Sound bleed: what can we do? There are at least six solutions. Here are the first three. (The first one below is a little mind-blowing to some, but the most useful by far). A. Allow Overlaps. You can have way more overlap than you think. ...

In the competition for Most-Worried-About Technical Aspect of Exhibitions, there can only be one Greatest Of All Time: Sound bleed. Simply put, sound bleed happens when a visitor hears two or more different sound sources at once and finds it distracting. ...

Sexy browsing is when an interactive experience is the equivalent of an analog book, diagram or filing cabinet, but done with appealing technology. It’s not necessarily a bad thing. It’s just not the only thing. ...

Which is better, a media wall or a chain link fence? Let’s imagine two exhibition experiences, which I will invent at random: 1. Media Wall. A giant, 10-foot tall, 20-foot wide, high-resolution, interactive media wall. Next: 2. Chain Link Fence ...

“Want to get married under a giant extinct lizard skeleton?” ”I thought you’d never ask.” Exhibition halls and rotundas can make excellent event spaces. In convention centers, generic is the norm. But in museums, that doesn’t necessarily apply. ...

Strategies, principles, tricks, and tips abound. But the One Rule of Exhibitions stands alone [dramatic music]: Exhibitions are primarily a medium for communication. Half of the strategies we cover here at MtM relates to the One Rule. ...

“Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler.”  (Albert Einstein) This rule comes up regularly in exhibition planning discussions. For good reason. It’s applicable to every project we do. But wait, there’s more. ...

A colleague tells me that a metaphor of mine resonates with people she shares it with. It’s a slightly broader topic than the normal MtM beat. Here it is: There are pirates attacking the ship. Also, the ship is on fire. (Stay with me here.) ...

One day soon, that sparkly new tech will misbehave. And non-technical owner organizations likely won’t be able to keep up. How can we make our tech-heavy exhibitions less prone to failure? Here’s an easy idea, one I like partly for its blasphemy. ...

Quick, what’s your new exhibition based on? A. Thing-based. B. Idea-based. C. Wait, is this a trick question? If your exhibition is thing-based, you have amazing things for visitors, and you could match ideas with them. But let's look at B. (And C.) ...

What’s up with exhibition intro text? You know, that big wall at the entry, with hundreds of words, a title, and sponsor names? Yeah, let’s rethink that a sec. First, I’m sure we can all agree that we don’t need that many words. (Right?) ...

Fuzzy little words get projects in trouble. Saying “you are responsible for the script” is like saying “you are responsible for the building”. Yeah? Which part? Designing it? Building it? Maintaining it? Down with fuzzy little words. ...

A new kind of discussion has been coming up. Are you hearing it? It’s about the conflict between climate control inside museums — versus the climate crisis outside. Why is there a conflict? That will take a moment to explain. ...

Is there any organization for the exhibition field any more? A new initiative is picking up steam. Cybelle Jones, Steven Rosen, and George Mayer join host Jonathan Alger to discuss “A New Home for the Exhibition Community.” ...

What is the Paradox of Exhibitions? Exhibitions display collection items that we otherwise preserve and keep away from the public. We take them out of their drawers, their vaults. We bring them into the light. And while we do this, what happens? ...

Chronology is a common exhibition structure. But there are more twists on it than you think. Here are five ways to organize chronologically, starting with linear: events exhibited in the order they occurred. Maybe a flashback or two for clarity. Next ...

Quick, what’s your new exhibition based on? A. Thing-based. B. Idea-based. C. Wait, is this a trick question? Maybe you have amazing things to exhibit. You could match ideas with them. But it’s not a must. Or, maybe ...

Smart car shoppers consider both the cost of buying it and the cost of owning it. Why isn’t that a more standard step for our exhibitions? The average monthly payment on a new car is about $735 right now. Youch. But what's it cost to operate that car? ...

What’s a raisin muffin mostly made of? Raisins? (Stay with me.) Despite the name, a raisin muffin is mostly not raisins. It’s mostly muffin. Star billing goes to the less common ingredient. So, in exhibitions, the Raisin Muffin Principle states that: ...

Quick, what are the elements that make an exhibition what it is? Artifacts? Not always. Science center and children’s exhibitions often have no collection items. Platforms and vitrines? Not if there are no artifacts. Frames? Same. Walls? Nope. ...