‘Pop-up’ labs for systematic co-creation in the experience-based tourism innovation processes: the roles of lab dimensions

Labs as spaces for co-creation in innovation are rare in experience-based tourism. This study explores how temporary, or ‘pop-up’, labs can influence the innovation processes of experience-based firms. It is the first of its kind, at least to the authors’ knowledge, to combine the frameworks of co-creation elements and lab dimensions in the innovation processes of experience-based firms. Conducted as a qualitative single case study with four subcases, it focuses on the development of an experience-based guiding app by a micro firm. The findings reveal that labs can transform the innovation processes of experience-based firms into more systematic ones by enabling co-creation with stakeholders. This study contributes to a new understanding of integrating pop-up labs into the innovation process, highlighting orchestration as a vital dimension that structures the other lab dimensions and includes three subdimensions. Additionally, it offers solutions to mitigate the challenges of temporary labs, such as the lack of long-term stakeholder engagement and project continuity. Therefore, experience-based tourism firms can utilize the frameworks from this study as a toolkit to co-create innovative experiences with their stakeholders.