1. ENTREPRENEURSHIP
THE KEY FOR A SUCCESSFUL MUSEUM
INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE
ENTREPRENEURSHIP EDUCATION-A PRIORITY FOR THE HIGHER EDUCATION INSTITUTIONS
8 - 9 OCTOBER 2012 BUCHAREST, ROMANIA

2. QUESTIONS
 Should entrepreneurship be applied to museums as it is for private organizations, or
should it not?
 Which are the particularities and the role of museum entrepreneurship?
 What would be the effects of an active, innovative and creative museum behavior,
focused on opportunities and results?
Peles Museum, Sinaia,
Romania

3. MUSEUMS AS PUBLIC ORGANISATIONS
 By adapting and implementing entrepreneurial concepts within every type of public
organization, one could ensure the further carrying out of the social activity, as well as
the self-generating of financial sources.
 Social entrepreneurship applied to the public sector could represent exactly the solution
to the problems existent in many states, related to the high level of debt and budget
deficit.

4. THE ROLE OF MUSEUMS IN THE MARKET
 “A museum is a non-profit making permanent institution in the service of society and of
its development.” (The International Council of Museums)

5. THE MUSEUM ENTREPRENEUR
 Entrepreneurship has to be
viewed as a function “that
enables an organization to
remain effective and relevant as
the world around it changes.”
(John W. Durel)
 Developing museum
entrepreneurship will allow
the increase of the museums’
social and economic
contribution.

6. CHARACTERISTICS OF MUSEUM ENTREPRENEURSHIP

7. ENTREPRENEURSHIP APPLIED IN ROMANIAN
MUSEUMS
 How can one measure the level of entrepreneurship in a museum?
 Rentschler and Geursen use as gauge for social entrepreneurship the reports written by
the managers of these institutions, and the percentage of own income in the total
revenues.
UM – thousand lei
Museum Visitors Own income 2009 State subsidy 2009 Total
2009 revenue 2009
Brukental 210 539 1,163 14% 7,216 86% 8,466
Museum Sibiu
Peleş Museum 255 873 5,550 83% 1,200 17% 6,750
Sinaia

8. SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEURIAL MUSEUMS
 In 2009 Bran Museum succeeded to self-finance.
 It generated own income of 11,222 thousand lei.
 It adopted a branding and a marketing strategy regarding the product, price, place, and
promotion.
One adult can visit the entire castle for
just 25 lei.
The museum offers virtual visits as
well.
To attract more visitors, the museum
associated its image with the one of
Dracula Count, and it collaborates with
many travel agencies.
Bran Museum, Sinaia, Romania

9. SUCCESSFUL ENTREPRENEURIAL MUSEUMS
 Museum of Natural History “Grigore Antipa” offers a wide variety of educational
products, well promoted, with prices between 150 lei and 1000 lei.
 Some educational products offered in this
summer under the slogan «Here comes the
vacation with the “Antipa” train!», are:
 play and development workshops,
 imagination camps,
 course for “little sanitation officers”,
 summer school,
 vacation ship,
 origami workshop.
The exhibition of Antipa Museum,
Bucharest

10. CONCLUSION
 An entrepreneurial behavior in museums generates positive effects for the entire
collectivity wherein it functions, both economically (financial resources) and socially
(development of a collective identity) and educationally (developing creativity).
 The superior economic effects allow the implementation of the solutions identified in the
area of social opportunities, the museum thus fulfilling its mission entirely.
 The idea of adopting an entrepreneurial behavior has been proven to be a key for success
not only for the famous museums of the world, but for the Romanian museums such as
Bran, Peleş and Antipa as well.

11. THANK YOU!