CMA uses paper tags on strings that visitors can tie to a belt loop, button hole, wrist, or stroller. They vary in color so that we know that this person paid for entry TODAY and not yesterday.
I do quite like the idea of distinguishing member visitors from day pay visitors. I loved the Corcoran's aluminum badges for admission, it might be neat to see a similar badge done in, say, Gold for your super members, silver for the mid-level members, and, say, hot pink or a fun color for family members.
Because everyone I know is currently taking their kids to Disney, I'm pretty fascinated by the
Disney Magic bands as a mechanism for wrap around visitor services. If a museum had piles of money, I could see a future where you had your MuseumMagic bands that would pay for your entry (or register your membership), and be swiped for things like locker rental, cafe purchases, gift shop purchases, checking children in and out of classes and camps, admission to special exhibits, etc. They could be a thing with a life of, say, 2 or 3 years that you can either use or not use, but they stay with the patron, rather than getting a new one each time. I have friends who went on their honeymoon to Disney (and did a half marathon and marathon on back to back days-nuts!), and their feeling was that these things are part of a "persona" almost...like a livestrong band or FitBit band, and they keep them as mementos as well as functional items.
Cheers,
Tracey
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Tracey Berg-Fulton
Collections Database Associate
Carnegie Museum of Art
Pittsburgh PA
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