Society

At workshop in Y’de: UNESCO drills stakeholders on enhancing museum marketing skills in Central Africa.

Cross section of participants at workshop

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation, UNESCO, has in collaboration with the African Heritage School, grouped stakeholders in charge of national museums to review ways to better market and give visibility to museums in the Central Africa sub region.
This is the essence of a workshop which went underway in Yaounde June 4 and ended June 6.

It brought together representatives from national museums in seven African countries including Cameroon, Angola, Burundi, Equatorial Guinea, the Central African Republic, São Tomé and Príncipe and Chad.

Organisers say the primary objective of the workshop is to enhance the marketing capabilities of museum professionals in Central Africa.

Participants are being equipped with essential tools to better understand and engage with their audience.

According to the organisers, the workshop emphasises the importance of a two-way communication process, where museums not only convey their mission to visitors but also actively gather and utilize visitor feedback to tailor their offerings.

The UNESCO Head of the Cultural Sector, Dode Houehounha, noted that: “We have launched two important activities today; a cartographic chat on the museums in central Africa to understand their needs in other to come up with a stable framework and guidelines to accompany them. We shall also look at the different strategies in which we can enhance the marketing capabilities of these structures”.

Participants immortalise workshop

By the end of the workshop, attendees are expected to have a stronger grasp of marketing tools, better position their museums with engaging and appealing activities, increase visitor numbers, and refresh their cultural and scientific offerings.

Speaking to the press, the Director of the African Heritage School, Frank Ogov, outlined the key areas of focus during the workshop.

“Within the next three days, we shall look at the introduction to marketing principles, strategic planning for museums, identifying and targeting specific audiences, promoting museum activities, and creating a strong museum brand,” he said.

According to experts, the workshop comes at a time when museums worldwide are striving to capture the attention of visitors amidst decreasing public funding and intense competition in the leisure sector.

Speaking during panel discussions, participants said the workshop marks a crucial step towards modernising the management of museums in Central Africa.

By adopting audience-focused marketing strategies, museums in the sub region are better positioned to attract new visitors, retain their existing audience, and enhance their cultural offerings.

This story was first published in The Guardian Post issue No3132 of Wednesday June 05, 2024