How D.C.’s Private Museums Aim to Increase Attendance

When Congress cannot agree upon and pass a budget spending bill, the U.S. government is at risk of shutting down. When this happens, as it did at the beginning of 2019, Washington, D.C.’s famously free museums lock their doors, thus making the privately owned, pay-to-enter museums the only game in town. When the free museums re-open, however, the private museums see a huge decrease in attendance, so museum officials devised ways to attract visitors even if they have to pay an entry fee.

One approach is to adjust programming to encouage guest interaction. For example, the new CEO of the National Law Enforcement Museum appointed a new executive director to beef up marketing efforts and bring new exhibits to the 1-year-old museum, which got off to a rocky start in 2018. The CEO wants to foster conversations among attendees regarding how law enforcement in the nation can be improved and hold a discussion panel on restorative justice this year.

The Museum of the Bible, which only sees approximately 1 million visitors per year, hired a new CEO as well as advisors to increase visits, particularly re-visits. Michael Kaiser, chair, DeVos Institute of Arts Management at the University of Maryland, will lead programming around performances and exhibitions during Christian, Jewish and African American spiritual celebrations.

Elsewhere, the International Spy Museum moved from its former home in Gallery Place to a new 140,000-square-foot space in L’Enfant Plaza. This increase in space means the museum will be able to increase its capacity by 100,000 people per year.