Hi Jamie,
Oftentimes forgotten and oftentimes hard to find on the Museum's website, be sure visitors are well informed about your retail store(s) on site and if applicable your online store. They need to visit and take some stuff home and for holiday, birthday, etc. give giving.
Also, if you have one, the cafe and/or restaurant(s) at your Museum. All Museums want to maximize the length of visitor stay. For visitors to do this, they should be able to check out your dining options (even if only a coffee cart and snacks) on your website before their visit to the Museum. And wonderful signage, as/if needed at and inside the Museum to find the cafe/restaurant. If there is a cafe, restaurant and/or coffee cart location(s) visitors should stop, rest, refresh with food, beverage, etc. before seeing more of the Museum.
AND, most importantly to the Museum that the earned income that should come from the above to visitor amenities. If there is a cafe/restaurant outsourced, then the Museum helping them get optimized visitor participation is a combination of great food, beverage(s) and retail selections. If the cafe is Museum self-operated, which is sometimes the case but definitely a minority of Museums that have visitor dining that is self-operated is probably break-even financially, or maybe pays a small percentage of revenue to the Museum which if the Museum is lucky, will pay the cafes utilities, repairs and maintenance, etc.
Assuming you have Members, menus, products and services must change reasonability frequently to optimize participation from this important user group, AND, Museum staff and volunteers that are at the Museum almost every day.
LOTS & LOTS to think about, Jamie in this regard. If you want my help, happy to talk on the phone and/or do a Zoom or Teams meeting/visit with you and others at the Museum, no cost or charge, just to help in these two members.
Best wishes for the holidays and New Year.
Any questions, please LMK.
Thank you
Art
Original Message:
Sent: 12/17/2024 6:10:00 PM
From: Jamie Haack
Subject: Visitor Service and Experience Training/Workshop
I'm currently in the process of planning an all-staff retreat for our museum, and I'm looking for a speaker, consultant, or educational organization that specializes in visitor service/experience and radical hospitality. Specifically, I'm interested in exploring new ideas and best practices that could help us elevate our approach to engaging visitors and creating welcoming, inclusive, and transformative experiences.
If anyone has any recommendations for individuals, organizations, or resources that might be a good fit for leading a workshop or presentation in these areas, I'd love to hear your thoughts. I'm hoping to weave these themes into our retreat to inspire and energize our team.
Thank you in advance for any leads or connections you can share!
Best regards,
Jamie
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Jamie Haack
Director of DEI
John Michael Kohler Arts Center
Sheboygan WI
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