After moving from working front-of-house at Nottingham Castle Museum and Art Gallery to a more managerial role at an exhibition and visitor centre, I wanted to develop wider skills – Stephanie Weaver’s practical book looked perfect. I picked up my first copy in 2010 and a second in 2013. My habit of loaning it to peers and colleagues (sometimes thrusting it on them forcibly) meant my first copy went missing.
The book stresses the importance of the visitor experience in eight stages, starting from before they even reach your door to after they walk out, and provides practical ideas for any venue welcoming the public. Weaver uses plentiful examples of failure and success, and writes in an engaging way. The book has few expectations of the reader’s understanding, yet manages not to be patronising.
It is not a dry textbook and offers questions to mull over, workshop suggestions to try and plans for working out and applying the ideas to your venue.
Since I’ve been able to confidently discuss and apply concepts I have learned from the book – such as areas of transition (don’t put too much in the main entrance) or increased dwell time and secondary spend (if we do this for free and people stay longer, they’ll spend more in the shop/cafe) – I have been able to work more effectively with business-orientated colleagues and get managers to buy into new ideas. Yes, a museum bod can impact things beyond what’s in the cabinets.
Lise Ward is the archive/museum curator at Games Workshop’s Warhammer World in Nottingham
