Visitor Research Network Founded as an Association

14.09.2022
Institut für Museumsforschung

Following numerous work meetings held by the partners of the founding initiative and workshops with interested stakeholders, as well as an inaugural conference at DASA in Dortmund in October 2021, the Netzwerk Besucher*innenforschung (Visitor Research Network) has now been officially founded as an association. Partners of the founding initiative met for this purpose at the Museum in der Kulturbrauerei in Berlin on 29 August 2022.

Many museums grapple with questions about how they can best reach their visitors, appeal to them, and continue to strengthen these ties long-term. Visitor research offers opportunities to find viable answers to these questions. Observe, listen, learn – this approach is open to museums of all types and sizes, and ideally occurs in exchange with others. Such strategies and discussions help shape museums’ images and tailor their endeavours so that the public perceives them as relevant and attractive institutions and takes full advantage of their offers. The Netzwerk Besucher*innenforschung association, a museum network formally brought to life in late August in Berlin, has been launched to take up the baton at this point of intersection.

The Association: Netzwerk Besucher*innenforschung e. V.

The institutional founding members of the association are the Deutsche Arbeitsschutzausstellung Dortmund (DASA), Deutsche Museumsbund (DMB), Institut für Museumsforschung (Institute for Museum Research, IfM), Stiftung Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik Deutschland, Leibniz-Forschungsmuseen Römisch-Germanisches Zentralmuseum (RGZM) in Mainz and the Deutsches Museum in Munich. In addition, the Stiftung Jüdisches Museum, Europäisches Hansemuseum in Lübeck, and the Landesverband der Museen in Berlin (LMB) are represented by personal memberships.

Elected onto the Board of Directors are Gregor Isenbort, DASA (chairman), Dr Patricia Rahemipour, Institut für Museumsforschung (deputy chair), Kathrin Grotz, Institut für Museumsforschung (treasurer); and as committee members Christiane Birkert, Stiftung Jüdisches Museum, Dr Simone Mergen, Stiftung Haus der Geschichte der Bundesrepublik, Volker Schönert, VisitorChoice and David Vuillaume, DMB. The association’s management team initially plans to establish headquarters at the Institut für Museumsforschung.

Further information about the association and membership is expected to be published shortly. Anyone who already has questions about the network or is interested in a personal or institutional membership can contact the Institut für Museumsforschung at the following email address: ifm[at]smb.spk-berlin.de.