Visitor Orientation

Another manager elaborates on that example by stating that even though the museum has not yet used this system to support decision-making, based on the data it provides, they intent to do so -

“we want to and we are discussing it in terms of, for example, heat maps in galleries” (Int. 1).

These examples illustrate that not everyone is on the same page regarding the data-mindset in the museum. This is in line with Moore’s (2015) argumentation that the different stages of the Data Maturity Spectrum, which was mentioned earlier, do not have to be mutually exclusive. Thus, some managers might already display a mindset that is closer to the third and final stage of the spectrum, where insights from Big Data analysis are used to support managerial decision-making, whereas others are still in the first or second stage of data-driven decision-making. However, by pioneering a data-mindset and establishing relevant initiatives, these managers might support the distribution of such a mindset within the organization. The new interest in the tracking system could indicate that the increased focus on the visitor experience might function as a catalyzer for a broader distribution of the data-mindset within the museum. Therefore, the following dimension focuses on how the organization appears to be affected by this more visitor-central approach.

“There is definitely a strategic change and it has been very, very clear given out to the whole organization. I would say no one in the museum must have doubts on what the strategy is and it is “visitors first!” That is the strategy. We have – as I said – we have reorganized towards that goal” (Int. 2)

By stating that the museum has ‘reorganized towards that goal’ the manager refers to the newly created development department that is primarily focused on improving and innovating the visitor experience in the Prinsens Palæ building. This, on the one hand, includes the physical visitor experience which, according to one manager, is in desperate need of a renewal:

“in terms of the visitor experience, there are a lot of different visions and possibilities of using digital media to heighten the quality of the visitor experience at the museum. And in the museum here [referring to the Prinsens Palæ] if you would put on glasses so that you can only see digital exhibition elements that would be a time machine into the late 90s. [laughter]”

(Int. 1)

On the other hand, the Development department is also responsible for gathering more detailed insights on the visitors in order to align the visitor experience with visitor’s interest and preferences.

As one of the managers who is part of this department explains:

“So my key task is to follow our progress, how we are doing in terms of creating visitors experiences, ratings, internal things like the satisfaction levels, different types of experiences for children, for adults… and also of course all external data such as brand awareness, how many people know about the museum, visiting intentions - how many people are planning or preparing or wanting to visit us and why not - some people are not coming here. It is also a lot of information about our current day-to-day, month-to-month economical performance on our visitor experiences, I mean how many ticket sales, turnover and stuff like that.” (Int. 3)

The analysis application that was described earlier is an important tool for gathering these insights that are expected to inform decision-making and ultimately lead to improvements and innovations in regards to visitor experience. The results provided by this analysis application are complemented by annual visitor surveys, one form the Danish Agency for Culture and Palaces and one conducted by the museum itself. The fact that the museum is gathering these data might also indicate that they

are developing“ a methodology way [of] - messing or aggregating more, and more, and more [data]

and furthering the crispiness of our images of our customers” (Int. 1). According to the same manager such a methodological approach to the visitor experience is still missing. Another manager supports the idea to further develop the analysis of visitor data in order to provide more valuable insights on specific target groups. He/she illustrates this with an example on Danish visitors who used to come to the museum on a recurring basis but stopped to do so when the museum started to charge entrance fees. The manager imagines that in the future, the museum would be able to provide solutions for these issues based on the insights provided by data analytics:

“So, the thing is, could we create a little bit of value for them, meaning that it would make sense for them to come more often and use that data to create more personalized experiences and more valuable experiences? It would be solving two problems in one. We had a coverage of the Danish marked and higher turnover - that would be great!” (Int. 3)

In this statement the manager already introduces the potential of ‘personalized experiences’.

Another interviewee picks this example up and elaborates on the potential of creating personalized tours to guide visitors through the exhibitions space in the museum based on their personal interests.

The visitor orientation is not only expressed in an increased focus on gathering and analyzing visitor related data, it is also apparent in the way exhibitions are planned. According to one manager the strategic emphasis on enhancing the visitor experience also affects roles like interpreters, researchers and architects, who are responsible for releasing exhibitions. As he/she illustrates the shift towards prioritizing the visitor experience has an impact on the team composition for the planning and set up of exhibitions. The interpreter who is in charge of assessing the exhibition from

“an audience point of view” by asking “How can we make this interesting and how can we make them look at this? There is no purpose if they just don’t see it” (Int. 4) is given more power.

Furthermore, the visitor orientation is not restricted to the physical visitor experience it also includes the digital visitor experience. As illustrated earlier, the museum has started to offer access online to some of their digitized collections. In this regard, some managers explain that the public digital collection should not simply be understood as an expression of what is technologically possible. They should also provide a contribution to the visitor experience. As one manager explains:

“I mean it's nice, it's interesting, but if it has no relevance to the public, ‘why do it?’ we would say”

(Int. 3). Another manager expects that there is some undiscovered potential in using the digital

collections to enhance the engagement with visitor. When referring to the second era, after firstly digitizing all the analog information on the collections, he/she states:

“And now the second era we should start doing regular projects actually, because we’ve got the prerequisites for it, we’ve got a massive agenda on visitors. So if we are able to kind of connect those two things, I think that would be pretty cool and that’s one of the things that we work on very much right now” (Int. 1)

All these examples illustrate that the visitor orientation is shared across different departments and roles and that it is the central cause around which many activities are structured. By providing an enhanced visitor experience the museum cannot only fulfill its mandate to disseminate the knowledge preserved and created by the organization to the public in an improved way, it can also, as illustrated in some of the examples given above, potentially generate public value by drawing more customers in and engaging them in new ways.