Museums, get organised

To ensure International Museum Day fulfils its ambitions, we need your help!

International Museum Day draws the attention of both the general public and museum professionals around the world. We hope that you will plan your own activities for the 2017 edition of the event, following the general principles of International Museum Day and that the examples of past International Museum Day activities, be they original or conventional, with limited budget or broad‐based activities, will provide inspiration for your own preparations.

We recommend that you follow eight important steps:

1. Target a specific public
Regular visitors? A new public? Socially‐disadvantaged persons? Specific public: children, teenagers, senior citizens, handicapped persons, etc.?

2. Define your objectives
To reach a new public? To attract various types of visitors? To enhance the museum’s visibility? To highlight your participation in the community? To be heard by public authorities? To make your institution known to potential partners?

3. Position your museum
The objectives you set can also be related to the positioning of your museum. International Museum Day helps to show the importance of museums in society and to highlight their different aspects. You need therefore to find the positioning that best suits your institution. Is it an innovative museum? A museum that listens to social issues? A dynamic museum? A museum in contact with the public? A museum that generates tourism?

4. Forge institutional partnerships and sponsorships
International Museum Day is an opportunity to create local, national or international partnerships, regarding anything from collections, to mediation or financing. Collaboration can be implemented with other museum professionals, other museums, associations, private companies, and more.

5. Develop a precise budget
International Museum Day’s activities can be organised in large structures as well as small institutions. The necessary human and financial resources will also depend on the visibility you choose to give to the event.

6. Create an unexpected programme
In the next chapter, we will give you some ideas with examples of successful International Museum Day activities in the past. An unexpected activity programme is key to your success!

7. Develop a communications and promotion strategy
We have developed a set of communications tools to help you implement your strategy. ICOM and its network can also be one of your communication channels.

8. Make a post‐event evaluation
It is important for you to analyse the success of your International Museum Day and its effective impact. It is therefore essential to define criteria of success depending on your objectives. Some examples of good performance indicators include: attendance, creation of long-term partnerships and the number of media sources that diffused information about the event.