Crew

How often do we see marketing departments spend time and resources on producing the perfect, co-ordinated, vibrant and accessible signs that can guide and inform visitors? These efforts are to be praised and commended yet whilst signs can point guests in the right direction it is staff that can really open access to your collection highlights. It is your people who can adapt your collections to appeal to the visitors’ imagination, it is people who can recreate the mystery of the ancient Sacred Spring with a whisper in the ear. It is people who can communicate the desperate plight of the Snow Leopard with a heartfelt celebration of their beauty and majesty. Indeed… who can help your visitors re-trace the first human footsteps on the moon… People!

It is only by empowering staff, from front desk to maintenance, from retail to gallery with ‘things to say and things to do’ that we will truly open access to collections. People trust people, and in our experience of working with attractions’ staff there is nothing as powerful as an ‘elder volunteer’ leading a young visitor and their family to an exhibit and ‘exploring’ it as they would with their own family and grandchildren. The key to creating an outstanding visitor experience is to harness your unique human resources and help them become your ‘human signs’: that enthusiasm in the octogenarian staff member, the experience and visitor empathy of the young father in your team, the passion and knowledge of the keeper whose “in it for the animals” and the guide who works here just because she “loves the history”. If we can help your staff develop the confidence and communication skills to approach, engage and interact with your visitors then not only will your visitors be in the right place but they will be inspired, engaged, and stimulated by the experience. Let your signs point the way and help your people open doors!

Inspiring Imagination at The Roman Baths

In the spring of this year we had the privilege of delivering a training programme for AMOT (The Army Museums Ogilby Trust) for a variety of army museums and their staff/volunteers. The training explored interactive tour guiding techniques and the importance of visitor engagement in opening access to collections and our regimental heritage. Whatever the dynamics of a visitor group (e.g. informed veterans, couples, family groups,etc) we can encourage our staff/volunteers to adapt to the specific needs of different visitor groups. This flexible interpretation will create the lasting memories and experiences which will in turn increase what CREW call the 3 ‘R’s’ (Repeat Business, Recommended business & Retail opportunities); the key to survival, in this modern museum climate.  Allowing staff to have a flexible adaptive approach develops a human interface that creates a lasting memory for the visitor. This can best be achieved by arming your staff with something to say and something to do (small scale visitor ‘interactives’).

The participants of the AMOT training courses rose to this challenge and learnt how to engage the visitors in a way that meant they could share their wealth of knowledge using small scale ‘visitor interactives’. They developed some very impressive gallery engagement ideas and volunteer opportunities to take back to their museums and bring their collections and ephemera to life.

We will be teaming up with AMOT again this year offering a range of development and training courses designed to give staff and volunteers the tools, techniques and confidence to approach and engage all visitors.

Looking forward to continuing to work with this inspiring community.

Adam Senior – Managing Director CREW

In the spring of this year we had the privilege of delivering a training programme for AMOT (The Army Museums Ogilby Trust) for a variety of army museums and their staff/volunteers. The training explored interactive tour guiding techniques and the importance of visitor engagement in opening access to collections and our regimental heritage. Whatever the dynamics of a visitor group (e.g. informed veterans, couples, family groups,etc) we can encourage our staff/volunteers to adapt to the specific needs of different visitor groups. This flexible interpretation will create the lasting memories and experiences which will in turn increase what CREW call the 3 ‘R’s’ (Repeat Business, Recommended business & Retail opportunities); the key to survival, in this modern museum climate.  Allowing staff to have a flexible adaptive approach develops a human interface that creates a lasting memory for the visitor. This can best be achieved by arming your staff with something to say and something to do (small scale visitor ‘interactives’).

The participants of the AMOT training courses rose to this challenge and learnt how to engage the visitors in a way that meant they could share their wealth of knowledge using small scale ‘visitor interactives’. They developed some very impressive gallery engagement ideas and volunteer opportunities to take back to their museums and bring their collections and ephemera to life.

We will be teaming up with AMOT again this year offering a range of development and training courses designed to give staff and volunteers the tools, techniques and confidence to approach and engage all visitors.

Looking forward to continuing to work with this inspiring community.

Adam Senior – Managing Director CREW

Whilst at the NRM (National Railway Museum) for the 2012 BIG (British Interactive Group) conference in July, I saw one of the finest examples of visitor engagement that I have seen for a long time.   The NRM Punch and Judy show is an enthralling rail journey to the traditional British seaside which demonstrates public engagement at its best.  The presenter team (one explainer and one explainer/puppeteer) worked seamlessly together to present a very simple storyline, combined with vocal and physical audience interactions throughout. Not only did the show act as a vehicle to embed the concepts of early rail travel and holidays for the younger audience, but the humor and excitement created by the emotional and vocal range of the puppeteer held the adults in a vice like grip.  It was very refreshing to see  a show delivered with such skill, confidence and conviction, ensuring that this particular public engagement programme seemed to hold a little magic for every section of the visitor demographic. Punch and Judy really knocked their socks off, well done Learning Team, well done NRM.

Adam Senior

Whilst at the NRM (National Railway Museum) for the 2012 BIG (British Interactive Group) conference in July, I saw one of the finest examples of visitor engagement that I have seen for a long time.   The NRM Punch and Judy show is an enthralling rail journey to the traditional British seaside which demonstrates public engagement at its best.  The presenter team (one explainer and one explainer/puppeteer) worked seamlessly together to present a very simple storyline, combined with vocal and physical audience interactions throughout. Not only did the show act as a vehicle to embed the concepts of early rail travel and holidays for the younger audience, but the humor and excitement created by the emotional and vocal range of the puppeteer held the adults in a vice like grip.  It was very refreshing to see  a show delivered with such skill, confidence and conviction, ensuring that this particular public engagement programme seemed to hold a little magic for every section of the visitor demographic. Punch and Judy really knocked their socks off, well done Learning Team, well done NRM.

Adam Senior