From idea to guided tour: how methodologists at the National Centre RUSSIA work and find inspiration

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A guided tour can take visitors through the pages of history, offer a glimpse of the future, transport them into a fairy tale, introduce them to different cultures and immerse them in art. All this becomes possible when tours are created and delivered by professionals. Excursion methodologists of the Tours Department at the National Centre RUSSIA, Oksana Kuydina and Dmitry Lesnykh, design tour routes that turn every exposition into a carefully structured and engaging journey.

"I work with meaning and with the quality of a tour. My task is to help guides build the logic of their narrative, strengthen the delivery and find a balance between facts and emotions, between knowledge and a lively dialogue with guests. Together we turn a tour into more than just a route — it becomes a journey through our expositions," says Oksana Kuydina.

Oksana’s path to the profession was winding: a history faculty degree, teacher training, a move from Siberia to Moscow and work as a regional sales manager. Her passion for travel and creating her own routes eventually led her to guided tours. According to the methodologist, working with distinguished guests at the International RUSSIA EXPO at VDNH became a turning point, and the invitation to join the National Centre RUSSIA was a natural continuation of her career.

Dmitry Lesnykh arrived at VDNH while preparing one of his original projects. Seeing how the International RUSSIA EXPO was being built, he realised that his field was large-scale projects and major expositions. He joined the exposition team and later moved to the National Centre RUSSIA as a methodologist.

Both specialists believe that a methodologist cannot exist apart from practice. For Oksana, a good methodologist is first and foremost a good guide, and vice versa. Dmitry notes that without real experience working with groups it is impossible to feel the timing, the coherence of a route and the very field in which a visitor’s attention can be sustained for an hour and a half.

Oksana describes her main task as immersing visitors in the world of an exposition. Using the exposition "Journey Across Russia" as an example, she explains how the right words can transform the experience. One could simply point out that visitors are looking at a port and the tail of a marine mammal, or one could transport them through storytelling to the shores of Lake Baikal: "The exposition is interactive and beautiful — it helps us tell the story. Our task is to strengthen that sense of presence so that a person not only hears the facts but feels like a participant in the event."

Dmitry often reflects on how to speak with different generations, especially children and teenagers, while avoiding the temptation to "simplify everything down to emojis": "A guided tour is an educational product. Our task is to gently raise the audience’s level and help people grow. Sometimes simple but precise analogies work well. For example, a hero’s journey in a fairy tale can be compared to levelling up a character in a computer game. Children immediately find it clearer and more engaging."

For both specialists, a tour is carefully constructed dramaturgy. What unites the methodologists is their attitude to the profession. They speak of inner freedom and enthusiasm as key qualities of both methodologists and guides. According to them, this is exactly how a guided tour is created that becomes truly engaging for visitors of all ages at the National Centre RUSSIA.