The Synergy of Museums & Tourism Audience Development

1. The Synergy of Museums & TourismAudience Development Presentation byChristian WaltlLord Cultural Resources Amman, Jordan 7. April 2009

2. Changing roles of museums ‘Museums should change from being about something to being for somebody’ (Stephen E. Weil)

3. Changing roles of museums Object focus People focus Curators pre-eminent Multi-functional teams Static display Changing display/programming Scholarship valued Learning & leisure purpose Visitor barriers Participation/engagement Authoritarian Dialog

4. Why are museums important today? • Preservation, research & interpretation • Anchors for knowledge generation • Creativity & community development • Life long learning • Urban development • Cultural tourism • Pleasure & enjoyment • Prestige & diplomacy 4

5. The museum as a public space • The museum as a piazza • The museum as an idea factory • The museum as a learning space

6. What is audience development? • Audience development is about: • developing and retaining new audiences • building a strong relationship with existing audiences and engage them • improving visitor experiences and encourage frequent use • introducing non-attenders to the organisation • reaching out to special community groups who would not normally come to a museum. 6

7. Visitor research is the key to audience development • Why do they come (motivation)? • Where do they come from? • What are their needs? • What are their expectations? • How satisfied were the visitors? • Who are the non-visitors?

8. Audience Pyramid Attenders Intenders Open to persuasion Resistors Rejectors After Morris, Hargreaves, McIntyre, 2005

9. A Model of Museum Visiting Social interaction Doing something worthwhile Having the challenge of new experiences Having an opportunity to learn Participating actively Feeling comfortable and at ease with the sourroundings Motivations Museum Visiting Global Trends Predictors Rising affluence and education levels Ageing population Cultural diversity Less leisure time and emphasis on short breaks Information technology Personal interest Demographics Values and beliefs Prior exposure Opportunities Time Source: Hood (1996), Kelly (2001)

10. Maslow’s hierarchy of needs 1954 Motivation drivers creativity Self-actualization 3% spiritual contemplation 10% experience the past Self-esteem emotional nostalgia aesthetic Social needs Interested in learning intellectual 39% Safety needs 48% entertainment social social interaction Physical needs After Morris, Hagraeves, McIntyre, 2005

11. Museums as key players for cultural tourism Destination enhancer Destination motivator

12. The Guggenheim MuseumBilbao, Spain • What makes it so successful? • The power of an iconic building (Frank Gehry) • A global brand • A committed local authority (& great idea) • An outstanding programme of special exhibitions • The Facts • 10 years of operation • 1 million visits per year • 90% tourists • 12.8% ROI • Major urban regeneration 12

13. The Museum of Islamic ArtDoha, Qatar • What makes it so brilliant? • Superb architecture • Outstanding interior design • Global positioning • Location • Great collection • Dedicated leadership • Prime space for learning 13

14. The Bahrain Fort Museum Kingdom of Bahrain • What makes it so attractive? • Historical location next to the old Portuguese Fort • Simplistic modern design • Archeological jewel • Prime space for research 14

15. The profile of cultural tourists • Want to explore • Meaningful personal experience • Integrated experience • Motivated by high impact cultural events • Frequent short trips • Use the internet to tailor their travel • High level of educational attainment • Can be of any age

16. How can museums meet the needs of cultural tourism? • Offering a unique cultural experience with a focus on quality and distinctiveness • Need to offer information on local culture and traditions • Allow active participation • Multilevel interpretation & multiple languages • Necessary information on website • Museum marketing strategy that ties into the tourism strategy

17. How can the tourism sector meet the needs of museums? • Offer PR and marketing opportunities • Support and facilitate international positioning • Share data • Regional card schemes • Transport schemes • Distribution of promotional material

18. Museum versus tourism • What are the obstacles? • For profit / non-profit approach • Lack of understanding • Few exchanges of expertise and experiences • Exchange of data • Data on tourists not conform with museum visitor data • Museums planning versus tourism planning

19. Key challenges • Balance act between the needs of tourists and the needs of the local community • Communication • Sufficient operational funding (esp. marketing) • Product enhancement • Sustainability

20. How can the 2 sectors work together? • Regular exchange of information and expertise • Joint working groups for visitor/tourist research • Close collaboration in marketing (destination-level marketing) • Create in cooperation varied and innovative programme packages • Cultural clusters

21. Audience development as a tool for a tourism development strategy Assess current practice Identify barriers to collaboration Identify visitors and geographical distribution Review visitor’s needs Assess potential for audience development (resources & skills) Set objectives Market segmentation Establish target audiences Set an action plan for each target audience Support staff with training Internships & placements Work with partners Proper marketing Evaluate, review and improve tourism product regularly

22. Conclusion • Museums audience development and tourism development have the same goals • Museums’ audience development initiatives can work as a tool for tourism development • It is about tailoring the offered services to the needs of the traveler/visitor • It is about offering a high quality product • It is a shared responsibility that works best with an integrated and collaborative approach

23. The new Bilbao Effect? in the 21st Century King Abdulaziz Center for Knowledge & Culture, Saudi Arabia THANK YOU!