8 tips for the best Inside Tour experience
Posted by Huw,
While we were in Billund for the fan media days last week one of this year's Inside Tours was running and it just so happened that Brickset member The Rancor was on it.
We met several times and by all accounts he had a great time. I encouraged him to write about his experience and as a result he has kindly provided these tips for future attendees...
Ever since the day I first found out that LEGO offered an Inside Tour a number of years ago, I’ve been desperate to go. It was difficult for me to find the time and money to go until I had completed all my school studies and my university degree. But after 3 years of full time work, careful spending and a touch of luck, my wish finally came true at 24 and I attended the 3rd tour this year (31st May – 2nd June) and of course I highly recommend it!
It’s best to leave much of the detail of the tours as a secret - because amongst other reasons I thought surprises were the best parts of the tour. However there are a number of things I’d suggest to squeeze the most out of this exclusive Lego experience:
Pack ahead
You’ll be able to obtain a plethora of LEGO and/or exclusive Tour-related goodies during your trip. To save having to worry about packing things safely, document holders, an additional (initially empty) luggage bag and bubble wrap/tape for any loose items are all highly recommended. We also had both very cold, cloudy weather and sizzling sunny weather on our tour so cold/wet weather gear will be helpful!
Explore Billund
Depending on your holiday times, you’re likely to have time to explore in the days preceding or following the Inside Tour. Legoland Billund will have things to offer whether you like rollercoasters or detailed LEGO models, but it’s only a 10 minute walk to the centre of Billund from the hotel. Here you’ll find Ole Kirk Christiansen’s house, many of the LEGO hub buildings and the Lego House (opening September 2017), plus you might find set designers eating at the restaurants.
Get to know your fellow ‘tourers’
All tour attendees will be given a yellow lanyard. Before the tour begins, I’d encourage actively looking out for the lanyard and to wear yours immediately – you’ll be able to find participants and discuss interests before the densely packed tour. You can also break the ice on your own terms before the (admittedly fun) ice breaking ‘sessions’ – everyone will likely speak good English, no matter where they’re from, and we had people from at least 12 different countries!
Don’t focus too much on photos
This one may be a little contentious because I’ve got a ‘photographic memory’, but in much the same way that some musicians would rather people stopped taking photos and enjoyed live music, I’d say the same may be true here. Particularly in presentations and tours where you’re allowed to take photos, you’ll pick up on far more detail and remember the experience more by listening and looking. In more social parts of the program make sure you capture the moment though!
Keep asking questions
Assuming tours generally follow a similar format, you’ll be able to meet high level executives, set designers, element designers, instruction designers, graphic designers, manufacturing experts and many more. Of course, you’ll find out about some of what they do, but if you want to find the answer to that burning question you’ve always wanted to ask, ensure you ask it! You’ll have a lot of direct contact with the set designers, occasionally one-to-one, so find out what makes them tick. I’d suggest you don’t ask about future unreleased sets because any approved reveals will be shown to you anyway.
Get your game face on
Different contests or challenges will pop up during the tour, some individual, some in teams, so you’re going to need to be a team player. If you’re mega competitive, get ahead of the game by revising your Lego knowledge or building techniques before the tour. If you’re less competitive, the contests will be fun interludes that help you discover more about LEGO, sometimes from the set designers themselves. Smug though it may sound, I either won solo or was on the winning team for all the building contests - but there are rewards available for more than just winning…
Shop til you drop
During your tour you’ll be able to visit the famous employee shop and there will be very tempting (but secret) discounts… You can’t use your phone inside the shop to check online or take photos though, so a detailed handwritten or printed shopping list of items you’re going to be interested in will be helpful, as will a tape measure for items you’re going to bring back in your luggage. You’ll be able to ship a handful of larger sets for free using a cardboard box provided – suffice to say it is larger than any shipping boxes I’d received before. I checked my native S@H price for all the items and noted down the exchange rate to DKK before leaving so I could do the maths, but if you’ve got a little more money to spend, feel free to go all out! You can ship additional boxes from Hotel Legoland under your own expense if needed.
Keep in contact to share the experience
Amongst many surprising things on the tour, for the first time ever two attendees were happily engaged with a clever ring-revealing build. I was also knighted by a toothbrush (yes, really) and uncovered the craving designers have for Lego-shaped fries. If you want to continue the discussions about random things like these, or you’re missing a photo and you think someone else might have taken it, gathering everyone’s contact details together is a good idea – just don’t post confidential information publicly. Everyone in my tour was very happy to stay in contact, so I’m hoping some of us are Lego buddies for life.
That’s it for my tips, but the experience was absolutely worth it and I wish the best for future attendees. And thanks very much to all involved from LEGO in making it a Tour to remember!
This year's Inside Tour set has not yet been revealed on the internet but we should get more details about it mid-June.
Registration for next year's tours is likely to be around October. We'll let you know when the exact date has been announced.
Further reading:
- LEGO Inside Tours: how they make you feel
- LEGO Inside Tour 2015 report
- Review: 2013 LEGO Inside Tour
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13 comments on this article
Thanks for sharing your tips and experience! I very much want to do this one day.
Yeah! To take the car from south of Sweden to Billund seems like a very nice thing to do. To bring home all the bacon. :) Must go. Maybe meet jaitheartist there? :D
Nice write up! I have attended the first LIT this year in May and agree on everything that you have written. We had been knighted by the tooth brush too...
Memories are still fresh, can't believe it's been a year for me. Glad to see it's still awesome!
I should also mention a big thanks on behalf of those involved for making 3 different kid's Make a Wish dreams come true on my tour - I built with a couple of them and they had some serious Lego talent!
Great summary! I went two years ago and these are great tips. Our LIT group has our own Facebook group, and we have had some mini reunions since then. I'd love to go again, but I think it's better to allow others to have the experience.
Thanks for sharing, Rancor. I hope all future tourers take note. I made the mistake of packing like I always do for short business trips: camera and a change of clothes in my carry-on bad. Fortunately I found a check-in sized box to bring home stuff I got. So next time: 1 empty suitcase.
It sounds like you too had a great time. I'm excited to read more after the last tour has finished.
/ David, 2016 tour 3
Sounds like a fantastic experience! I'm glad you enjoyed it. I really hope to go someday, if possible... actually, I'd simply love to visit Billund in general.
Thanks the review. I go out on the one next week, already excited but will prepare a bit more now.
^ glad to hear the tips may be of help to an attendee very soon - To be honest I didn't quite mentally prepare myself for just how much I was going to take in but even with a packed schedule, there is at least plenty of food laid on to keep you fuelled for the duration!
Thanks for the tips. But can you really save money on buying sets there? After all, how much is the cost for the inside tour again? I thought it was a four figure amount. They would have to give away sets for free in order to make any bargain possible.
As interesting as that tour might be, I could never get myself to spend such a crazy amount of money on it. I rather take that money and "shop til I drop" for Lego sets at a discount here. I think I will come out far ahead by that method any time.
^ I think it would be an oversight to assume the shop is the core element of the decision-making process to do the overall tour. 1.) The investment is definitely worth it for the insider information and experience - after all, you are speaking directly to one of the strongest brands in the world 2.) If you only buy sets in the shop that you were always going to buy anyway at home, its definitely going to be a saving.
I would recommend bringing a pad of paper to take notes! You learn a lot of cool facts on the tour that can be hard to commit to memory.