The Museum As An Economic Development Tool
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Museums, Work
Our museum strives to document, preserve and celebrate the history and contributions of Arab Americans. The museum’s location within the heart of southeast Michigan’s Arab American community affords certain advantages. Patrons can visit our exhibits or participate in a program and then leave the museum and experience firsthand certain aspects of the culture.
However, our museum is still trying to establish itself as an economic engine within our local economy. The museum brings many new visitors to the area for the first time, thus it’s become an entry point for many into the Arab American community. Yet we haven’t developed a business plan to address how we can monetize information and experiences through new services. We need to transform our way of thinking. Once we begin perceiving our institution as a major player within the local economy, new opportunities will emerge to strengthen our relationships with local businesses and other establishments.
Currently, we are looking at several ways to venture down this path. First, we are looking at building a digital directory of local businesses. This would be a great tool for visitors and it would help local businesses as well. If we had a dollar for every visitor who asked where to grab a bite to eat after a visit, we’d have a financial surplus! Speaking to this, we are conceptualizing ways to provide relevant information to our patrons utilizing various APIs and mashups on our museum website. Image a resource directory built on the Google and Yelp APIs that provide guest with information on local restaurants, complete with reviews. Perhaps business would pay to buy a listing within such a directory. In this way, the museum would serve as a cultural facilitator between patrons and businesses.
Second, we are exploring the idea of providing cultural immersion tours for our patrons. One might take an abbreviated tour of the museum and then get led into the community to experience in greater depth the information presented in the exhibits. Imagine learning about Arabic food and then smelling and tasting the cuisine at various local establishments (a bakery, restaurant or market). Additionally, one might get led into a neighborhood, religious institution or another part of the business district.
Third, we are looking into news ways of marketing our institution in cooperation with other local businesses. At this time we are looking at a joint opportunity with a local business utilizing Groupon. One might get a discounted museum admission with a deal at a local eatery. Perhaps another way to meet this same goal is through offering reciprocating discounts with local establishments. Or, we could partner with local businesses to provide experiential classes at the museum (a local baker leads a food class or demonstration).
Yes, some of these programming and business ideas are quite simple, while others are more advanced. The bigger point is that we are in a unique position to reestablish the role of a museum within a community. To succeed, we need to envision our museum not only as a cultural institution, but as an important economic engine within our local economy.
Interview on Radio Tahrir Regarding Our #Kickstarter Project
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Museums, Technology, Work
Earlier this evening I was interviewed by Radio Tahrir, a one-hour long talk radio program hosted on Pacifica Radio, WBAI 99.5 FM in New York City. Radio Tahrir is a weekly radio magazine that focuses on documenting and presenting issues and topics that affect Arab and Muslim communities in the US. As part of tonight’s show, I was asked to explain the Museum’s current Kickstarter fundraiser campaign. Here is the interview:
Radio Tahrir Interview, 24 August 2010
This project has garnered a fair deal of attention from the media, as articles and interviews have been featured in both local and national journalism outlets. We are now on the final leg of the project. There are 17 remaining days in the campaign. Overall, we are pleased with the way the project is progressing. I will reflect on Kickstarter in greater detail at the end of the campaign.
Foursquare For Businesses
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Museums, Technology, Work
Last November I reported on the advantages of managing your business using the Google Local Business Center (now Google Places). It’s an excellent tool for updating and managing business location information, including hours of operation, pictures, videos, and coupons. Additionally, there are numerous beneficial tools to learn about your customers.
Foursquare is now offering businesses an excellent new service as well. The service, a business dashboard, is exciting in that it allows business managers the opportunity to re-imagine the concept of a customer loyalty program. Rolled out earlier this year, the new business dashboard lends itself well to rewarding loyal customers with discounts and prizes. Further, it provides business managers with excellent real-time information on customers.
Getting your business setup on Foursquare is really quite simple. When visiting a venue on the popular location-based social networking site, a button asking “Do you manage this venue? Click here” appears above the check-in statistics. If you’re an owner or employee of the business, you can click this link and begin the (relatively simple) process of claiming the business on Foursquare. After completing the verification process – which takes a total of about five minutes – business managers can begin creating rewards programs for visitors who check-in at the location.
Currently, there are four types of rewards that a business can offer:
- Mayor Specials: unlocked only by the Mayor of your venue. Who’s the Mayor? It’s your single most loyal customer! (the user who has checked in the most in the last 60 days)
(“Foursquare has deemed you the Mayor? Enjoy a free order of french fries!“) - Check-in Specials: unlocked when a user checks in to your venue a certain number of times.
(“Foursquare says you’ve been here 10 times? That’s a free drink for you!“) - Frequency-based Specials: are unlocked every X check-ins.
(“Foursquare users get 20% off any entree every 5th check-in!“) - Wildcard Specials: always unlocked, but your staff has to verify some extra conditions before awarding the Special.
(“Show us your foursquare Swarm badge and get a free drink!“)
In addition, the business dashboard provides excellent real-time statistics. This includes information on most recent visitors, most frequent visitors, the time of day people check in, total number of unique visitors, histogram of check-ins per day, gender breakdown of customers, and portion of foursquare check-ins broadcast to Twitter and Facebook. That’s not a bad set of analytics.
The business challenge for this new program is to find interesting and exciting ways to energize customers. Further, it could prove to be a useful tool for developing and managing promotional campaigns. I’m curious to watch and see how businesses, particularly museums, embrace the dashboard. Further, I’m interested to know if businesses will work together to promote other businesses or offer reciprocating benefits for customers in a particular location. For example, a museum could partner with a local restaurant to offer discounts on meals or other rewards.
We started a business profile for our institution earlier today. Our first reward is for visitors who check-in three times. Further, we are exploring the idea of creating a small quiz or scavenger hunt in the “tips” section. If guests can complete the task correctly, we will offer additional rewards as incentives. There is much potential for Foursquare’s inherent game mechanics.
Online Fundraising With Kickstarter
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Museums, Technology, Work
A few months ago I learned of Kickstarter, a new and emerging website designed to “fund creative ideas and ambitious endeavors.” Sounds interesting, no? It is!
Kickstarter provides an intuitive platform for launching a fundraising campaign. As a campaign manager, you establish the parameters for your Web-based project. This includes the duration on the campaign and the amount of money you seek to raise. Once the campaign begins, you need to raise all of the funds by the deadline or the project doesn’t get funded. Yes, it’s an all or nothing funding scheme. It’s that simple.
Now, for those familiar with fundraising, this might not seem like the most desirable approach. It takes a lot of time and energy to run a successful campaign. So, why would you want to proceed in this fashion when you run the risk of losing those hard earned dollars? And why not host the campaign on your own website?
The Advantages
Kickstarter offers several major advantages. The first is that the format creates a sense of urgency for both the campaign manager and the backers. There is X amount of time to raise Y number of dollars. Both parties want to meet the goal because both are passionate about the cause. Campaign managers need to provide updates on the project while mobilizing supporters and reaching out across the web to potential donors. Backers want to see the project succeed and they help to build momentum and spread the word about the project.
The second advantage is the rewards-based format. Kickstarter promotes the idea of offering “something of value” to all backers, big and small. In fact, the majority of donations on Kickstarter are $50 or less. According to Kickstarter, “Projects without a reward less than $20 succeed 35% of the time, while projects with a reward less than $20 succeed 54% of the time.” In short, give ALL donors something of value and make the gifts fit the donation level.
The third advantage is the Updates page. Here, campaign managers can keep the audience up-to-date on the project’s developments. Are there news articles on your project? How about some new pictures or video? Keep backers and potential donors hooked. It’s really hard to do this with appeal letters and other forms of traditional fundraising.
The fourth major advantage is the back-end for managing the campaign. Campaign managers have access to several beneficial tools and simple services listed on a “Manage Your Project” toolbar. The first is an Activity page. Here, information including donations and updates to the campaign are displayed in chronological order. Next is the Backer Report. This contains the names of the backers at each level with the corresponding reward. Additionally, there is a button that allows managers to export the data as an Excel-compatible spreadsheet. Next is a Messages page that allows managers to directly communicate with individual backers. Following that is a button to Edit your campaign. And, last but not least, is a button to post a new update to the Updates page.
The Campaign Page
Let’s take a quick look at the anatomy of a Kickstarter campaign profile. On the Project Home page, information is arranged in two columns. On the left, campaign managers can display a photo or video of the project. Below this is the location for the “About the Project” narrative. There are three additional tabs located above the project’s photo/video: Updates, Backers, and Comments.
The right column includes real-time information on the status of the project and a pledge button. Below this is the hierarchy of rewards and the number of backers at each level.
The “Updates” page is essentially a blog. This is a place to provide emerging details on the project. The updates keep backers connected with news and information while also providing prospective donors with additional details on the project.
The Backers and Comments page are quite basic. The Backers page lists the profiles of those who have supported the project in order of their pledge (i.e. first person listed is the first donor). However, the amount pledged by each donor is not visible to the public. This information is only made available to the campaign manager.
The Comments page is simply a place for people to leave feedback on the project. From what I have gathered so far, it is not possible for campaign managers to moderate comments. I think this is somewhat troubling, especially if you are running a perceived “controversial” campaign.
The Fine Print
If you’ve read this far and you think you might me interested in utilizing Kickstarter, then I think you should begin with the FAQ page. Keep in mind that Kickstarter is still in beta format, so you will need to submit a project idea through the Kickstarter website for approval (we heard back with a response in less than a week).
While there is no maximum amount a project can raise, donations can only be made in the range of $1 to $10,000. To begin a project, you will need to setup an Amazon Payments account. This will require a credit card and a bank account for depositing funds. Furthermore, if the project is funded, Kickstarter will charge the project a 5% fee. Additionally, Amazon will charge credit card processing fees (note: there is no Amazon fee for backers!). As for duration, projects can last from 1 to 90 days. However, we were advised that campaigns lasting 45 days or less have a higher rate of success.
More To Come
We launched our 45-day campaign to raise $10,000 on Tuesday, July 27. We are now 10 days into the campaign and we’ve managed to raise 31% of the funds. I’ll follow up in a few weeks at the conclusion of the fundraiser with more information on the actual project. I also look forward to posting additional thoughts on Kickstarter as a campaign platform. Until then, take a peek at these additional resources:
- Nina Simon’s article on why museums should consider Kickstarter on her Museum 2.0 blog.
- @Kickstarter on Twitter
- Google News
Tags: Fundraising, Museums, Technology, Work
Guest Blogger On Metromode (Part 2)
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Museums, Work
The second post in my two-part series as a guest blogger for Metromode was published this morning. The article is titled Striving to be a National Institution.
What does it mean to be a national museum? Whose stories do we reflect? What do we aspire to be? These are all common questions that I receive when people first learn about the Arab American National Museum (AANM). Understandably, the word “national” in the title can be a bit ambiguous. However, when understood in the context of the Museum’s history and its operations, things become much clearer. Read more…
Guest Blogger On Metromode
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Museums, Work
I was recently asked to be a guest blogger on Metromode.com, a Website that “posts daily reports on job growth and development in Southeast Michigan.” I’m a fan of both Metromode and its sister publication, Model D, so agreeing to write a few short articles on the Arab American National Museum was a no-brainer. In my blog posts I will discuss the Museum’s history and its place in the community; its multicultural programming; and its goal of becoming a vibrant, nationally respected institution. The first post, Arab American National Museum is 1 in 17,000, was published today.
Founded on May 5, 2005, the Arab American National Museum (AANM) will soon celebrate its fifth anniversary. People are often curious about the Museum’s origins and its location. Although the Museum is still very much a startup, its roots extend back to the late 1980s. In fact, the AANM is a part of the Dearborn-based Arab Community Center for Economic and Social Services (ACCESS). In 1987 the agency developed a cultural arts department to educate the public on Arab American culture and to provide affordable and accessible arts programming. Today, the AANM is an extension of this program and it remains a vibrant department within ACCESS. Although it is very uncommon for a museum to be part of a social service agency, ACCESS considers the arts to be just one part of a multi-component approach to providing comprehensive services for living an enriched and fulfilling life. Read more…
Socially Awkward: Learning to Navigate Web and Social Technologies (#CASM Presentation)
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Museums, Work
The past few days have been incredibly hectic. I returned early this morning from three days of work in Washington, D.C. A colleague and I met with museums, government agencies, and members from the Arab American community to discuss new educational opportunities and a forthcoming exhibit we are developing. I departed Washington, D.C. at 3:30 a.m. to drive to Baltimore for a flight home to Detroit. My brain and body are recovering from this whirlwind trip.
Upon arriving back in Michigan, I participated in a panel presentation at the Cultural Alliance of Southeastern Michigan (CASM) 2010 Annual Meeting. The presentation, entitled Socially Awkward: Learning to Navigate Web and Social Technologies, focused on the Arab American National Museum’s approach to using social technologies and raising unrestricted funds online. We were pressed for time, so there was no opportunity for questions and answers at the end. If you’ve arrived here as a result of the presentation, please do leave a comment or question, or feel free to drop me a message vial email. Thanks for stopping by!
How To Build A Simple Interpretative Panel For An Exhibit Pt.2
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Museums, Work
This is the second and final part of a series on how to build a simple interpretative panel for an exhibit. If you missed part one, then point your browser to How To Build A Simple Interpretative Panel For An Exhibit Pt.1.
Now that the final exhibit graphic has been proofed and the substrate cut and finished, it’s time to move on to the last few stages of production.
Assemble The Panel
It’s time to assemble the exhibit panel. The first step is to mount the graphic to the front of the substrate. There are several different adhesives and transfer papers on the market for applying the graphic. We’ve had much success using Perma Trans inkjet transfer paper to mount graphics. The material adheres well and the end result is a smooth and clean presentation.
While one could stop after completing this task, I highly recommend adding a second surface to the panel. This helps to protect the graphic and it adds longevity to the panel (keeps those sticky fingers from damaging the graphic). Additionally, it helps to reduce glare from gallery lighting. In general, we use a 1/8 inch piece of acrylic cut to the same dimensions as the graphic and substrate. As mentioned, our preference is to use non-glare acrylic.
Admittedly, these few steps may seem daunting to a novice. Therefore, I recommend checking with a local printshop to see if this service is available. It’s relatively inexpensive and the turnaround time is usually quick. Go with what feels comfortable. While screwing up a panel is not the end of the world, it will set you back on time and money.
The final, assembled exhibit panel.
Add The Mounting Hardware
OK, the interpretative panel is now finished and ready to be mounted to the wall. Congratulations! It’s time to add the mounting hardware. Similar to the other steps in this process, there are numerous ways of approaching this task. Our preference is to use aluminum “z” clips for mounting panels. These clips are both strong and durable, as well as easy to assemble and install.There are numerous vendors for “z” clips on the Internet. If you have the tools, I recommend purchasing larger lengths and cutting them to meet the size of each individual panel. Otherwise, one can usually have them cut by the vendor.
Once you’ve got your clips cut to size, mount one of the interlocking clips to the wall at the spot where you want to hang the panel. Now, mount the second interlocking part on the back on the exhibit panel. However, before mounting the panel to the wall I recommend adding a small strip of Sintra or foam board to the lower portion of the panel. This will help stabilize the panel and keep it flush with the wall.
Pat Yourself On The Back!
Congratulations, you’re done! Take a moment to admire your hard work. As you can see from the picture below, these simple panels make a very professional gallery when hung together and placed with artifacts.
The Gallery.
How To Roast Coffee With An Air Popcorn Popper
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Maker, Museums, Work
As mentioned in a previous post, (How To Make Turkish (or Arabic) Coffee), the Arab American National Museum is currently hosting an exhibition entitled From Mocha to Latte: Coffee, the Arab World and the $4 Cup. This exhibit explores coffee’s Arab cultural roots, the global institution we know as the coffeehouse and the consumption and production of the beverage in today’s marketplace. In addition to the exhibition, we are planning a series of fun and engaging public programs. Speaking to this, we’re having some fun creating online tutorials on coffee roasting and coffee brewing. Further, these tutorials are meant to encourage our audience to participate in maker culture.
Our first tutorial focuses on roasting coffee beans with an air popcorn popper. The following short video will walk you through the steps and set you on your way to a better tasting cup of Joe. Stay tuned for a forthcoming tutorial on brewing coffee with a siphon!
- Devon Akmon
How To Build A Simple Interpretative Panel For An Exhibit Pt.1
Posted by Devon Akmon | Filed under Maker, Museums, Work
Outsourcing the design and fabrication of exhibits is not a new trend in the museum industry; this has been happening for quite some time. However, the current economic downturn is altering how we approach the design and fabrication of exhibition materials. A recent article in the publication Exhibit City succinctly explains the current trends in exhibit building:
Today, exhibit houses are under pressure to alter their business strategies. These pressures are spawned by the current economic downturn and competitive influences. Clients are demanding more from their exhibit houses but wanting to pay less. Custom builds and refurbishing services are down while rental exhibits are increasingly popular. Storage, drayage and shipping costs continue to escalate, and general service contractors (GSCs) bundle services to make it more difficult to compete.
The prevailing economic winds show no sign of letting up anytime soon, at least not in Michigan. As indicated above, this means more museums are trying to get by with less and, in turn, exhibit builders are floundering. Of the two large firms based in SE Michigan, one has gone out of business and one has greatly reduced its scope of services.
A couple of years ago, when the economy started going south, we decided to look at our exhibit building options. Clearly, for medium to large scale exhibits we knew that we would need to hire a firm. However, we also realized that small exhibits and “permanent exhibit” modifications could be handled in-house. For example, our web designer has been handling more print design. Our IT staff have been identifying new ways of building/modifying interactives (an Arduino, an mp3 player and some LEDs can go a long way and save some serious cash!). And our curatorial department has been creating more with so much less.
Speaking to this, I will walk you through the steps of creating a very simple exhibit panel. This is very basic, not hard to produce and the final project will look clean and professional. There are numerous modifications one can make, so play with it to meet you needs. Normally, the panel I show below would cost a couple of hundred dollars to have made. However, this one cost us under one hundred dollars to produce.
Step One: Create the Graphic
The first step is to draft the text for your panel. After you’ve proofread the material and are comfortable with the language and length, drop the text and any supporting graphics into a graphics application such as Adobe Illustrator. I won’t spend too much time discussing accessibility standards, but I will mention a few general guidelines one should follow:
- Avoid the use of colloquial and complex English, jargon, and technical language
- Use the active voice
- Use a sans-serif or simple serif typeface
- High contrast for type and background
For more information on sign and label standards, visit the Smithsonian Guidelines For Accessible Exhibition Design website or check out the Standards Manual for Signs and Labels from the American Association of Museums.
The text and graphics should now be laid out and the graphic panel set to its final dimensions. I generally use Adobe Illustrator to create my template. Before saving the final version, I “select all” and then “create outlines” of all the text. This helps to ensure the correct font type when printing the graphic.
Create the graphic.
Create a Proof
One could create a proof in-house if a quality printer is available. However, we generally send our templates to a high-quality printshop. We prefer to have the graphic created on a Lambda or LightJet machine. I would recommend using the Pantone Matching System to ensure the print colors meet your specification. Once your proof is ready, I highly recommend taping it to the wall at the panel’s final location. This helps to see what the panel will look like under the current lighting arrangement and, if there are similar panels nearby, it helps to ensure that the print blends in with those in the surrounding area. If the results satisfy your needs, it’s time to move on to building the substrate.
The proof of the graphic.
Prepare the Substrate
There are numerous substrates one can choose to use. However, we generally choose medium-density fiberboard (MDF). It’s cheap, durable, readily accessible and easy to work with. Mark out your dimensions on the substrate, measure again and make the cut. Be sure to cut your panel exactly to size. If a power saw is utilized then be sure to compensate for the kerf.
Once the panel is cut to size, use 600-1000 grit sandpaper to clean up the edges and surfaces of the substrate. Then, dress up the edges with several coats of paint that complement or match your graphic. I recommend at least four or five coats of paint. Don’t worry too much about the surface of the substrate; the graphic will cover one side and the other will face the wall. Once the paint dries and meets your satisfaction then you’re now ready to move on to the next step: putting the panel together.
The substrate.
Tune back in a couple of days for the second part of How To Build A Simple Interpretative Panel For An Exhibit. We’ll discuss the final steps in putting together a simple exhibit panel.
- Devon Akmon
