With a range of “COVID safe” measures in place, The Tank Museum successfully held its Tiger Day event over the weekend.
The event, postponed from April, was spread over two days in order to minimise crowding at the Dorset Museum.
With a cap that saw only ¼ of the numbers normally attracted to the event demand for tickets well exceeded supply, with visitors eager to see Tiger 131 in action and explore the Museum’s latest exhibition World War Two: War Stories.
Nik Wyness, Head of Marketing said: “Events are a significant part of our business – and although it has not been business as usual, delivering Tiger Day has been a real boost for the whole organisation.
“We know we are operating in a different world now, but this experience has shown we can adapt to it.”
The Tank Museum was closed for three months and forced to cancel TANKFEST, its major annual fundraising event.
“Since re-opening in July we have learned a great deal about how to make our visitors and staff safe as we reasonably can, whilst attempting to minimise the potential negative impact on the visitor experience.”, said Nik.
“These can only be effective if the visitors do their bit – but in virtually every case we can see they appreciate and support what we’re doing to keep them safe.”
Enhanced cleaning, a one-way system and additional cleaning stations are among the protocols introduced to reduce the risk of COVID-19 transmission, but the Museum believes listening to its visitors has been crucial to it successful re-opening.
Post-visit surveys have been sent to every visitor since the Museum reopened – and the feedback has been used to modify or enhance measures.
“How the visitor feels about their safety is now as important as ensuring they have had the best possible visit.
“For example, the feedback we gained made us confident we could implement wearing face coverings a week before the government announced they would become mandatory in museums,” he added.
Visitors have scored the health and safety measures in place at the Museum with an average of 9/10, and 67% reported that the protocols in place exceeded their expectations.
The Tank Museum is open every day, with online booking essential to guarantee places. Tiger Day 14 is set to take place in September, with demand for limited places expected to be high.
For more information see www.tankmusuem.org