What trends did you talk about?

In my last post I asked you to tell me about any new trends your museum might be planning to employ in the near future. The results are in... very few of you shared actual plans for implementing new trends, but many of you were willing to share your wish lists. Some of your responses were about ideas that have been discussed with no immediate plans for funded projects. Many of the responses discussed ideas that were being "kicked around" or actually put into budget proposals.

I received emails, texts, phone calls and talked to many of you at AAM and ATALM. Here is my very unscientific summary of what I've heard.

• Mobile Apps: there are several mobile apps out there now being used by a variety of museums. They provide added details on the art and artifacts in an exhibition, as well as guiding visitors through the museum. In some cases, major parts of a collection are view-able right on the app.
• Text marketing: this is a good way for your list of opt-in visitors to receive updated information on new exhibitions, and even obtain specials at the gift shop and cafeteria.
• By far, the most mentioned new trend is the use of the iPad. Other tablet brands were mentioned a couple of times, but not nearly as much as the iPad. This technology seems to be used in a variety of ways. Not only can tablets be used with a mobile app, but creative minds have used them to integrate a much more interactive experience into a museum visit.

Take a look at the video below to see a very creative way the National Gallery of Canada is using this "Technology in Museum Programming."




~Joe

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What trends will help museums survive?

As I look forward to going to Baltimore for the AAM next month, I have been thinking about some of the current trends that might help museums attract and engage visitors. I am certainly no expert, but I know that many of you are, and probably have many ideas on how popular trends could help make your institutions stronger.

I have written about some of the trends in previous posts and have received some good feedback. I want to ask all of you if you have any plans to adopt new programs, processes, or marketing to adapt any of the new trends we're seeing. Holograms, social media, mobile apps, are just some of the ideas that have been introduced lately. Once I have your feedback I will post a summary of the changes you report. Maybe something we talk about here will help others promote and build stronger institutions.

You can comment here, or email me at joemover@aol.com, or text me at 703.328.3002. As always, feel free to call as well. I've included a video highlighting some of the current trends we're seeing around us. Maybe some of these trends will be influencing your museum soon.

I also wanted to highlight a couple of the attractions you might enjoy if your coming to Baltimore for the AAM:


The Fire Museum of Baltimore has one of the largest collections of fire equipment in the world. The Fire Museum gives educational tours and has outreach programs for all ages. Their collection includes 42 antique fire apparatus, memorabilia, fire-fighting equipment, models and photographs.

Baltimore's Inner Harbor is one of the most visited areas in the city. It became a major seaport in the 1700s and work began to make it the cultural center of Baltimore in the 1970s. The Inner Harbor is just down the block from the convention center and should not be missed.




~ Joe

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Coming To Baltimore?

Many of us will be headed to Baltimore next month. This won't be the first time that the AAM has held their conference here, but it may be the first trip to Baltimore for many.

By way of introduction, "Charm City" has many attractions from great museums to the Inner Harbor to wonderful restaurants and so much more. Over the next few weeks I'll post information on many of the best attractions in the city, starting with a video produced by "Visit Baltimore" that will give you a great look at the many attractions and sights offered close to the conference site and beyond.

Looking forward to seeing you in Charm City!




~ Joe

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Some Stories From The Museum News

I publish a daily newsletter with museum news from around the world. Here are some stories from today's edition. I hope you will take a look at  The Museum News and subscribe if you like what you see.

Note to St. Patrick: Pls. keep the snakes 

via the Smithsonian

Read the story

smithsonianscience.org - According to legend St. Patrick (circa 387–460 or 492 AD) banished all snakes from Ireland, chasing them into the sea after they attacked him during a 40-day fast atop a hill.
Today we suspect that snakes never lived in Ireland

First Ladies Preview: Elizabeth Monroe & Louisa Catherine Adams

Preserving Oz — its legacy is great and powerful

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Teachable Moments: Biggest art heist in U.S. history remains unsolved | The Tennessean

Shared by
ContemporaryArt

tennessean.com - Very early on March 18, 1990, two men dressed as Boston police officers entered the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum, subdued the guards and left 81 minutes later with 13 works of art valued at around $500 million.

Enjoy these stories and more by going to The Museum News today.

~ Joe

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What's new?

As you may have noticed, I've not posted anything here for a few months. No excuses, but there is a reason. I've taken a new position within the Atlas Van Lines Family. I am now with The Paxton Companies and have been spending time making sure that everyone knows that I still provide the same high quality Museum Exhibition Transportation Service that I always have. The change to the Paxton Companies allows me to continue concentrating on providing the best transportation services available.

While I've gone through this transition I've been thinking about the future of museums and what that means to us all. I have visited many museums and the ones that keep my interest are the institutions that make interpretation easy, if not actually inspiring. No longer will I settle for just a label describing the object. I don't believe that I'm alone in my desire to learn interactively about a piece of art, the artist and the history of the piece. In short, I'm looking for an interactive experience to interpret an exhibition. To that end, I have found the most unique interactive experience I've ever seen. It combines art and interpretation with technology to provide a new way to explore the museum's collections.

The Gallery One space at the Cleveland Museum of Art features a forty foot, multi-touch screen which allows access to more than 3500 objects from the museum's collection. This provides a great way for visitors to design a personalized tour of the museum and to discover a broader understanding of the collections on view.

Take a look at the video below to get an idea of how Gallery One is providing a unique way of discovering the museum's permanent collection.




In addition to Gallery One, the museum has introduced their ArtLens multi-dimensional iPad app. By utilizing image recognition, visitors can scan objects throughout the museum and obtain up to nine hours of additional multimedia content. Also, triangulation-location technology allows visitors to orient themselves within the building and find objects and additional content.during their visit.

This is very cool!

~ Joe

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Politics???

If you have watched TV or listened to the radio in the last few months, you have heard a political ad or two.

Many of us see these ads and think about how the upcoming election will effect the arts. What will happen to the funding for museums, school arts programs, and much more. I do not have the answers but I try to keep these issues in mind whenever I consider my political choices... but here's my problem. Most of the ads I see don"t say anything good. The ads for both sides seem to be more concerned with telling the bad things about the other guy rather than telling me what I need to know to make an informed decision on the issues.

Being a history buff, I started wondering when this type of ad became the norm. How long have the attack ads been used? I started to research attack ads and found that these ads have been used for almost as long as we have had political parties in this country. As I researched, I found that many of the stories I read mentioned a single ad that ran in 1964. The "Daisy Ad" from the 64 presidential race seems to be the most influential attack ad of the modern era.

The ad was incendiary and was only aired once during the campaign. Since it aired it has been referenced by politicos, comedians, sit-coms, history shows, and even in "Return of the Living Dead." It has been included in museum exhibitions and political lectures, and now you can see it from YouTube below.

It appears that these ads are here to stay. I would rather they became part of history.





~ Joe

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Can YouTube Help Promote Your Museum?

YouTube is being used by everyone today... well, almost everyone.

Most people will look at a picture of your museum before they read an advertisement. My personal, unscientific, research tells me that most people will watch a 1 minute video before they will read a one sentence description of almost anything. SO WHAT?  What does this mean for you?

People are fascinated by video and this is something from which any promoter can benefit. Video has proven itself to be the most viral way to promote anything. You can lead prospects to your video from every other media you use. Videos can be posted and linked from Facebook, Twitter, your website, by QR codes and mentioned in any piece of print media. It is the easiest way to own internet real estate. It is not only having your information seen, but having it consumed that matters. Video is a great way to occupy high quality online real estate that will be consumed and remembered more than any other media available.

It is also a tremendous way to enhance your SEO. Google owns YouTube and they spider and index YouTube videos regularly. If you use good keywords, you could actually hit the front page of Google within 24 hours of posting your YouTube video. Don't waste any time, start today. Just remember to provide real value, and don't be pretentious.

Take a look at the video below to see how MoMA NY has used video with the City Pass system to promote the museum along with a plug for the City Pass system.





~ Joe

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