Museums in the Digital Era: Tackling Challenges and Learning from Teylers Museum (NL)
A large proportion of our solutions find a home in museums, ranging from globally renowned institutions to local establishments. This intersection of modern visual technologies and traditional industries, particularly museums, is both a professional focus and a personal passion of mine. While iconic institutions like the Louvre or the Van Gogh Museum effortlessly attract millions with their priceless collections, the majority of museums grapple with the task of innovating within their limited resources.
In our digital era, the internet and smartphones offer people convenient access to a wealth of information from their homes. This poses pressing questions: How can museums draw visitors? How has the ubiquity of technology impacted them?
A Successful Exhibition!! or Not?
Before discussing solutions for contemporary museum challenges, it probably makes more sense to understand how museums evaluate the performance of each exhibition. In our research, we found that museums use various methods for evaluation:
- Visitor Feedback and Surveys: Includes questionnaires and on-site feedback stations.
- Attendance and Demographic Data: Involves tracking visitor numbers and analyzing demographic data.
- Social Media and Online Analytics: Encompasses social media engagement and website traffic analysis.
- Media Coverage and Reviews: Comprises media monitoring and online reviews tracking.
- Educational Impact: Assessed through school/group visits and educational programs.
- Financial Performance: Involves revenue generation and Return on Investment (ROI) analysis.
- Long-Term Impact: Assessed by considering the exhibition’s influence on the museum’s reputation and cultural impact.
These evaluations mix quantitative (attendance, revenue) and qualitative data (feedback, reviews) to improve future exhibitions. Even though culture’s influence can be “intangible”, there are logical ways to justify the return on investment (ROI). Justifications might be based on factors such as financial returns, visitor traffic, or media exposure. While these indicators may not wholly capture the cultural context of each exhibition, they offer relatively objective benchmarks for resource allocation, particularly budgeting.
Our Observations and Findings
Although I don’t hold formal qualifications in museology or have extensive scientific research to back my insights, my background in business and marketing has provided me with several personal findings that I want to share:
Embrace the Power of Technology: Technologies aren’t just beneficial for individuals; they offer immense value to museums as well. This primarily manifests in two areas: digital integration and establishing an online presence.
a. Digital Integration: This involves embracing technology within the museum’s physical space by incorporating interactive exhibits that provide supplementary information, simulations, and interactive features alongside the physical displays.
b. Online Presence: To reach a worldwide audience, it’s vital to establish a robust online presence. Virtual tours, educational content, and digital archives can engage potential visitors who may not be able to visit the museum in person. Social media platforms can also be harnessed for promotional purposes, audience engagement, and sharing behind-the-scenes content.
Differentiate “feeling” from “knowing” : While people might not visit museums purely for information, a successful exhibition creates a unique, emotionally resonant setting. For instance, understanding Van Gogh’s tumultuous life is one thing, but to truly feel his inner turmoil, one needs to stand before one of his paintings and take in its raw intensity.
Exceeding Visitor Expectations: As technology offers increasingly immersive experiences, visitors now expect greater interactivity and engagement. By integrating valuable cultural heritage with modern immersive technologies, museums can deliver captivating experiences to every visitor. This could potentially change the way they feel and think about the world.
GeoBox solutions
Benefits
"The Great Illusion - 200 Years of Virtual Realities" Exhibition:
A recent personal experience encapsulates this evolution. Last Friday, we were lucky enough to visit “The Great Illusion – 200 Years of Virtual Realities” at Teylers Museum in Haarlem, the Netherlands. Thanks to Mike Dijker and his MAV team, the exhibition seamlessly integrated multiple GeoBox M800 edge blending solutions, offering a captivating glimpse into the 19th-century era when technology began to fundamentally reshape human civilization. The exhibit, masterfully curated by innovative content designer Caspar Conijn and design company ShoSho, brilliantly embodied the concept of “Changing Visitor Expectations.”
The exhibition starts on the 17th of February and ends on the 1st of September, 2024. This is an exhibition you shouldn’t miss, particularly if you haven’t had the opportunity to visit the beautiful seaside city of Haarlem.
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