Producing Seamless Museum Events

Where can a planner give clients the thrill of sharing an evening with mummies? Where can guests see dolphins leap from the water to the sound of “…and the rockets’ red glare…?” Perhaps you’re looking for a place where clients and guests savor the elegance and ambiance of sculptured arches and gilded crown molding, or dining in a space that has original Monet paintings for décor?

Museums are the answer to those and to a lot of event planners’ other questions and prayers.

“The random sizes, shapes and, often, character of available gathering spaces within museums tend to promote interest in exploration,” says Paul Wolman, CEO of P.W. Feats. “This kind of successive discovery naturally encourages guests to anticipate what’s next around the corner, creating more opportunities for lasting memories that connect with a particular message, product line or story.”

But most importantly, events held in museum sites require that planners and producers ask a lot of questions so that challenges do not become unwanted surprises!

R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Most planners agree that respect for a site’s history is absolutely key to successfully holding events in museums. Extend this respect to the mission, the rules and the personnel of the museum.

Start by researching the goals and the mission of any museum in which you are planning an event, and realize that in all probability, events held in the museum are a secondary priority to the mission and goals of the institution.

Your event is your top priority, but its needs must adhere first to the venue’s rules and regulations.

Museums often restrict the musical entertainment, as well as signage and décor. Sponsorships may even present a challenge and need to be explained early in negotiations with a museum. Always keep in mind that the space is a museum first, and an event venue second. That reality creates a mindset in the museum staff that’s unlike venues designed with events as their primary purpose.

Pay close attention to the restrictions placed on events by the museum. Some venues have two pages of rules; others may have 20. For those used to events in sites designed specifically for them, the rules may seem over the top. But the museum staff’s first order of business is to protect the exhibits, the property and the treasures it contains. Always ask for a written copy of the rules and regulations.

Often the museum is under restrictions imposed by a governing board, which adds a layer of approval. Jennifer Smith of Planning the Globe notes, “Many things you ask for could be the first time the museum has responded to this particular request, and may require special permission. This may take extra time.”

If you have previous experience with a particular museum, it doesn’t hurt to ask its planner and event staff if there have been any changes to the rules since you last worked with them. This could save you from embarrassing assumptions. Be sure that your staff working on-site knows the rules and abides by them. If a mistake is made, apologize and fix it immediately.

Behave respectfully to all members of the museum staff. Build relationships with your museum contacts. The client planner and the museum planner need to develop a strong relationship.

Sheila Watnick, currently the special events manager for the American Alzheimer’s Association, but previously the planner for the Wang Center for the Performing Arts, has the advantage of having worked from both perspectives. Watnick says a common mistake is not including the museum planner in conversations between event planner and the client. She advises that planners make the extra effort to keep the museum planner in the loop and informed. This relationship is strategic to the success of any museum event.
Guards at a museum can be an asset if planners work with them to ensure they are able to do their jobs. They’ll likely come into contact with guests at your event, and their impression of you can make a difference. John McPhee of A Joy Wallace Catering Production & Design Team mentions that the guards at some museums have actually referred business to his company on a number of occasions due to the company’s respectful treatment of the museum facilities, the rules and the guards themselves.

Space – The Initial Frontier

Begin by carefully analyzing available space, inside and out.

As you start to explore a museum as the site for your event and actually walk the museum, one of the things to keep in mind is that whether the space is large or small, the guests want a cohesive experience. Make sure that you have an event that will work with that particular museum. How are you going to tie all of the space together to create that experience for them? What is going to feel too crowded or, for that matter, too spread out?

The charm of having an event in a museum also presents challenges in the logistics of
the space. High ceilings provide elegance, but they also put restrictions on the rigging and additional lighting that can be hung.

Some museums can pose seating challenges. They may be able to accommodate 300 guests, but will the configuration of the facility make it seem too crowded, or make it difficult for guests to negotiate the space available?

Additional considerations include how far the loading docks will be from your event space, whether the elevators are large enough to handle equipment and décor, and how far servers will be required to carry food and beverages.

Incorporating Catering

Many museums have a list of preferred caterers. Request a tasting customized to you and your client. It may also be possible for you to visit prior to another event, with the catering company preparing extra portions for you to sample.

When working with the preferred caterer, discuss your vision for the event. How can the caterer enhance the theme by designing food as art, cuisine that enhances the theme and décor of the site? Can the servers be costumed to help create the cohesive experience that you desire?

At the same time, be considerate of the challenges faced by the catering staff. Design a menu that will accommodate challenges like distances from prep area to serving area, flights of stairs and weather.

“Be realistic in planning the menu according to logistics, number of people and distribution of guests throughout the museum,” McPhee says. “Rely on your caterer to give suggestions as to what will work.”

See the Venue with Fresh Eyes, Every Time

Wolman, of P.W. Feats, suggests that even though you may have planned 40 events at the same venue over the years, you can see the same space differently each time if you keep the objective, goals and theme of the event you are presently creating in mind.

He suggests working with the museum planners to improvise on the ways in which they typically lay out events in their museum. New arrangements can give a repetitive event an exceptional new appearance.

Even if you know the site thoroughly, walk through it again with your new client. See it for the first time all over again with each new project you plan.

P.W. Feats in December produced a number of separate and unique events at the National Aquarium’s new Australian Pavilion in Baltimore. The company was dealing with new space that few people had experienced, yet within a month’s time P.W. Feats’ team had to redefine the space and thematic impact for several different events.

For one of the events at the National Aquarium’s new Australian Pavilion, P.W. Feats themed the event by taking a cue from the architecture of the new building. The company took every opportunity to transform the glass structure into dazzling light and sparkling crystal, hence the “Crystal Ball” theme. The “crystallization” of the museum included swirling crystal snowflakes as in a snow globe, lighting design and searchlights that made everything shimmer, battery-operated LED “candles” in luminary bags, crystal wind chimes and tiny lights, characters and entertainment representing crystalline concepts.

To create a different event in the same space geared toward media and VIPs, P.W. Feats created the illusion of a jungle canopy, with performers costumed to look like Australian animals suspended from the ceiling, arranged in a sculpture of banners suggestive of trees. Australian music, boomerangs, ginger beer and all things associated with Australia contributed to the total experience.

A third take on the potential of the new venue presented multiple tents set up on the piers of the museum. Water taxis transported guests from one pier to the other so they could enjoy the tented events within the event.

Set-Up Time

Logistics drives the creative. Don’t become too attached to ideas of theme and décor until you actively explore the museum space and are familiar with its rules and expectations.

Many museums are open to the public seven days a week. You can anticipate having minimal set-up time, with most of the work needing to be done after the venue closes. There are some ways to negotiate around this, but most of them require extra budget.

With enough funding, a buy-out is one solution. It may also be possible to arrange early set-up times, at a price. Adding people to your set-up team is another option, though large numbers of people can create another set of issues. Experts say it’s best to contract the installation of lighting the evening before. See if the museum will allow early perimeter set-up. Are there any ways to go about it while visitors are at the museum? Ask the museum planner what accommodations for early set-up and/or late tear-down the museum has made in the past.

And don’t forget about hidden costs. Contracts can have costs embedded that will add greatly to the amount you need to budget.

But perhaps the best advice is to ask questions, and lots of them. Ask every “what if” that comes to mind to cover any semi-predictable problem.