Booking options
£6 - £42

£6 - £42
Taking the museum home: Creating a family friendly museum shop
Thursday 15 October, 10am - 11.30am
Looking for fresh ideas to make your museum shop more appealing to families?
About this training
“We liked the shop. The theming and products were very nice. The visual merchandising was good. [My son] could buy quite a lot of small pocket money items which he loved.”
Undercover family judge, Family Friendly Museum Award
Whether it’s a pocket money souvenir to remember a museum visit or a bigger gift purchase for a birthday or a special holiday, museum shops can be great places for children and families to purchase unique items that connect them with your museum long after the visit is over.
Nearly two thirds of the families who responded to our 2021 Manifesto survey said that visiting a museum shop was an important part of a visit. However, family visitors did not always feel that museums catered well for their needs. By putting together a retail offer that considers the wants and needs of this audience, you’ll ensure this part of the museum experience leaves families with a positive impression.
This session will be led by retail consultant Polly Redman who will guide you through how to create a family friendly retail offer.
This session will help you to:
find out why museum shops are an important part of a visit for families,
learn about the types of shop stock and price points that appeal to families,
hear top tips for merchandising family friendly items,
explore other tips and tricks for improving your family retail offer, such as reviewing your approach to customer service.
See full schedule below.
About the trainer
Polly Redman is a museum retail specialist with extensive experience in developing commercially successful offers. Throughout her career, she has championed the idea that museum shops should be an integral part of the visitor experience. Her expertise spans from retail strategy, buying, visual merchandising, product development to customer experience and commercial sustainability, with a particular passion for helping small and independent museums maximise their retail potential. Polly is currently the Museums Manager for Braintree District Museum Trust as well as Chair of Museums Essex.
This training event will be delivered virtually on Zoom over one and a half hours.
Who should attend?
This training is aimed at staff at museums, galleries and heritage sites who are interested in improving their retail offer for family visitors.
Full schedule
Time | Activity |
10-10.10am | Welcome and introductions |
10.10-10.20am | Presentation: The importance of museum shops and what makes them unique Polly Redman, Retail Consultant |
10.20-11am | Presentation: Creating a family friendly retail offer Polly Redman, Retail Consultant |
11-11.20am | Q&A |
11.25-11.30am | End of session: Next steps and recommended reading to support your work |