SCIENCE CENTRES NEWS INDUSTRY OPINION
Business Bistro is vital to Ecsite – it connects businesses with sector Mikael Holmgren
As the owner of Robetoy, a Swedish family business that’s been supplying toys to museum shops for 30 years, I’ll be gathering hundreds of samples
and a handful of staff and heading to the pretty Italian town of Trento to attend the Ecsite annual conference and its trade fair, the Business Bistro. The 2015 edition takes place from 11 to 13 June at MUSE science museum, designed by Renzo Piano. It’s our fourth time as exhibitors at the Business Bistro, which usually has 50 or 60 booths. We’re now gold sponsors of the conference, and on top of our booth, we have access to promotional opportunities. We’re really happy with the visibility we get. It helps us to be remembered. The return on investment is not immediate but it pays off. Over time, we’ve built great relationships with many decision makers in the science centre sector who visit us at the Bistro each year. At Robetoy, we believe an attraction’s shop is a crucial part of the visitor journey, where customers purchase a tangible memory of their time at the attraction. We think the shop should be conceived together with the whole experience and the merchandise tailored to exhibitions – exactly what the MUSE team in Trento have been doing with our help since they opened two years ago. I’m looking forward to meeting old
and new customers and colleagues from the industry. The Business Bistro Happy Hour on the conference’s second day is always a fun event. (I also heard there’ll be a Business Bistro competition giving attendees the chance to win one of three free registrations for the 2016 Ecsite conference in Graz, Austria.)
Mikael Holmgren, owner of Robetoy, a gold sponsor of the Ecsite conference
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attractionsmanagement.com Italy’s MUSE gears up for Ecsite forum
The European network of science centres and muse- ums is set to descend on the Renzo Piano-designed MUSE (Museo delle Scienze) in Trento, Italy, for its annual conference. From 11 to 13 June, 1,000 delegates from the science centre community are expected to attend. The event is one of the foremost stages for show- casing research into public engagement with science. The schedule features 90 sessions, including talks by guest speakers, debates and workshops and a trade show with 50 exhibitors. The theme is Food for Curious Minds, though other subjects are on the menu, such as immersive experiences, travelling exhibits, teen audiences and synthetic biology.
■ MUSE provides the stage for the 26th Ecsite conference
Ecsite is also keen to highlight the role the sector has to play in tackling the problems people face today. “The Ecsite conference showcases the growing importance of museums and science centres in facilitating debate on themes of critical societal importance and creating an environment that
fosters informed, evidence- based decision-making and action,” said Rosalia Vargas, president of Ecsite. Professionals working in science centres or museums, natural history museums, zoos and aquariums, academia, research and fi rms in the sector are invited to attend. ■ Details:
http://lei.sr?a=e8M5U_A
KKT unveils concept for weather museum
Kinslow, Keith and Todd Architects (KKT) unveiled plans for the Oklahoma Weather Museum in Tulsa’s so-called Tornado Alley. The structure, standing at up to 90 metres (295 feet) tall, takes design inspiration from a hurricane and has aptly been dubbed Tornado Tower. The plans feature a top-heavy spiralling tower, clad in glass with perforated metal panels, using LED lighting to accent sections to make it appear to rotate.
With interactive exhibits that explore weather phenomena globally and in Oklahoma, the spiralling tower destination would provide the traditional infrastructure of a museum but also act as a branch of the National
■ The design of Tornado Tower makes it appear to rotate
Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) severe storms laboratory. If the project proceeds, there will also be spaces for weather research, educational areas, storm chaser training, storm safety information, storm shelter displays and event space for public use.
Although the project is still in the concept phase, it is gaining traction. Several investors have made offers of support and developers are interested in exploring the residential and offi ce space the building could potentially offer.
■ Details:
http://lei.sr?a=W5p2k_A AM 2 2015 ©CYBERTREK 2015
PHOTO: KKT ARCHITECTS
PHOTO: HUFTON + CROW
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