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Is there a future for the blockbuster in touring exhibitions?

Opinion
TEO Exhibitions travelling exhibitions

by Manon Delaury, Teo

Manon Delaury Teo

Blockbuster success has, for a while, been the gold standard for success in international touring exhibitions, embodied by iconic productions drawing thousands of visitors in multi-venue global tours.

However, the model’s relevance has recently been the focus of debates. It has been challenged by the pandemic and the growing urge to fully integrate sustainable development in cultural institutions’ strategic frameworks.

As I see the world of travelling exhibitions innovate and reconsider models to pull through a context of uncertainties that has been the backdrop to cultural productions developments for the past couple of years, I share here some ideas for a new blockbuster exhibition model fuelled by sustainable development considerations that could be embraced to adapt and contribute to the shift of paradigm.

Defining the blockbuster exhibition

What does ‘blockbuster’ actually mean for touring exhibitions? While we use the word frequently, we don’t often define it.

Blockbuster seems to always refer to productions that present very popular topics. These have the potential to highly appeal to and draw in bigger crowds to a venue than the usual programmes. As such, they are capable of producing higher revenue, often reflecting significant levels of investments.

This type of exhibition presents a unique and rare experience, one that draws in visitors who rarely come to the venue. Blockbusters somehow succeed in breaking the invisible glass gate that often keeps some visitors away from some venues’ cultural offers.

blockbuster exhibitions
Mary Quant exhibition, V&A, 2019

The word ‘blockbuster’ covers a variety of very diverse experiences. They are often differentiated from exhibitions that present the venue’s own collections, local stories, and more ‘niche’ subject matters.

But what is the actual recipe for the blockbuster exhibition? We often associate its success with themes of universal appeal and popular brands, collections of masterpieces, and large production budgets. Yet sometimes exhibitions founded on iconic names and treasures do not succeed, and more humble productions accomplish remarkable tours.

A part of the mystery always remains. It is a recipe that is hard to pin down, but it nearly always involves some luck and good timing.

Is the blockbuster exhibition dead?

The past couple of years have seen an accelerated transformation in the cultural world. There is increasing pressure on traditional models. This is partly due to rising funding challenges. There is also the growing urge for sustainable development and inclusivity as cornerstones of cultural institutions’ raison d’être.

Cultural organisations’ achievements are under scrutiny more than ever. In this context, many see blockbuster exhibitions as heavy productions which they should abandon for their wasteful and thriftless practices, leading to unsustainable footprints and inequalities.

the met museum heavenly bodies blockbuster exhibition
Heavenly Bodies: Fashion and the Catholic Imagination, The Met, 2018

This fall from grace occurs in the context of the transformation of the touring exhibitions world, with diversification and augmentation of stakeholders from a large variety of organisations, in the cultural, live entertainment and attractions realms.

A new frame of reference

Is it possible that the blockbuster could be reinvented, so that its greatest assets could still be harnessed in the conception and production of travelling exhibitions, which would however be founded on different success frameworks grounded in sustainable development?

Could a new blockbuster model support the future of international travelling productions?

Could a new blockbuster model support the future of international travelling productions? Is it possible to reimagine ways to draw the public back to cultural venues with powerful content in our complex contemporary context?

The following introduces a few ideas for the development of a new frame of reference. This we could call the sensible blockbuster.

Rethinking success

The relevance of the blockbuster exhibition should build upon a renewed set of objectives to appraise success. Generating high numbers of visits and good revenue will still be important purposes. However, the travelling production should also be meaningful and should diversify audiences. It should provide visitors with a worthwhile, unforgettable experience with learning outcomes, and convey the organisation’s values.

Practising sustainable development should be a prerequisite for the project. And ensuring the best environmental, social and economic impact should be the primary objective. This new framework could be reassessed with each project and progressively adjusted to weigh up a more comprehensive set of sometimes conflicting goals and expectations.

In setting objectives, it is key to widen the perspective so that the production is not just a standalone project. The exhibition should be an integral part of the overall cultural offering of the presenting organisation.

https://youtu.be/APB5AXUF-hQ
Henri Matisse: The Cut-Outs, Tate Modern, 2014

It can be assessed for its ability to complement and even support other proposed experiences, by fostering interest in them (building bridges in topics or physical space connections, providing incentives for visitors to extend their visit to other galleries) and creating potential new resources that could fund other exhibitions, acquisitions and local projects.

It should also be considered for its wider impact on the organisation itself. Does it have the ability to generate cultural diplomacy through loans as part of collaboration initiatives? Are there opportunities for staff skills development, with the experience of blockbuster curatorial, production, and original marketing practices?

Furthermore, the blockbuster exhibition should be assessed for its ability to generate a positive impact beyond the host and its audiences. Can it create value for the regional economy? Could it establish innovative practices that can set an example for other productions and other sectors?

With such a wider perception of investment and success goals, the smart blockbuster could have a magnetising effect for other proposals at the venue and beyond, rather than acting like a cuckoo.

Smaller collections

A key concern with blockbuster productions lies in the levels of resources involved. They tend to present large original treasure collections, gathered from multiple international lending institutions. Such collections imply high levels of transportation, couriering and handling, and insurance and production. This is particularly the case for major monographic art exhibitions which gather pieces from multiple museums around the world.

However, Grand Palais’ Pompeii pulled in more than two hundred thousand visitors with only a few original objects. Over four and a half million visitors have seen Immersive Van Gogh over the past couple of years. Yet it features no artworks. The National Gallery Masterpiece Tour, with just one piece, regularly succeeds in engaging audiences all around the United Kingdom.

Meet Vincent van Gogh Experience
Meet Vincent Van Gogh Experience

It is interesting to see how some productions succeed in having blockbuster assets and effects with few or no original collections.

The smart blockbuster is about breathing life into stories and collections through a different lens. Bringing together smaller collections, with a treasure trove tactic, it questions how big a collection should be. It creates unique value with reduced selections, through a clever blend of narration, marketing, and versatile experiences, brought together for smartly designed tours.

Smart tours

Going further than reduced selections, the new blockbuster exhibition seeks to optimise collections’ sourcing and logistics with a prerequisite to make sure that pieces come from the closest and smallest number of lending organisations, encouraging a curatorial compromise. It designs reduced couriering, enabling remote management, reduced management, and local support, where possible.

The model prioritises smart scheduling with paced touring. This prioritises and encourages short legs through greater coordination between institutions from bordering regions that can share programming requirements.

There are other possible methods that could ensure the sharpest tours with the minimum negative impact. For example, progressive touring, where the exhibition first goes to a region and then travels to another. Or, limited touring, in only one geographical area, and slow touring, with longer opening hours and periods of presentation.

Compelling marketing

Powerful marketing is also a core blockbuster exhibition ingredient that operators need to leverage.

As companies like Starvox Entertainment have demonstrated over the past few years, new on-site and digital audience testing techniques developed in online content, live entertainment and more commercial realms, with their ability to generate representative and fast audience feedback, can inspire and be combined with classic museum approaches to gain better insights in audiences experiences and expectations.

Marketing campaign for the V&A’s 2019 Mary Quant blockbuster exhibition

This leads to a sharper understanding of visitors, but also of exhibition hosts, deciphering more precisely themes, experience assets, popular culture levers and points of entry of the widest appeal. Such an audience‑focused caring approach is driven by the objective to more accurately address the variety of expectations, and create exceptional value that boosts attendance and promotes engagement. Therefore, it is a crucial engine for the sensible blockbuster.

This precious research soil nurtures the second key part of blockbuster marketing. This is the more important focus on building an attractive image and communicating the project value, with host and visitor audiences.

Collection size concerns can indeed be powerfully overcome with strong brands and designed identities, combined with well-crafted collection, experience and production storytelling maximising the perception of the spectacular and the unique.

The sensible blockbuster exhibition can thus aim to build familiarity between audiences and cultural organisations. It can break the glass gates for new visitors, and revive relationships with existing audiences.

Multidimensional paced experiences

Successful contemporary exhibitions bring together unique blends of emotions and interactions, mixing learning and reflection, awe and entertainment, curiosity and wellness in versatile experiences for visitors.

It is interesting to see how touring exhibitions, on different geographical scales, are increasingly adopting a paced multi-layered approach. We are witnessing the growing importance of multisensorial elements. Productions such as Sensory Odyssey integrate original scents, projections and sound effects in a 360 experience.

Theatre and performance ingredients find new expressions in exhibitions. For instance, ACMI’s Wonderland integrates the digital in theatrically designed environments. Meanwhile, shows like the new Climate Show by Tempora bring a live element to the heart of the exhibition.

Fun sinks in with learning, with productions like the Little Curious range by Universcience and the increasing presence of digital and manual interactives in all sorts of exhibitions, including art shows. Contemplation also finds a new breath, with immersive exhibitions like Imagine Monet or India, Reflections of Sacred Worlds. Here, the design of the space allows for moments of rest and slow looking.

More than the size of collections and displays, the variety of experiences, paced with a rhythm that inclusively deters boredom, seems to become a decisive success factor.

The smart blockbuster exhibition can seek to surpass usual experience models. It can do so by proposing cleverly assorted blends of low and high tech, slow and fast paces, social and individual moments, ‘intellectual’ and light moments. This enables contemporary social sharing, before, during and after the visit.

The smart blockbuster exhibition can seek to surpass usual experience models.

With this wider range of experiences, the model can ignite more concentrated and diverse engagement. It opens up the possibility for lighter displays or smaller spaces, with more environmentally friendly and inclusive designs, as visitors can spend more time in some areas and experience the exhibition differently.

The possible size flexibility thus enabled might lead to more affordable opportunities. This would also make some of these productions accessible for more venues and audiences.

A progressive and collaborative transition for a new blockbuster exhibition model

Unsustainable practices have led the blockbuster exhibition to lose popularity. But there is the potential to gradually reduce these with a more sensible model. One that reinvents the assets and levers that made the approach successful while integrating more wide-reaching sustainable objectives.

Such a model will be relevant only if a progressive transition takes place, with reinvented funding and success evaluation perspectives, for cultural institutions as well as for-profit organisations to find value and success with alternative avenues.

The sharing of best practices and transparency can be of great help to accelerate the transition. This will ensure the new model can have a positive impact and become a resource to support our industry’s response to the global urge for sustainable development action and practice. It also could become a potential inspiring laboratory for other sectors and social environments.

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Manon Delaury Teo

Manon Delaury

Manon Delaury is the CEO of Teo, a global travelling exhibitions platform designed to help cultural institutions in the search for new international exhibitions, partners and resources. Manon is a specialist in strategy and development for travelling productions, programmes and international collaborations.

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