YourDaysOut.com, Ireland’s leading platform for discovering things to do, is now firmly establishing itself as the go-to booking solution for local attractions, event organisers and family activity providers.

While many recognise the site for its listings, offers and weekly ‘Things to Do’ guides, the real growth is being driven by the combined engine of nationwide promotion and flexible, enterprise-level ticketing software built specifically for Irish businesses.

“YourDaysOut.com is essentially two products, Promotion and Tickets,” says co-founder Ciaran Dunne. “We are uniquely placed to allow our clients to engage with regulars, reach new potential customers who are actively looking for things to do and turn that interest into bookings.”

The real engine behind the platform is Tickets, an events technology SaaS platform approved by Fáilte Ireland’s Digital That Delivers and Just Transition programmes.

Events and venues appear on key landing pages by location and can be filtered by interest. Visitors can follow their favourite pages and receive updates on events and promotions and buy tickets. For businesses, this means more visibility, better conversion rates and less reliance on external marketing spend.

At the end of 2024, YourDaysOut.com partnered with dmg media Ireland, unlocking access to a network that reaches 3.6 million Irish adults, including 75 per cent of Irish mums.

Through regular content in trusted family titles like EVOKE, Rollercoaster and Extra.ie, as well as seasonal guides printed in The Irish Daily Mail and Irish Mail on Sunday newspapers, the platform now delivers unmatched exposure for local venues.

A recent summer guide featured discount vouchers worth over €100, alongside targeted digital campaigns that are building awareness of participating businesses. These offers boost visibility and also give YourDaysOut.com readers brilliant savings on unforgettable family days out. 

However, what sets YourDaysOut.com apart is the ability to bring discovery and booking together on one simple platform. People easily visit to find ideas for family days out, weekends and holidays and can book instantly without leaving the site.

Dunne explains: “There are plenty of booking systems available in Ireland now, but many are built for big enterprises, funded by overseas VCs and priced that way.

"They might start small but ramp up costs once you’re locked in. We wanted to build tools with similar capability, tailored for local businesses with local support and, more importantly, for no extra cost.”

Designed with feedback from play centres, farms and attractions across the country, YourDaysOut.com Tickets allows businesses to create and sell tickets for general admission, events, birthday parties, school tours and more.

Once set up, most functions are automated and support deposits, upsells, signed digital waivers (automatically linked to bookings) and real-time availability, giving businesses more control while reducing admin.

As a development-led platform, it is continually evolving. If a business has an idea or suggestion for how something should work, the YourDaysOut.com team will research, design and build it.

“As I tell our clients, if it’s useful for your business, it’ll likely be useful to others too,” Dunne says.

David Redhouse of Newgrange Farm agrees: “YourDaysOut Tickets is very easy to use, and the customer support – both for me and my visitors – is second to none. They even built a check-in feature specifically to suit how I wanted to run things. You don’t get that kind of service anywhere else.”

Tickets can be sold through a business’s own website and social channels, as well as on the YourDaysOut.com marketplace, where thousands of people are actively looking for things to do.

Kidspace Playcentres in Rathcoole and Rathfarnham is another business seeing the benefit: “We use YourDaysOut Tickets for everything from party bookings to events, tours and even special offers like our recent Fun For A Fiver.

"The ticket options are flexible, easy to manage and backed by great customer support. They also worked with us to build an automated signed waiver feature that fits exactly how we run things. It’s saved us time and made the whole check-in process smoother.”

For venues offering both walk-in and online options, 86 per cent of bookings are now made online. Of those, around 40 per cent happen when the business is closed, showing the clear benefit of 24/7 availability.

There’s also the added value of the unique Customer Support module. If a customer has a question, YourDaysOut.com handles it directly, with a real person available to resolve issues. This avoids late-night phone calls and emails to local venues, freeing up owners and staff to focus on what they do best while giving customers a better experience.

“We know most of our clients are short on time,” Dunne says. “Whether it’s a pet farm or seasonal event, it’s often one person doing everything. Our goal is to save venues time while delivering a best-in-class booking experience for their customers.”

With demand growing nationwide, YourDaysOut.com continues to expand its tools and media reach, helping Irish businesses get discovered and grow sales as we head into the busy summer season.

Photo: Newgrange Farm. (Pic: Suplied)