Creating Great Visitor Experiences: A Guide for Museums, Parks, Zoos, Gardens, and Libraries [Paperback]

Stephanie Weaver (Author)

Book Description

ISBN-10: 1598741691 | ISBN-13: 978-1598741698 | Publication Date: June 30, 2007

Museum and other non-profit professionals have begun to realize that the complete visitor experience is the key to repeat attendance, successful fundraising, and building audience loyalty. Taking lessons learned by successful experience-shapers in the for-profit world, Stephanie Weaver distills this knowledge for museums and other organizations which depend on visitor satisfaction for success. Is your institution welcoming? Are the bathrooms clean? Does the staff communicate well? Are there enough places to sit? These practical matters may mean more to creating a loyal following than any exhibit or program the institution develops. Weaver breaks the visitor experience down to 8 steps and provides practical guidance to museums and related institutions on how to create optimal visitor experiences for each of them. In a workshop-like format, she uses multiple examples, exercises, and resource links to walk the reader through the process.

Editorial Reviews

Review

Finalist, Best Business Book of 2007, San Diego Book Awards

"I thoroughly enjoyed reading Creating Great Visitor Experiences! I especially liked how Weaver mixed in terrific non-museum examples—a few even I didn't know about—with the museum examples in a way that both could be applied by the reader." —B. Joseph Pine II, author, The Experience Economy

"Thank you for writing such a wonderful, holistic approach to the museum experience. I really appreciate your framing of the experience as starting the moment a person decides to “do something” to the moment that they leave a site following their visit. It is such an inclusive vision, and absolutely necessary to create effective and engaging experiences. Your work is inspiring. After passing along the book to my colleagues, we are ordering 25 copies for all of our senior staff, and hope to have a staff seminar using the book. It is particularly poignant in that it engages the entire staff, not just the upper-tier management or exhibit designers. I think that it will really bring us together." —Kevin M. Bartoy, Director of Archaeology, The Hermitage

"Stephanie Weaver has created a practical guide to help readers systematically assess and support the visitor experience-prior to them walking through the front door and after they leave. She also tackles the museum field's million dollar question-how to get visitors to return." —Lynn Dierking, Institute for Learning Innovation

"Building on years of experience in the field as well as cutting edge economic and customer research, Stephanie Weaver has crafted a practical, friendly process to help institutions improve their visitors' experiences. This book is valuable for training emerging professionals and students on the importance of the visitor experience. Every public service professional who cares about doing a better job should keep a copy of this book handy." —Marjorie Schwarzer, Museum Studies, JFK University

From the Inside Flap

Weaver breaks the visitor experience down to 8 steps and provides practical guidance to museums and related institutions on how to create optimal visitor experiences for each of them. In a workshop-like format, she uses multiple examples, exercises, and resource links to walk the reader through the process.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Left Coast Press (June 30, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1598741691
• ISBN-13: 978-1598741698
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.1 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #453,887 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I developed my problem-solving approach during twenty years of working in the healthcare and museum fields. I was fortunate to work at institutions considered best in their class: Northwestern University Medical School, Chicago Children's Museum, Chicago Botanic Garden, and the San Diego Zoo. I also enjoy presenting workshops and facilitating meetings. I've created memorable experiences on a tour bus in China, out of a backpack near a garden lagoon, with an ice sculptor and a Snow Fairy on an Enchanted Winter Wednesday, and while making a section of the AIDS Memorial Quilt. My customer experience consulting practice is based in San Diego, California, where I live with my husband and our golden retriever Buddy Girl.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars How a great customer experience can build any business, June 26, 2007

By 

M. J. Daigle (Rockport, MA USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Creating Great Visitor Experiences: A Guide for Museums, Parks, Zoos, Gardens, and Libraries (Paperback)

This book will be a real eye-opener to any business owner, not just museums, parks, zoos, etc. The customer is in your control, as the author aptly points out, from the time he gets out of his car in the parking lot and sees the first signs for your business until he leaves. Does he notice trash outside the door? Is the restroom clean...and, more importantly, is the restroom pleasing? Are your employees helpful, pleasant and not over-bearing? Can he easily use your signs to find his way around? Everything affects your customers' "experience" and the greater the experience, the more repeat business you will have. An entertaining read for anyone in business!

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A must-read for museum staff and volunteers, November 9, 2007

By 

Alice Parman - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Creating Great Visitor Experiences: A Guide for Museums, Parks, Zoos, Gardens, and Libraries (Paperback)

CREATING GREAT VISITOR EXPERIENCES is an easy-to-use handbook, providing structured steps for making museums (and like institutions) more welcoming and rewarding for all. Packed with inspiring examples and useful ideas, Stephanie Weaver's book is a must-read for staff and volunteers.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A simultaneously inspiring and practical book, July 10, 2008

By 

Ken Bubp (Noblesville, IN United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creating Great Visitor Experiences: A Guide for Museums, Parks, Zoos, Gardens, and Libraries (Paperback)

I highly recommend this book. Not that I could fully mine its wisdom in the short time I've owned it, but I think it is excellent.

It is simple and direct, and does not take years and years of customer service training to understand. It is grounded in sound theory about how museums, zoos, and other attractions actually work and how guests interact with those places (and each other in those places). Most importantly, the author approaches the entire work from the viewpoint of guests. I know that sounds simple, but her approach disarms some of the traditional barriers to building great guest service by framing the entire book the way she does.

The book is oriented toward action, versus often unfruitful and empty intellectual exercises.

It is by far one of the best works on the subject I've seen.