The target audience for my project is essentially defined according to cultural targeting strategies developed by the London Science Museum and by other museums and tourist attractions in the UK. These strategies identify two audience groups: the Primary audience and the Secondary audience. Then, referring to the MHM Cultural Segments, they group visitors according to their interests and motivations. As a result, the design exhibition is mainly intended for the primary audience: the exhibition must provide this audience with the best possible experience. As for the secondary audience, the exhibition offers these visitors additional elements such as fact sheets, interactive items, audio guides, hands-on activities, etc. Designed according to these concepts, an exhibition has the advantage of flexibility, as it does not exclude other possible audiences.
I also determined the audience for my exhibition from Swiss statistics on museums visitors. Numbers show that the largest proportion of them work in the tertiary sector and are aged between 15 and 60 years old.
Primary Audience
Adults
Urban from the tertiary sector
Visitors with a good general education and an interest in science, technology and history
Avid cultural consumers (Essence in MHM Culture Segments)
High quality and detailed information presented on text/photo panels and touch screens are the main elements of the scenography for this audience. The addition of sound and archival material is important to enable them to feel absorbed by the narrative, to improve their understanding and to enrich their experience. The visitors usually prefer to visit an exhibition on their own or in small groups.
Secondary Audience
Students from technical or engineering schools
Visitors with a scientific and technical training (astronomers, watchmakers, etc.)
Learning and discovering in community (Expression in MHM Culture Segments)
For this audience, it is necessary to develop complementary tools, as they expect to be stimulated with practical activities and intellectually. They mainly prefer to visit an exhibition in a group.
The MIH visitors’ statistics show that the audience for exhibitions on horology isn’t regional, but international: 25% of visitors are from the Canton of Neuchâtel, 25% from Switzerland, 25% from Europe and 25% from the rest of the world.
My exhibition content will therefore be available in three languages, French, German and English.