Leisure Link, a project management company that turns leisure ambitions into results, is presenting the results of a recent research project that it conducted for the National Monument Oranjehotel in The Hague, Netherlands, a history museum located in a former WWII prison.
During the Second World War, the Germans detained over 25,000 people for interrogation and prosecution in Scheveningen prison, nicknamed the Oranjehotel. Since the National Monument Oranjehotel opened in 2019, many young Germans have visited the museum visitors have been to the museum. The operator found this surprising, firstly because museums are not often the first choice for young people between 16-35 and also because of the WWII theme.
Leisure Link conducted research into this target audience to understand why they are visiting the museum, what the customer journey is, how they felt about the presentation and what improvements could be made.
Understanding the guests
With more than two times as many respondents as expected, the firm was able to gain many insights into this demographic. The main focus of the research was to get information about specific improvements that the museum could make in order better accommodate this group of young visitors from Germany.
Leisure Link discovered that this group is interested in personal stories and authentic places, which are very well presented in this museum. They liked the various methods that the museum uses to show the content, including videos, artefacts, pictures and panels with text, and an audio tour/ At the same time, the respondents said they wanted more of the information to be translated into German, which they preferred to English).
The firm also found that although members of this demographic do tend to orientate and inform themselves via the Internet, most of these visitors actually bought their tickets in person at the counter. Leisure Link says it was touched by the way these guests felt after visiting the museum because it’s a delicate and emotive topic. Most of them were impressed and felt on the one hand sad about the history but at the same time joyous but the fact that they are living in freedom.
Research leads to direct improvements
As a result of this research, simple improvements can be made immediately, for instance by adding more translations in German, improving the routing, and adding information at certain parts of the museum which were too vague, as well as adjusting the museum’s online presence.
“If you want to get your content/story across and to improve the way your guests experience your museum (or attraction, theme park, wellness facility or indoor family entertainment centre), you have to make sure that you understand their needs and wishes,” explains Carolien Nederlof, the owner of Leisure Link.
“The best way to do this is to actually get them involved and ask them questions about your facility. This research showed so much useful information that we could actually apply to improve the way that these young German tourists experience the museum.”
Hans Gramberg of the National Monument Oranjehotel says: “During Coronavirus, they started to notice us: the German visitor, mostly between 20 and 30 years old, with a great deal of interest. An interesting group, especially considering the subject of the Second World War on which the NM Oranjehotel focuses.
“Thanks to Leisure Link’s research, we now have a much better picture of this group. How do they prepare, what do they expect to see and how does this picture match expectations? More importantly, what can we do to make their visit even more interesting? The results of the research are positive, the advice is very concrete. For a small organization like ours, it is nice that we can implement it step by step. This is how we turn a somewhat coincidental public group into a meaningful target group!”
Nederlof adds: “I really love this project. First of all, I was very impressed and delighted by the fact that Hans (from National Monument Oranjehotel) really approached this from the guests’ perspective. It might sound logical to ask the people that are visiting, but this approach is not yet self-evident in the cultural sector. Secondly, I always hope to create specific points of improvement that we can actually start implementing tomorrow.”
Leisure Link helps clients looking for a new strategy as a tourist destination. The firm can assist with the development of leisure facilities by getting more insight and data about visitors and their experience and by bringing in stronger marketing or connections with different players within the sector.
