Helping New Zealand’s museums get people through their doors

Wednesday 10 October 2012

MEDIA RELEASE

Helping New Zealand’s museums get people through their doors

Visitors are the key to the life of a museum, and museums and galleries work hard to get tourists and locals through their front doors – often with limited resources.

The inaugural Museum and Gallery Marketing Forum has been organised by the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa’s National Services Te Paerangi, with support from the Museum of Wellington City & Sea.

Focused on helping New Zealand’s museums increase their visitor numbers, the two-day forum is taking place on Thursday 18 and Friday 19 October 2012 at the Ministry for Culture and Heritage, Wellington.

The forum will bring together staff from museums and galleries across New Zealand to discuss marketing strategies for non-profit organisations and share their successes. In a series of ‘community cafe’ sessions, participants will cover topics including social media, print marketing and signage, managing media relationships, and marketing to diverse communities.

Kim Young, Marketing Manager at Museums Wellington, is enthusiastic about sharing ideas with other museum and gallery professionals. ‘Many successful ideas come from other arts marketers. Sometimes with fresh insight you can see a solution to something you have been struggling with for years.’

Key speakers will be Dr Kate Daellenbach, Lecturer in Marketing at the School of Marketing and International Business, Victoria University of Wellington, and Meg Williams, Marketing and Development Manager, New Zealand International Arts Festival.

Victoria Esson, Acting General Manager of National Services Te Paerangi, says ‘New Zealand’s regional museums and galleries do a fantastic job sharing the stories of their communities, but the first challenge is getting people through the front door. This forum is a chance for those working in the sector to learn some tools and techniques that can really pay off with increased visitor numbers – which means more people engaging with New Zealand’s rich heritage.’

For further information, please contact Tamara Patten, National Services Te Paerangi, on (04) 381 7114 or email tamarap@tepapa.govt.nz

Background
National Services Te Paerangi works in partnership with museums, galleries, and iwi (tribes) in New Zealand, offering a range of practical and strategic programmes aimed at strengthening the sector. For more information about National Services Te Paerangi, visit nationalservices.tepapa.govt.nz

ENDS

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