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After-hours events at the National Museum of Scotland: a product for attracting, engaging and retaining new museum audiences?

Easson, Hilary; Leask, Anna

Authors

Hilary Easson



Abstract

Cultural heritage is recognised as one of the major contributors to the economy and has traditionally been funded from the public sector. Museums have had to become more commercial as a result of declining core funding sources and changing visitor expectations. Operating in an increasingly competitive tourism operating environment, museums have moved away from their traditional role as collectors and conservators of artefacts of historical importance, to become more audience- focused visitor attractions. This obligation to meet the needs and wants of its visitors has resulted in an improved museum experience, where museums are increasingly offering specially curated after-hours event experiences to attract, engage and retain new audiences such as Generation Y.
This research uses National Museums Scotland as a case study to apply audience development and visitor attraction management theories to explore the effectiveness of after-hours events in attracting, engaging and retaining new museum audiences. Following a comprehensive narrative literature review, it employs qualitative semi-structured interviews and a quantitative on-line self-completion survey to collect the necessary data.
The research findings suggest that after-hours events have been successful in attracting and engaging new museum audiences and encouraging repeat visits, therefore achieving the event and museum objectives. It is also seen that products designed specifically for one new audience may have broader appeal in engaging with other new and established audiences. The research concludes with recommendations that could be adopted by museums and the broader visitor attraction sector to further encourage new and repeat visits.

Citation

Easson, H., & Leask, A. (2020). After-hours events at the National Museum of Scotland: a product for attracting, engaging and retaining new museum audiences?. Current Issues in Tourism, 23(11), 1343-1356. https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2019.1625875

Journal Article Type Article
Acceptance Date May 24, 2019
Online Publication Date Jun 5, 2019
Publication Date 2020
Deposit Date May 28, 2019
Publicly Available Date Mar 28, 2024
Journal Current Issues in Toursim
Print ISSN 1368-3500
Publisher Routledge
Peer Reviewed Peer Reviewed
Volume 23
Issue 11
Pages 1343-1356
DOI https://doi.org/10.1080/13683500.2019.1625875
Keywords After-hours events, National Museum of Scotland, Attracting, Engaging, Retaining, Audiences,
Public URL http://researchrepository.napier.ac.uk/Output/1833139

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