The document discusses the intersection of edutainment and merchandising within museums and theme parks, highlighting how these spaces have evolved to blend education, entertainment, and retail experiences. It examines various forms such as shopping malls and concept stores, emphasizing the importance of thematic organization, visitor engagement, and merchandising strategies. The presentation also explores the role of virtual reality and urban theme parks in enhancing visitor experiences and promoting educational initiatives.

1. “ Edutainment and Merchandising” Tashkent, Uzbekistan Alessandro Califano Museums and Theme-Parks – A Complex Interaction A Presentation June 12th, 2008

2. “ Edutainment and Merchandising” Museums And Theme-Parks – Museums As Theme-Parks Alessandro Califano UNESCO Training " In Quest for Excellence: Museums Between Local and Global Presence " June 12 – 13, 2008 Tashkent, Uzbekistan

3. Museums in an Evolving Setting Edutainment and merchandising: We may like it, or not… but we cannot change it! Theme-parks, Malls, Concept Stores and Museums: where borders fade away Let us examine them more in depth

4. Theme-Parks: an archetypal form Theme-parks are but a specialized form of park Parks, in turns, belong to the archetypal form of “nature under human control”: be it Eden’s Garden, a Renaissance park, a Mogul garden or, simply, a well ordered oasis.

5. Shopping Malls There is much derived from variety theatres in shopping malls: They have something in store for everyone They do not only sell merchandize, but create its setting They renovate, reinterpret or create a part of town anew, as on a theatre’s stage

6. Concept Stores 1/3 A brand gets its best interpretation in concept stores, where it can be shown in any setting and style. Sephora concept stores blend minimalism, New Age, and Japanese art together in a unique mixture. A too monothematic approach ( Nike Town , for instance, all dedicated to sports) could however reduce visitors’ interest

7. Concept Stores 2/3 Entertainment café chains are similar (Planet Hollywood, Hard Rock Café, Starbucks or Rainforest Café) The Rainforest Café chain even organizes guided tours for school classes, on ecological and conservation issues… as in a Science Museum

8. Concept Stores 3/3 The same trend exists in “theme” hotels: they do not sell you an overnight stay… but an emotion! The use of artefacts (there are REAL Van Goghs, C é zannes, and Pollocks in the 3000 rooms of the Bellagio Hotel in Las Vegas – a place inspired by an Italian village, in city itself all a “theme”)

9. Museums, theme-parks, and shopping Shopping hints to museums, and it hints as well to theme-parks Entertainment, education, leisure-time, communication, media and sports are being blended together

10. Are Museums shopping malls? 1/2 Many new museums favour brand definition, circulation of artefacts, and merchandising… a long way from the old “Do Not Touch!” signs Among these are Calatrava’s Milwaukee Art Museum, the new Guggenheim by Gehry in Bilbao, or Meier’s Getty Center in Los Angeles

11. Are Museums shopping malls? 2/2 There is some space for organizing new activities. Museums can: Offer consultancy services to interior designers (concept stores, theme-hotels, etc.) Circulate an chosen set of their artefacts to subsidiary locations, and even lent them to public or private spaces (France)

12. Urban Theme-parks Organization of urban space is often widely managed by large multinational companies Their commercial approach is mostly to organize educational initiatives, linking them to a merchandising strategy (for instance: Disney Club )

13. Virtual Reality in theme-parks The visitor is the player in edutainment, even more so with virtual reality This is true in theme-parks (Jurassic Park at L.A.’s Universal Studios, or the Tokyo Dome) … and in museums as well!

14. Theme-parks and Museums: How-tos 1/3 Be it a theme-park, be it a concept store, or a museum there will be: A thematic definition A triple mission Five organizational criteria

15. Theme-parks and Museums: How-tos 2/3 Once the theme has been defined, the mission becomes: To VISUALIZE the theme To OFFER A THREAD linking the parts together To DEFINE A MEANING for the single events/locations

16. Theme-parks and Museums: How-tos 3/3 Important organizational issues are: To organize space sequentially To organize circulation To properly disseminate merchandising To isolate the external area To favour des-orientation of visitors

17. Virtual Worlds – Real Business 1/2 Generally the mechanism works like this: A gives something for free to B C pays A for letting B know of a product A gets paid from B , as well, offering paid services (like tutorials, assistance, upgrades, etc.)

18. Virtual Worlds – Real Business 2/2 Where high personalization is available, advertising requires a new approach. It no longer shout out its message, but: Invites Must be prevalently on-demand Must be indirect – and favour synergy with other related products/services