A question that sounds simple
Do digital exhibits bring more people to museums and raise income? It is a natural question for a board or funder to ask, and it is hard to answer well. Reports and press releases sometimes describe increases after a new installation, but a rise in visitors after a new feature does not show that the feature caused it.
It is fair to say that evidence is mixed and depends on context. Some institutions report positive effects; others find little change or cannot separate the effect from other things. This article describes why, and how to think about it.
Why cause and effect is difficult
Many things affect attendance at once:
- Season, weather and school terms. Visits typically rise and fall through the year. A new exhibit opening in a busy month will look good compared with a quiet one.
- Other changes at the museum. A new exhibit often comes with a new marketing push, a special event, a refreshed entrance or a different ticket price. Each can influence the numbers.
- External events. Local festivals, tourism trends, transport changes, economic conditions and, in recent years, public health restrictions all matter.
- Novelty. New attractions often draw curiosity visits that fade. A figure measured in the first few weeks may overstate the long-term effect.
- Who comes. Total numbers can hide changes in the mix of visitors. A digital exhibit might attract a few new people while others stay away, with little net change.
Because it is usually impossible to run the same museum twice, once with and once without the exhibit, researchers and managers rely on comparisons that are always imperfect.
What attendance figures can and cannot tell you
Raw door counts are useful but blunt. They do not distinguish a first visit from a repeat visit, nor a short stop from a long stay. Most museums also count only visits to the building, though some online engagement may be valuable in its own right.
Some museums have also found that people who engage online, for example through virtual tours or collection portals, are not simply potential visitors. Many use the online material as a substitute, or as something quite separate. Whether online engagement leads to physical visits probably varies by institution, audience and type of content, and firm general claims should be treated with caution.
Revenue
Income has several sources, and digital exhibits may touch them in different ways:
- Admissions. If attendance changes, ticket income may change, though only if visitors pay and if prices stay the same.
- Shop and cafe. Spending per visitor can shift if people stay longer or the visit feels more satisfying, but it can also fall if visitors spend their time at screens instead.
- Memberships and donations. Repeat visits and strong experiences may support membership and giving, but the link is indirect and slow to appear.
- Grants and sponsorship. Digital projects sometimes attract project funding, which is real income but may not continue. It can also create costs that last longer than the grant.
- Licensing and online sales. Some institutions license images or sell digital products. Returns vary enormously, and for many small organizations they are modest.
Costs belong in the comparison. A digital exhibit has ongoing expenses for maintenance, replacement and staff time, so a budget that only counts launch costs can mislead. Looking at income without costs gives an incomplete picture.
Measuring more sensibly
A museum that wants evidence can take practical steps without elaborate research:
- Set goals before opening. Decide in advance what would count as success, such as longer stays at a gallery, more repeat visits or more inquiries from schools. Goals you can evaluate are better than vague hopes of “more engagement”.
- Record a baseline. Know the figures from before the change, ideally for several comparable periods.
- Compare like with like. Use the same month in previous years, and note other changes that happened at the same time.
- Ask visitors. Short visitor surveys can ask why people came and what they did. Answers are imperfect but informative.
- Look beyond totals. Dwell time, repeat visits and feedback can show whether an exhibit works even if attendance is flat.
- Wait. Check again after the novelty has faded, in the same way that summative evaluation looks back after opening.
If you report results to funders, describe the uncertainty plainly. A statement like “attendance rose during the period, alongside several other changes” is more honest than claiming the exhibit caused the rise.
A balanced view
Digital exhibits may help some museums reach more people, keep them longer or make a visit more satisfying. They may also cost more than they bring in and still be worthwhile for educational, access or conservation reasons. Judging them only by attendance and revenue risks missing those purposes. The most useful approach is to decide what the exhibit is for, measure that, and treat financial claims with healthy skepticism.