I have been traveling quite a lot these days. And as they say, traveling expands the horizon. Some of my readers know how much my husband and I love hiking. And having the Weinviertel in Lower Austria as one of my clients I love to explore that wine lovers' paradise just outside of Vienna as often as I can.
Last weekend we took the train to the eastern region of the Weinviertel just beside the border to Slovakia. We chose an easy trail - supposedly 15 km or 9,5 miles - at least according to the hiking menu of the tourism portal by the Niederoesterreich Werbung. The trail was effort-free, we did not get lost, the weather was wonderful and so we decided to visit the small Museum of local archaeology in the tiny town of Stillfried.
Their history - from the stone age to today - is pretty impressive. But normally this museum would not be something to write home about. There are no modern installations. There are no interactive whatsoevers. There is dust and I saw one or two dead flies in the display cabinets. You get the picture, this is not the Smithsonian.
Nevertheless, passion, creativity and dedication make this museum special. The gentleman in charge insisted we watch the video about their archeaological findings even though closing time was drawing close. Afterwards, he showed us around pointing out the most important finds shown in the video.
That is when I spotted one of those inexpensive digital picture frames in one display cabinet. It showed the making of an ancient wine concoction mixed with honey and special spices like laurel and cinnamon. Apparently two grape seeds dating from 3000 BC had been found in Stillfried. That is why they sold two special wines mixtures in the shop. One brewed after an ancient Romans recipe and one made after a medieval recipe. The small bottles were offered at 7,50 Euro each (about 11 US$). After tasting a sample we bought both bottles. Making this one of the highest expenditures I have ever made in a museum shop. Even though I was only an accidental visitor. Had we had more time, I swear I would have bought some of their jewellry too.
So, what am I getting at with this story? I believe that the passionate voice of a human being is the starting point for relationships and the most important driver of enthusiasm. It is not modern design, not technology, nor virtual animations. And just like using inexpensive tools of technology - like the digital picture frame and videos - you can make use of the inexpensive, often even free, tools of the Web 2.0. Like links to video and picture platforms or reviews.
I am currently in Hallstatt, a breathtaking beautiful seaside and world heritage village in the Salzkammergut, one of Austria's most gorgeous regions. Yesterday, we were in the Kammerhofmuseum in Gmunden. The newly reopened musuem of that afluent city is splendid, dust-free, with white-washed walls, lighted displays, wonderful exhibits, and music arrangement starting automatically as you walk by the cabinets. To name but a few. Well, it smelled of money, big money, making it a state of the art museum.
Nevertheless, when I asked the lady at the entrance what was there to see, she could not answer correctly. After a surprised pause she started enummerating the current exhibits in a flat voice. Without enthusiasm, without any passion, with no real interest in her job, which was obviously just that, a job. The exhibits of that museum are great. And I love their collection of toilets (Gmunden has a long tradition of ceramics and pottery .)
In comparison, the museum in Stillfried has little to no funding, no advertising budget and their website was made by a secondary school. They employed old-fashioned or cheap means of technology to enhance their message, like the digital picture display, a video shown by TV and projected by a beamer onto the wall. But the place has a soul and the gentleman who showed us around was its voice. Its human voice. Like companies, museums do not have voices, its people do.
I would have loved to buy something in the fancy museum of Gmunden. After all I am a passionate lover of pottery. But they only offered boring chocolates, the ole tourist trap stuff and books. Almost nothing referring to their great collection. What a pitty! And their website claims the museum is currently closed! (It was closed due to major renovations going on, but it is not anymore.)
In Stillfried they had developed an elaborate story around those ancient grape seeds. A story they tell with a genuine interest. As a result they carry a truly unique and authentic (!) shop item, something to write home (and blog) about.
The lesson learned for museums, hoteliers and tourist offices are:
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Your creativity and passion are the keys to engagement with your customers, not money or technology.
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Reach out to your customers with your authentic voice. Do not hide between desks and displays.
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If you lack in ressources, use old-fashioned or cheap tools to enhance your story. That will still do the trick.
- Apply that to the tools the Web 2.0 offers for free.
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Everybody counts. Your employees should know the in and outs of your company, organisation or museum by heart and burn for its story. Even if it is only on their duty time.
What is your take on this? I would love to know.
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