Back to School: Museum Discounts for Increased Engagement
August 30, 2021
Back to school museum discounts have always been great incentives to connect with the local community and get young people into your doors. But especially now, after a very strange 2020/2021 school year, students are as eager as ever to get back into the world and to learn from all the wonderful things that museums offer.
As museums continue to evolve through technology and digital experiences, their roles as educators continue to play an important part in the growth of young learners. Back-to-school museum discounts are excellent reminders of the necessary role museums play in young peoples’ development as learners.
For museums, these types of discounts are great engagement incentives that can help attract new members and solidify your place in the local community. Below is everything you need to know about how you can create back-to-school discounts that will refill your halls and generate excitement around your museum.
School trips
Working directly with local institutions and organizations has always been a necessary part of how museums grow and function, especially when it comes to schools and school trips.
Museums have a great opportunity, as we get into the new school year, to reach out and connect with schools to offer free or discounted school trips. Schools have been limited to virtual tours or online learning experiences with museums for over a year now, and they’ll likely be excited to get their students through your doors in a safe manner.
The return of growing COVID cases across the country is a real concern, but there are ways to invite schools into your doors in a safe manner, and there are studies that show how museums can open their doors safely and why museums are actually safer than any other indoor activity.
Discounted memberships/fees for students
It’s not unusual for museums to provide sizable back-to-school discounts or to even offer free admissions for students at the beginning of the school year. In fact, last year at this time, several museums offered free admissions to students, including the Museum of Modern Art and the Morgan Library & Museum. Both the Modern Museum of Art and the New Museum opened admission to everyone last year through the end of September.
It might seem like a lot to provide free entry for students and visitors for a stretch of days or weeks even, but people need to be reminded of all the wonderful things that go on inside museums. They need to be reminded of the wonders of science, history, and art, among others, that museums showcase. And during a time when people are starting to get vaccinated and more comfortable with indoor settings, now is the time to enable them to make a visit and become a member.
Online classes/continuing education
Even though museums can provide safe indoor experiences, you should also continue to bolster your virtual and online learning experiences.
Not everyone is vaccinated, especially younger children, and even if they are, some parents are comfortable with their children visiting museums in-person. This is why it’s so important to continue to update and provide new online learning experiences.
With the same kind of strategy employed for discounted and free visits to museums, you are applying those discounts and free offers for your online services. Allow parents and students to take free learning courses, and get in contact with schools and teachers to develop exciting remote back-to-school-events.
How ACME can help you manage your events
Whether you’re hosting a school trip, virtual tour, or online learning experience, ACME gives you the tools to create and manage safe events at an affordable cost.
Utilize ACME’s robust CRM to track and learn about visitors, and benefit from key features – timed-ticketing capabilities, advanced reservations, and contactless entry – so you can thrive through the COVID pandemic.
ACME has several resources and features that help your museum thrive today. See how we can help.