Digital transformation in museums to face the postCovid-19 stage

NEWS


4 May, 2020

Digital transformation in museums to face the postCovid-19 stage

Together with the cultural institutions with which we work, we have been reinventing the way of enjoying museums and cities for more than seven years, adapting to the new demands of the 21st century visitor and looking for new ways to put technology at the service of our heritage. Undoubtedly, the new stage we are facing generates uncertainty (reduction in the number of visitors, strict rules of distance and hygiene, closing of borders, etc.), but it also creates opportunities to address the digitalization of the visiting experience and make it sustainable. The work done to date puts us in a good starting point.

We started this new path during the first weeks of confinement, opening museum collections to the online world, promoting new virtual trips and finding ways to stay connected to culture with initiatives such as “getting to know Galicia without leaving home”. Now that the de-escalation phase has begun in many countries of Europe, it’s time to take action and think about how to regain contact with the visitor in a safe, reliable and innovative way. We must be prepared for a long period of coexistence with the virus, which will have periods of normality and other periods of containment. It is time to activate ingenuity, to reinvent yourself, to surprise, to interact and to build trust.

Among the measures related to the accompaniment services for the visit, we consider the following as priorities:

  • Prioritize the use of personal devices and the download of mobile APPs during the phases in which it is deemed necessary by the health authorities.
  • Advise and develop systems for the integration of the rental or download of audio guides in the ticketing system, which will be almost 100% online, to avoid queues and to facilitate the control of capacity by time slots.
  • Once the delivery of loan devices is allowed, incorporate risk prevention control protocols for staff and the public, following the guidelines of each center:. These measures will be, mainly: temperature measurement, hand washing with gel, provision of a mask and gloves at access points and delivery points, and active sanitation of devices in storage areas using certified mass disinfection technologies.
  • Recommending to users the use of their own or disposable headphones and provide them with materials that avoid direct contact of any device with their face or hands, either using their own devices or rental devices when possible.
  • Helping museums to implement distance monitoring and capacity control technologies.

 

Since last March we have been working intensively on this new recovery and renewal plan for interactive guide services. This includes not only preventive measures such as those described, but also innovative proposals to achieve true digital transformation. We will be happy to share it with you and look together for solutions adapted to each center. Write to comercial@gvam.es so that we can turn this opportunity into a reality.