someone who fits that description?

A person well versed in Paris will overlook details from experience that a first time visitor might not.

I should think it's easy enough later to have a more experienced Paris traveler fill-in details, etc.

I think it could be useful to suggest itineraries based on variables such as starting point, time of day, composition of the group, dining interest, etc. On our recent trip to Paris we walked from our hotel near Avenue George V via the Champs Elysee to the Eiffel Tower in late morning on a Sunday. Our party consisted of two adults and two children. Change those variables and you have different suggestions of what is of interest.

I would think something that can offer suggestions based on changing variables may be interesting as a smart phone app. Urban spoon does that for restaurants. Something more encompassing could be a neat tool.

I don't think any for-profit company selling tours to these sites is really going to want the truth on their website as to what people think of MOulin Rouge, its price, etc. I can't imagine what there is to research about that one, to be honest (the Moulin Rouge website itself tells you prices, show times, dress code, and location).

And what most poeple want to know about the Eiffel Tower wouldn't be relevant to a company selling a tour that included it (ie, nearest metro stop, should I buy tickets, etc.). Obviously, the company sells tickets (at a markup no doubt) and must have some day tour or half day tour that includes this as a stop. A tour company probably has some special arrangements for its members, so line waiting can't be an issue there, I'm sure. I know tour guides get different privileges at the Louvre, for example.

<<They will be selling tickets and tours for each place but will also have sections dedicated to helping plan a trip and for interesting information.>>

Well, then, they don't need information about tickets and tours or waiting in lines or any of the things mentioned above.

Frankly, I can't think of a single piece of "interesting information" about either of those places that hasn't been covered a few million times already. It's not as though anyone, let alone a first-time visitor, is going to discover some "secret" about the Eiffel Tower or Moulin Rouge.

In reading the OP, is it clear that the sites are for the ET & MR businesses, or for an organization planning tours that include these places?

They already have websites, not sure why they would need to bring in a foreigner to design a site.

I think it is a website for the company selling tickets/tours. It must be some company like Grayline, Parisvision, Concierge, etc.

It's hard to believe a company like those would be asking a first-time visitor to Paris to research anything. They're based there. And they're big companies. Why would they need a foreign newbie to contribute anything?

I'm guessing it's some British tour package company.

Hey, if there is a demand for other foreigners, I can find an opening:)

The way we process and evaluate information has changed and we've barely touched the surface on how it will change going forward.

Man has been looking at the stars since the dawm of history. Along comes the Ipad and the Starwalk App and an entirely new way to look at the stars now exists.

This may not be a legit question from the OP or there may be more to what they are trying.

No doubt this statement is true: "I can't think of a single piece of "interesting information" about either of those places that hasn't been covered a few million times already."

However, the way that this information gets filtered to a user, analyzed, and understood can change in countless ways we can't yet contemplate.

Not unless this person is going to practice the Vulcan mind meld.

there are already a million books, travel magazines, websites, travel boards, blogs, city touring apps and everything else you can think of.

And what will someone who knows nothing bring to the part - unless they are going as a specific representative of some cult that worhsips can can dancers?

That's true, Ryan, but that doesn't seem to be what the OP was asked to do. She's talking about basic stuff like "interesting information" and "planning trips" and "what you'd like to know about each destination." It's all been done over and over and over again, and if something new happens, like the Eiffel Tower adds another floor or the Moulin Rouge starts doing brunches, it'll be broadcast on the internet in a heartbeat.

Really, what is there to research about these two places, or trip planning, that's even the slightest bit new and different?

Just back from a week away, read the question, and was relieved to find that the regular (and reliable) posters found this post to be a little off.

There's not much of any information about the Moulin Rouge or the Eiffel Tower that one cannot discover in a few seconds by googling for these terms. Certainly nothing useful that would require on-site research. You might discover that there are restrooms near the east pillar of the Eiffel Tower, or that the Moulin Rouge has a souvenir shop around the corner, but you can't build a Web site out of that.

Tough crowd.

I think I should possibly have been a little clearer on what we're aiming for with the websites - these are new websites that we are creating not only to sell tickets (as the usual sort of tour packages) but to provide as much interesting and useful information as we can find about each place, warts and all, so that it's not just another site full of packages and sales-speak or a bland information page with all the basic facts. Obviously I am aware that there are many other sites on the web that provide similar information, but I think that there is a place for a well written site that has in depth and honest information and reviews as well as ticket sales and basic info - we're trying to create something where you can find all you would want in one place rather than having to search through many different sites to get your answers. I'm not expecting to find a secret trapdoor at the bottom of the ET but just trying to find out if there are any specific angles that people feel would be worth covering!

Thanks to everyone who has made suggestions so far, it's very helpful and I will definitely take them into account. I think the idea about variables is really interesting. As for sending a first time visitor - I think the idea is to experience the tours and the city as a tourist and not a Paris resident.

<i>
Nikki on Aug 18, 11 at 8:22am
Tough crowd.</i>
We call it tough love.

<i>OliviaS on Aug 18, 11 at 11:32am</i>
Well spoken.
Here's one for you. People with a fear of the second step of a ladder, like me, should never go to the top of the Tour Eiffel. I panicked up there. I went to the elevator and it was full. I had to wait about five minutes for the next one. It was total terror.