Display Insight Introductory Sector Information
March 2012
Leisure and Museums
For the majority of the population spending time on their leisure
activity or visiting a museum or attraction is an important part of their
waking hours outside of work or study.
In the UK there are approximately 2,500 Museums employing about
40,000 people. The objective of these institutions is certainly not to
make money. It is to inspire, stimulate curiosity and to entertain as
well as preserve and provide study opportunities on the artifacts.
Museums in the UK are in a state of transition and are facing a
number of special challenges to ensure survival. Nowadays, modern
museum managers must also understand and fully embrace the
need to attract visitors from all ages as well as develop closer
partnerships with corporate organisations.
This new challenge is requiring them to adapt to the pressures of the
technological age in and to make use of a wide range of Display
technology to ultimately increase footfall. Since the early 1990’s
simple touch screen technology has been used in addition to the use
of projection, plasma and LCD displays.
With the growth in social media and a wider variety of techniques to
promote the activities of the museum choices have to be made from
(in many cases) a diminishing budget.
Leisure and Museums Market Analysis
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The role expected of Museums was explicitly stated in the
Museum, Libraries and Archives (MLA) Strategic Statement
2007-2010 which proclaimed that: 'Museums are reinventing
themselves. Our cultural institutions are not passive
repositories of the past but catalysts for a new economic and
creative age.'
There are 240 Museums in London alone and the largest of
these the British Museum has over 5.5m visitors a year. With
the top five museums all being in London with a combined
footfall of c 20million per annum.
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With many museums having no entrance fee they are very
reliant on financial support from local authorities, retail
income, corporate events and in the case of large capital
projects from Charitable Foundations.
Museum design companies / consultancies are an important
part of the eco structure supporting museums with their
knowledge in technological advancements and are used
extensively in new developments. In the UK there is a strong
concentration of these organizations whose skills are sought
across the Globe.
Consolidation has been occurring for a number of years
within the museums community either within a region or
linked to a specific focus – for example the NMSI (National
Museum of Science and Industry). This enables the
combined group to benefit from synergies.
Opportunities for the Display market are growing as large
screen displays (including Video-walls), interactive screens,
digital signage systems and various projectors are seen as a
key part of any new development.
Operating budgets for maintenance and support of
technology products are coming under increasing pressure
and as a result investment in LED light source projectors is
likely to increase.
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