One cannot debate the importance of art and history in today's society. Just as Pablo Picasso framed it, “Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life.”
A school in Montreal took this vision to heart and launched a pilot program bringing students to a museum once a week for eight weeks straight.
When Le Vitrail’s principal Chantal Laurin noticed that the school doesn’t have any measurable data to evaluate students who don’t turn in work even after starting it, Anik Meunier, a professor of museology at Université du Québec à Montréal (UQAM) proposed this solution.
"When we talk about engagement, we're talking about the pleasure of learning, the motivation to learn," noted Anik.
Therefore, it is essential that museums persist and students’ access to these curtal institutions also expand.
However, museums face a significant challenge: financial sustainability.
In Seema R’s essay ‘100 Things I Learned from almost 20 years in the Museum Field,’ the author highlights “People will give money to educate kids. But many funders won’t give money to turn on the lights. Who cares if its hard to educate kids in pitch black galleries?”
This is where embracing the latest museum trends can allow these institutions to attend financial independence. A robust museum marketing strategy in 2024 leverages the many museum marketing strategy including virtual reality, online galleries, and mobile apps.
This approach not only improves how visitors interact and engage with the museum but also helps to ensure the museum generates consistent income.
In this article, we delve into the top five museum trends for 2024 and discover how they are shaping the future of museums.
Personalization: The Art of Connectivity
Forbes released an article featuring Michael Reeder, an artist who aims to encourage viewers to introspect and question their own sense of self through his art.
This concept of 'Polarised Personalization' dichotomy in consumer behavior - a blend of individualism and collectivism, shaping how museums are changing.
With 87% of businesses empowering consumers to become content producers on social media, museums must adapt to this shift. User-generated content (UGC) allows individuals to express their unique perspectives.
Moreover, 79% of people saying it highly impacts their purchasing decisions, and millennials finding it 35% more memorable than mainstream content.
The National Museum of African American History and Culture (NMAAHC) exemplifies the innovative use of digital user-generated content (UGC) in museums.
Opened in 2016 as part of the Smithsonian Institution, NMAAHC holds a collection of over 36,000 artifacts dedicated exclusively to African American history and culture. Their Reflection Booth, placed strategically at the end of the Slavery and Freedom exhibition, invites visitors to record their thoughts on African American history.
The booth, equipped with ample seating and a touchscreen for recording, encourages group discussions and personal reflections. The questions touch on topics like family ties to slavery, traditions, community support systems, and memorable aspects of the exhibition.
Archives on Display, Whenever, Wherever
The evolving landscape of museum trends, particularly in 2024, sees a revolutionary shift in how museums manage and display their collections, highlighting a trend known as 'Visible Archives.'
Traditionally, major museums exhibit only about 7% of their collections, with the remainder tucked away in storage. This is changing with the advent of new museum technology trends.
Take our client, the National Museum based in New Delhi, for instance. By creating audio-visual stories for nearly a hundred points across three galleries, we successfully bridged the physical divide imposed by the pandemic.
This content wasn't just a digital replication of the museum experience; it was a reinvention, tailored to fit the small screens of smartphones yet expansive enough to cover the grandeur of the museum's offerings.
The museum's strategy to create a 'museum@home' webpage is a nod to the increasing importance of museum infrastructure in the digital realm.
This shift towards visible archives not only democratizes access to museum collections but also transforms visitors into active participants.
Exploring New Revenue-Generating Verticals
Smartphones have become ubiquitous to museum trends and museum technology trends in 2024. Offering visitors immediate access to a world of information, these devices present an opportunity for museums to leverage their visitors' curiosity while also generating revenue.
For example, The New Museum in New York successfully capitalizes on event space rentals. With 30 to 40 event space inquiries per day, accounting for about 7% of its total revenue. Similarly, the Metropolitan Museum of Art cleverly promotes its gift shop items on social media, tapping into the lucrative online market.
We can't talk about capturing innovative ticket sales strategies, without discussing our partnership with the Salar Jung Museum in Hyderabad, which boasts 1.2 million annual visitors.
To enhance revenue, we introduced an audio-guided tour for its diverse collection of 44,000 assets across 39 galleries. We also launched an audio guide app, sold as a combined 'Camera+ Audio Ticket', to improve the uptake of 'Camera tickets'.
This initiative led to increased user engagement and higher revenue. The app's impact is evident in its usage statistics: it has 52,516 registered users, 50,721 active users, 81,317 total points visited, and 10,019 QR scans. The mode of usage includes 32% web users, 52% Android users, and 17% iOS users, with 56,956 tours accessed across platforms.
Immersive Storytelling With Virtual Reality
How can we possibly continue talking about museum trends in 2024, without exploring the integration of AR (Augmented Reality) and VR (Virtual Reality). After all, Museums Association report museums that have incorporated AR and VR experiences witnessed a 34% increase in visitor satisfaction.
Museums are now looking to cater to a generation that expects interactivity as a norm, as well as providing touchless experiences in the post-COVID era.
This shift is already seen in venues like the Kennedy Space Center, where visitors can experience a simulated shuttle take-off, closely mirroring the real conditions of an astronaut's journey. Such experiences can range from flying a jetpack over the Grand Canyon to landing on the moon, as offered by VR World in New York.
But, that's not all!
Emerging technologies like haptic chairs, which provide tactile feedback, and Olfactory Virtual Reality (OVR), which integrates scent, are pushing the boundaries of what's possible.
Tailored Apps: From Offline To Online
Till now, we have explored 4 museum trends that are revolutionizing the museum industry from inside out. But, how is the news of such transformations conveyed to your audience?
How do museums and cultural institutions stay relevant and engage their audiences?
A key tool in this endeavor is the utilization of mobile apps.
The demand for mobile-first experiences is especially pronounced among mobile-native generations. As of November 2021, 67% of U.S. consumers expressed interest in mobile apps that integrate multiple digital experiences.
According to Gartner, by 2027, over half of the global population is expected to be daily active users of multiple mobile apps. Therefore, it is imperative for cultural institutions to deliver their content through unified, conveniently integrated mobile platforms.
In our collaboration with the National Gallery of Modern Art, we have personally observed the impact of mobiles apps. Spanning its campuses in Delhi, Bengaluru, and Mumbai, we developed a mobile app that enabled virtual visits, to the museum, in response to the challenges posed by the pandemic.
The app includes comprehensive audio tours of both permanent displays and temporary exhibitions, providing rich, immersive experiences for users.
At the moment, the app boasts a total of 10,539 registered users, of which 9,265 are active users. Visitors have interacted with the app extensively, as indicated by the 33,630 total points visited and 3,183 QR scans. The usage is diverse, with 57% accessing via web, 27% through Android devices, and 16% using iOS. Moreover, the total number of tours accessed across Android, iOS, and Progressive Web Apps (PWA) stands at 21,763.
The Current Stakes Involved In The Future Of Museums
As we step into 2024, industries across the board, including museums, are increasingly focusing on sustainability and the transition to digital infrastructures. One significant aspect of this digital shift is the growing importance of mobile apps for managing museum operations and enhancing visitor experiences.
Historically, creating such digital solutions required substantial investment in development, design, and content creation, making it a costly endeavor for many museums.
However, Museums22 offers a powerful yet affordable solution.
With Museums22, museums can access their own mobile app through an affordable monthly SaaS subscription starting at just $299. This service includes features like social media post management, a digital catalog of exhibits, visitor experience management with data collection, and proximity-triggered audio guides.
Museums22 stands as the ideal partner for museums looking to implement the latest museum trends in 2024. Are you ready to embrace the digital future and enhance your museum's sustainability?
Comments