Next year: The strategy start-up

Photo by Sofia Torrão on Flickr.

This post will answer the number one question I’ve been asked after it became known the Museum of National History would cease to exist in January: What will I do next year? And to take away some worries immediately, I won’t be gone from the cultural sector. At least not entirely, as I will explain shortly.

Starting right after New Year I will be working on what we call a “strategy start-up”. Together with the talented digital producer, music enthusiast and my good friend Erwin Elling, I will start a company that will help others to use the opportunities of the 21st century strategically and sustainably, and create campaigns and strategies that add value to brands.

We call it a strategy start-up because on the one hand we will use the no-nonsense mindset of start-ups in approaching challenges, while at the same time we will look beyond the short-term objectives that often dominate (digital) projects.

Ever more organisations have taken successful first steps in the digital domain, and can pride themselves in an established traditional presence. Today, however, they’re faced with the question “what’s next?” How to turn Facebook fans into visitors? How to connect with completely new target groups? How to build a meaningful relationship with our audience that spans the physical and digital domain? How to make some money doing so?

That’s where we come in. Together with our future clients we will give workshops, training, co-create successful campaigns and strategy, develop a vision for the coming years and help you make sense of the immense possibilities of the 21st century. Read the rest of this entry »

Thank you! What’s next?

Photo by Jen Collins on Flickr.

After the news that January 1^st 2012 the Museum of National History, my employer, will cease to exist, I received countless heartwarming and encouraging messages from all over the world. I want to take this opportunity to publicly thank everybody for his or her kind words and pats on my back. Thank you, you are amazing!

It’s wonderful to know the international community of cultural innovators (if I may call you that) is a place where people share and care.

Many of you have asked me what’s next for me. Good question: What’s next?

In his wonderful book Where good ideas come from (video) Steven Johnson gives some guidelines – say, life’s lessons? – to stimulate creativity and develop a sense of direction to something truly worthwhile. If you haven’t yet, read the book.

What’s next for me is that I will do some of the things Johnson recommends to prepare for an as yet unknown adventure that will eventually connect keywords such as culture, society, innovation and people.

Some of these recommendations I can do myself; taking walks, writing everything down, making mistakes…

With some others I could use your help. Here’s how:

I’d love to discover how a wide variety of institutions work. Museums, archives, theatres, NGOs… What are your challenges? What makes you unique? If you can, I’d truly appreciate to come by and see what you do. In exchange I’m happy to share everything I know in a presentation, workshop, etc.

If you care to know what I can offer, browse around this blog or take the 30-minute easy route of watching my presentation at MuseumNext last May. Read the rest of this entry »

Next steps for the National Vending Machine (and how you can help)

Good news for all fans of our National Vending Machine: this week we received confirmation of a significant subsidy to further develop the project. The great people at the DOEN Foundation will invest in improved visitor participation, a better website and information structure and activities to involve new audiences. Thanks!

These new funds allow us to work on some of our own recommendations for improvement. For instance, it allows us to put in practice the lessons about participation and crowdsourcing we detail in our Museums and the Web paper. Also, we can professionalize our outreach activities. Here’s some of the things we’re hoping to do with the help of DOEN: Read the rest of this entry »