The Current Reality: Reframing Museum Value [VAI Session 1]

Many museum leaders retreat to familiar territory when talking about their institution’s value, even when we have compelling evidence pointing toward different conversations. New research shows museums generate $500-1,000 in community value per visitor, yet we keep defaulting to content-focused messaging about art appreciation, science literacy, and historical preservation. Museums fall back on talking about educational outcomes, exhibition highlights, and collection significance rather than speaking to the broader well-being benefits that actually resonate with non-traditional stakeholders. This session creates shared context around both the research findings and the communication patterns that might be limiting our impact with non-traditional stakeholders. Agenda• Welcome & Introductions • Research Overview — John presents key findings from research involving more than 8,000 visitors • The Value Articulation Challenge — Bridging research insights to stakeholder communication • Current Value Messaging Audit — Paired sharing of current materials and approaches • Next Steps — Considerations for Session 2 and closing reflections Pre-Work and What to Bring1.  If you haven’t already, read John’s recent piece, Communicating the Value of Museums. It sets the foundation for everything we’ll explore together. 2. Bring with you examples of how you currently talk to key stakeholders about your museum’s value — examples could be recent slides, talking points, a funding email, or grant language. This should take just a few minutes. You don’t need to create anything new, and we are not evaluating presentation skills or critiquing content. We’re simply establishing where we each start from as we begin this work together. What Comes NextBetween Session 1 and Session 2, you’ll create a list of 5–10 current or prospective stakeholders — private or public funders, prospective partners, etc. We’ll use these for a mapping exercise in our next gathering. Attendance and registration• To attend, you must be registered for the Value Articulation Intensive. • If you’re registered, you’re on the attendee list and will receive a calendar invite. No RSVP is needed. • Not registered yet? Directors can learn more and register here. • Questions or missing invite? Email [email protected].