Museum out of the Box by George Oates - A vision for European (digital) cultural heritage 2025 meeting, Varna 28 & 29 May 2018

1. “Museum out of the Box“
A Case Study
George Oates, CEO & Founder
Museum in a Box
museuminabox.org @_museuminabox
glo@museuminabox.org @ukglo
Varna, May 2018

2. What’s Museum in a Box?
What’s our business model?
Commissions so far
Challenges being a startup in the
cultural sector

3. What’s
Museum in a Box?

5. Our core mission:
Increase access to cultural
resources

6. For Museums:
Send your collections
everywhere

7. For Teachers:
Support kids to build
their cultural capital

8. For Kids:
Let museums from around
the world visit you

10. Collection
Collection
Collection
Collection
Collection

11. Our Company Values
There are many histories
Creativity is as important
as numeracy and literacy
Tech is a tool, not our
master

12. What’s our
business model?

13. 1. Commissions with GLAMs
2. “Make Your Own”
3. Direct to Consumer sales
4. Subscription to things
you’re interested in

14. Commissions

15. London Metropolitan Archives,
Abira Hussein
1 box
Several workshops
1 collection, undescribed

16. Gathering new histories

18. British Museum + National Museum of Iraq
2 boxes (one in Baghdad, one in London)
1 collection

21. Smithsonian Institution Libraries
10 boxes
10 schools
2 collections

26. Creative ecosystem
Smithsonian Folkways Audio Archive
2 researchers
2 writers
3 actors
1 recording studio
1 printing house
Free sound archive

27. Digital spine
Multi-sensory
Deliberate curation

28. Victoria and Albert Museum
1 box
1 museum, and local schools nearby
1 collection

35. Commissioning
Body

36. Commissioning
Body
local distribution

37. Customer
Commissioning
Body
local distribution

38. Customer
Commissioning
Body
local distribution
Sale

39. Customer
Commissioning
Body
local distribution
Sale
Revenue

40. Customer
Commissioning
Body
local distribution
Sale
Revenue
Update
Response

41. Customer
Museum
Library
Museum
Museum

42. Museum
Library
Museum
Museum

44. CHOOSE OBJECTS
“Make Your Own”
CREATE CONTENT
MAKE THE TECH

46. We’re natural collectors
CHOOSE OBJECTS

47. There are many histories
CREATE CONTENT

48. MAKE THE TECH

50. Maker

51. Maker
Museum
Library
Archive
Collection
Make Your Own
???
Maker

52. Maker
Museum
Library
Archive
+ LIFE
Collection
Maker
Make Your Own
Collection

53. MakerMaker

54. MakerMaker
local distribution
Collection

55. local performance
MakerMaker

56. Customer
Maker
local performance
Maker

57. Customer
Sale ?
Maker
local performance
Maker

58. Customer
Revenue ?
Maker
local performance
Sale ?
Maker

59. Customer
Sale
Revenue
Update
Response
Maker
local performance
Maker

60. Museum
Library
Archive
????
Maker

61. Challenges

62. 1. Impact needs time
2. Economic return on social
investment?
3. Moving at different speeds
4. Royalties & open content

63. Our Next Steps

64. 1. More commissions
2. Make Your Own pilot
3. Seek investment
4. Sell more boxes!

65. Thank you.
George Oates, CEO & Founder
Museum in a Box
museuminabox.org @_museuminabox
glo@museuminabox.org @_ukglo
Varna, May 2018