5/4/20151 Reaching New Audiences CMA PEI Workshop Susan Charles May 2009

5/4/20152 Introduction The purpose of today’s workshop is to: STOP  Take time to look at who comes  And who does NOT  Identify your hidden potential  Share program ideas  Create a workable plan of action

5/4/20153 My Goals That you gain a new understanding of how you want to SERVE YOUR COMMUNITY by ENGAGING it

5/4/20154 My Goals You are inspired to make smart choices, about what you do, for whom, how and why Explore options for audiences beyond the seasonal travelers and “the general public”

5/4/20155 My Goals Help you set priorities for programs so you make smart choices, NOT more work

5/4/20156 Why bother? Why look for new audiences? Demonstrate relevance Serve a need in your community Gain new partners Increase visibility & supporters Prioritize the use of your resources

5/4/20157 Increased value This is a new way for museums to connect to community but the evidence suggests that by increasing the relevance and hence the value to the community, this increased value is having a positive impact on funding for many of these organizations. Museums Connecting to Community Bill Barkley March 2006 CFFM conference

5/4/20158 Become ESSENTIAL not just “nice to have”

5/4/20159 Agenda Why reach out? Introductions – Museum Memories What do we know about visitors? What do you know about yours? Your community’s profile Creative program ideas LUNCH

5/4/ Agenda (cont’d) Program planning Audit of resources Defining success School audiences Share ideas Evaluation & Wrap Up

5/4/ Museum Memories Your name Name/location of your museum Briefly tell us your best/worst museum memory

5/4/ What makes for a memorable museum visit? Your thoughts?

5/4/ Experiences are events that engage individuals in a personal way … the more sensory the experience the more memorable it will be.

5/4/ Great Museum Experiences Engage your visitor Tell a story Fit all the pieces of your visit together Create a positive memory

5/4/ Museum Visitors General info about who visits Why?

5/4/ Museum Visits In North America only 40% of the population visits a museum at least once per year 20% visit 4 or more times/yr. That means that 80% of North Americans are not active museum visitors

5/4/ So what? I’d like to encourage you to consider taking up the challenge of not simply being a place that passively presents your local history BUT Be of service to your community and make a difference in people’s lives That’s the secret to repeat visitors, and actively engaged community supporters

5/4/ Who visits … John Veverka defines the following groups: 1. Traditional family - Mom, Dad, kids 2. Traditional extended family - above + grandparents, relatives 3. Single parent with children 4. Adult group without children – young couples DINKS 5. Empty nesters - adults late 40’s children at college or moved out 6. Elderly/retired yrs couples or organized group What is the fastest growing user group from above ?

5/4/ Streakers, strollers & students Streakers – Museum visitors who have low level of interaction and involvement with exhibits and programs High visual and/or audio impact gets their attention Fair percentage of visitors

5/4/ Strollers Majority of visitors Take passing interest in exhibits Looking more at 1-2 themes Consciously chose to visit but may be with others Gift shop remembrance item is important to them to recall their experience Attends special events, or when family is visiting

5/4/ Students Not just high school and university students doing research Other heritage/collection researchers & genealogists Have specific focussed intense interest in one subject at your museum Stays the longest Highest repeat visitation

5/4/ Why? To learn To connect To share To feel To check it off the list

5/4/ Marilyn Hood’s Research Article Staying Away: Why People Choose Not To Visit Museums Museum News 1983

5/4/ To have a good time Most adults come to the museum to have a good time, in whatever way they define that … Sharing a leisure experience with people they care about was not as important as an educational experience

5/4/ Hood looked at 3 types of museum visitors Frequent participants Occasional visitors Non-visitors Investigated people’s criteria when choosing how to use their leisure time surveyed Toledo residents

5/4/ People look for 6 things Opportunity to learn New experiences Do something worthwhile Social interaction Participation Feel comfortable

5/4/ Frequent Museum Visitors Find all six attributes present at museums

5/4/ Non - Visitors Are not familiar with museums See museums as scary, formal, hands-off and not a worthwhile activity Would rather go shopping or engage in sports

5/4/ Occasional Visitor 1-2 visits per year Are looking for active participation & entertainment & social interaction Family-centered activities or extended family visiting Value comfortable surroundings where they belong, feel at ease Don’t really feel at home in a museum so they bring their family & friends with them as a group to validate the visit Come for special events, family days NOT a learning experience, a challenge or doing something worthwhile

5/4/ John Falk’s theory Visitors motivation to visit is explained by their desire for satisfaction, identity & well being Whether parents, friend, or tourist they have the same 5 motivations

5/4/ Falk’s 5 motivations to visit a museum Explorers – to learn; they are curious & interested Facilitators – to help others learn Experience Seekers – tourists Professional/hobbyists – specialized interests, usually seniors Spiritual Pilgrims - to be spiritually moved, awe seeking

5/4/ types of museum-going experiences To Learn - cognitive experiences To Do – social experiences To See – object experiences To Feel – introspective experiences

5/4/ Culture Pleasure Seekers Students and young professionals making the most of life They are active, have many friends and an active social life Are interested in arts & culture See museums as places to chill out and relax Seek out temporary exhibits

5/4/ Learned Liberals Middle-aged independent adults Have older children or are empty nesters Are cultured and socially aware Strong minded Spiritual, adventurous, like challenges Go to museums for intellectual stimulation, to be inspired and as a place to relax

5/4/ Adults like … Playful but not childish opportunities While they like to play and enjoy themselves, they do not want to engage in children’s activities i.e. cut and paste Sophisticated humour Exhibits with an adult-friendly look That encourage sharing in a group Human interest angle and relevance

5/4/ Older adults like … Nostalgia

5/4/ Canadian statistics 1996 Rubenstein study Most adult museum visitors in Canada are within the ages of years old Museums attract more groups or families on a social outing Families, particularly boomers with their children are our key audience Art galleries attract single visitors visiting on their own

5/4/ What’s their motivation? Visitors to the Canadian Museum of Civilization 48% professionals with university or higher education They have a prior interest in the past A desire for discovery, learning & understanding about the past

5/4/ Other US & UK research It’s not what you have, It’s what you do with what you have. It’s not the quality of your collection that visitors assess when deciding to visit your museum. It’s the environment as a whole, interaction with the collection opportunities for engagement.

5/4/ Successful museums need to provide: Aesthetic and emotional delight Celebration and learning Recreation and sociability

5/4/ Maslow’s Hierarchy of Human Needs Socially motivated visitor makes 48% of visits to museums Intellectually motivated visitor 39% Emotionally motivated visitor 11% Spiritually motivated visitor 3% Besides learning consider opportunities for recreation, socializing, contemplation, and emotional engagement.

5/4/ Today’s patchwork families Programs for “the other parent” that helps them know their child’s needs in a non-threatening interactive manner Programs for grandparent care- givers, nannies & daycare groups Single parents Blended & same sex parent families

5/4/ Other groups Peer groups – teens doing assignments together, after school, after dinner, or weekends Brownie, scout, troops earning badges New immigrants who want to learn about their new home, have literacy challenges Unemployed – looking for skill development opportunities, networking Techno-savvy – want to plug in, download, chat, twitter, 24/7

5/4/ Offer a “third place” 1 st place is home, 2 nd place is work The 3 rd place is : Centrally located Walking distance of home or work Presence and conversation of “regulars” provide the entertainment Provide a healthy perspective on life Easy socializing with a set of casual friends Provide a break from their families Being spaces, comfort zones The French café or the English pub

5/4/ Fostering Community Identity Interpreting community traditions Hosting commemorative events Celebrating seasonal events to bring community together & strengthen ties Reinforcing a sense of belonging

5/4/ Look at what you know, have, do, tell Research is what we KNOW Collections are what we HAVE Interpretation is what we DO with and about it Marketing is who we TELL, how

5/4/ Your Visitors Who visits us? What do we KNOW about them? How do we know it? Disney’s strategy is to know your visitor’s expectations, then exceed them

5/4/ Audience Demographics Age Sex Group composition Education Income level Place of residence Ethnicity/Cultural background

5/4/ Audience Psychographics Motivations Values Likes/dislikes Opinions Interests Lifestyle Attitudes

5/4/ Most importantly Who does NOT visit?

5/4/ Your Community Who lives in my community? Works there? Visits? Does business there?

5/4/ Sources of Community Info Phone Book Business Directories Statistics Canada Community Profiles

5/4/ Identify a New Target Audience Who does NOT visit? Who do I want to visit us? How could I make a difference in their life?

5/4/ RESEARCH don’t guess, find out! Learn about your target audience What are their motivations, expectations, needs, nature? Meet them & ask Don’t make assumptions Reduce your risk in planning, time, money and resources by knowing your target audience

5/4/ Creative Program Ideas After-schoolersFather/son BirdersNaturalists Organic gardenersWorking parents Mother/daughterYoung readers Antique collectorsTeens

5/4/ Program Planning AUDIT OF YOUR RESOURCES Site/facility Location Collection People Community partners Government & agency partners Competition

5/4/ Work from your STRENGTHS What do you do well? What is truly unique about your museum/collection/people? What do others value?

5/4/ Define Success How will you know when you have succeeded? What will success look like? How to measure it? Report on it? Celebrate it?

5/4/ How are you marketed? Be aware of tourism themes, messages, marketing strategies, target markets How are you being portrayed? What are the current travel stats?

5/4/ Share your ideas Target Audience Program name Brief description Resources to be used Partners Time frame Your definition of success

5/4/ The purpose of today’s workshop is to: STOP  Take time to look at who comes  And who does NOT  Identify your hidden potential  Share program ideas  Create a workable plan of action

5/4/ My Goals That you gain a new understanding of how you want to SERVE YOUR COMMUNITY by ENGAGING it You are inspired to make smart choices, about what you do, for whom, how and why Explore options for audiences beyond the seasonal travelers and “the general public” Help you set priorities for programs so you make smart choices, NOT more work