Annual Report 2001-2002 - Western Australian Museum - The ...

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Visitor Services
heritage, learning and research. The new Project Officer position supports this aim. The team is
responsible for promotion of the Museum and its activities, including corporate imaging,
marketing initiatives, public and media relations, coordination of events and venue hire, corporate
publications, strategic communications and front-of-house staff management.
The Museum’s exhibitions, events and school holiday programs were promoted through
advertising, marketing materials and publicity. Significant media coverage of the Museum was
generated through proactive media liaison and the preparation of media releases. Exhibitions
including Dinosaurs of Darkness, Sustainability WA, Kemet Deshret: Black Land, Red Land—a
Glimpse of Ancient Egypt and Baudin: The French Connection attracted substantial media
attention.
The Museum’s curatorial staff and their research activities have also been highlighted on television
and radio, and in newspapers and publications such as Intersector. Events such as the
Sustainability WA and MuseumLink launch, the Maritime Museum’s building handover in May
and the ‘Twilight Preview’ function in the new Maritime Museum resulted in considerable publicity
for the Museum.
Tracks, the Museum’s quarterly magazine, continues as an important marketing tool to
communicate with both internal and external audiences. With a new design and an emphasis
on a range of stories, the publication promotes the many different faces of the Museum: public
programs, exhibition design, fieldwork, events, documentaries, online information and activities
at the different Museum sites.
Museum officers perform a key role as the public face of the Museum. They provide information
to assist visitors, and maintain security and public safety. As part of an ongoing process of role
evaluation, Marketing is working with officers to introduce new uniforms, improve customer
service and increase public interaction.
The Museum continues to be a popular venue for functions. Groups who held functions at the
Perth site during the year include the Office of Multicultural Interests, Woodside Energy, the
State Heritage Convention, Anglican Homes, the WA Performing Arts Academy, Western Mining
Corporation, Austereo, Hogan and Partners, HLB Mann Judd and the Arthritis Foundation.
In a partnership with WorkCover, the Museum was the venue for the launch of Injury Awareness
Week, with a breakfast for 120 people in the Hellenic Gallery. The Museum benefited from
WorkCover’s advertising and publicity and in turn provided WorkCover’s guests with a unique
Museum experience including a tour of the Diamonds to Dinosaurs gallery and a presentation
by a Museum curator.
Another popular event was the launch of WAMCAES, a community-based education program
providing the public with an opportunity to extend their knowledge of Egyptian society and
culture. The launch event, with guest speaker Karin Sowada of the Nicholson Museum at Sydney
University, attracted more than 150 people. Guests also took the opportunity to view the exhibition
Kemet Deshret: Black Land, Red Land—a Glimpse of Ancient Egypt.
Exhibition and Design
Western Australian Museum–Geraldton
The thrust of this year’s efforts for the Exhibition and Design Department have centred on the
completion of exhibitions for the new gallery spaces. The first was the Shipwrecks Gallery,
which was officially opened to the public by the Hon. Dr Geoff Gallop, Premier of Western
Australia, on 13 August 2001. This gallery contains some of the Museum’s most treasured
artefacts, including those associated with the four VOC shipwrecks. Since its opening, it has
proved to be highly popular, capturing the imagination of many visitors. It stands as a testament
not only to the skills of the Exhibition and Design Department but also to the commitment of the
Western Australian Museum to its regional branches.
WESTERN AUSTRALIAN MUSEUM ANNUAL REPORT 2001–2002