Not long ago I went to Yaroslavl, a city that is part of the “Golden Ring” of our country. I was there, at the Museum of Music and Time. The director of this museum, D. Mostovsky, simply a magnificent circus artist, collected bells from a very young age. Everyone laughed at him, called him a fool, an idiot, etc. Nobody wanted to understand the person’s hobbies. Even his wife did not share his views. That’s what she said: “Don’t believe the people who laugh at you because of the bells, they just don’t know that you are a fool from birth.” Time passed, the collection of bells grew - these were bells with the inscription “Take me, give me,” and bells with which the troikas traveled, etc.
Simultaneously with the collection of bells, a collection of watches gradually began to appear... The watches, I must say, are unusual. For example, the grandfather clock of the German company Sauer has 30 different melodies. The restoration of each specimen took from three to five years. Every watch is time, every time is a second, every second is a moment in history, and also the fate of the owner.
Some clocks were translated by A.P. Chekhov himself, others were translated by F.I. Chaliapin. The man, remaining retired after leaving the Circus, began to think about how to live further and the idea of creating a private museum not subject to the state came into his head. He immediately grabbed onto it and began to implement it.
The first thing he did was to purchase a half-deserted house of a local merchant and place his collection on three floors.
Nobody believed him that he could raise this house to its feet, everyone said, “Why do you need it - don’t go there.” Despite all the shouting, he still bought it and restored it. And he makes a profit from it. But, like everywhere else, he has to sell all sorts of little things and souvenirs - this constitutes his main income.
But the most interesting thing he does is play the organ-organ before the group leaves, and people leave him as much as they can. His income is so great that at the moment he bought the Organ in Germany and is restoring a separate building near his museum especially for it. In five years people will be walking in the park and listening to J. S. Bach.
Today, many businessmen of Vladimir, Tula, Yaroslavl. They open their own private museums because it is a profitable and very profitable investment. For example, in Tula, one businessman opened a museum of teapots and a museum of irons. What's interesting is that people go there.
Creative people take an unconventional approach to entrepreneurship, turning a hobby into a business. Opening a museum: features, profitability, business plan for implementing an original project with calculation of return on investment.
The museum is often associated with historical and monumental areas - local history, art, military. In fact, exhibition exhibits can be absolutely any thing, the main thing is that there is interest from the general public. Often the idea of organizing a museum as a business comes to the mind of an accomplished collector, and then all that remains is to resolve administrative issues.
Advantages and disadvantages
Before starting to implement the idea, it is necessary to evaluate the advantages and disadvantages of the project to open an exhibition hall:
| № | pros | Minuses |
| 1 | The activity is not licensed, no special permits or approvals are required. | Expensive, good location of the premises. If the place is rented, then there is a risk of termination of the contract and moving the collection, you will have to start all over again. |
| 2 | An entrepreneur is able to do all the work independently. Extensive staffing is only required in large museums. | Business usually has a seasonality and a shift in the bulk of visits towards weekends. |
| 3 | If a novice businessman has rare and unusual objects, this increases the likelihood of successful business development. | To adequately assess the significance of a collection, it is necessary to have special knowledge and skills. |
When implementing a business idea, you need to pay attention to critical points. For example, create a museum schedule so that people have the opportunity to visit the institution on Saturday and Sunday, as well as in the late evening hours.
Instructions for action
If we are not talking about the “museum at home” format, then first you need a business plan with calculations of basic indicators both for the ideological mastermind of the project and for attracting outside investors:
- Enterprise concept.
- Registration with government agencies.
- Selection of premises.
- Repair and equipment.
- Staff.
- Advertising.
- Financial calculations.
The steps are standard for the development of any business, but each has its own characteristics.
Concept
In the museum business, it is important to decide on the format and theme of the institution. People's tastes change quickly, so universal and enduring values are chosen, or, conversely, something shocking. For example, a lot of thrill-seekers go to the museum of erotica or instruments of torture.
In cities with an initial tourist focus, it’s easier - people come to relax, try to get new experiences and broaden their horizons. Such a contingent will come to the museum on its own; the owners’ task is to clearly indicate their presence on maps, reference books, and guidebooks. A lot of effort is put into attracting an audience and creating a place of pilgrimage to an ordinary, unremarkable place.
Museums are usually of 2 types:
- in room;
- open air.
There are also mono-museums and a mix of various topics united under one roof.
A good solution would be to combine entertainment and educational functions, for example, as is done in the Darwin Museum, with elements of a show program, color music, and demonstration of film materials. Another niche in business is targeting a narrow range of interests of a large audience.
This path was chosen by the museum of UFOs, boxing, and vintage cars. Fans in these areas number in the thousands, and constant updating of exhibits ensures a steady flow of customers.
The artistic direction is considered traditional - galleries and passages with paintings, photographs, installations. Visitors are always given the opportunity to purchase their favorite works.
Any private museum, created not for the sake of pure art, but for financial gain, receives a significant part of its income from the sale of additional services, the sale of original exhibits or copies. Often a fee is charged for permission to film and photograph on the exhibition grounds.
Before opening your own museum, it is important to make sure that a similar institution does not operate in the city and surrounding area. Otherwise, the idea is doomed to failure - visitors will go to a well-known and popular place. Even if you use advertising resources to the maximum, attracting an already small audience from competitors will be too expensive and unprofitable.
Registration
Once the main direction of activity has been chosen, you need to officially register the business. You can register a museum in 2 options:
- Private enterprise in the form of LLC or individual entrepreneur.
- Non-profit association.
In the second case, the emphasis is not on making a profit, but on acquiring national-cultural status, with support from the state and subsidized activities.
If the theme of the exhibition concerns archaeological finds and valuable exhibits, then it is necessary to obtain approval from the Ministry of Culture. Otherwise, no special permits or licenses are required.
What documents are needed to open a private museum?
It is necessary to choose the legal form in which the museum will exist; for a small institution, you can get by as an individual entrepreneur .
An LLC is often registered. There are known cases of museums being created in the form of a non-profit organization. If you have any questions, you can consult for free via chat with a lawyer at the bottom of the screen or call by phone (consultation is free), we work around the clock.
This does not deprive the owner of the opportunity to maintain commercial loyalty, but increases the chances of receiving financial assistance from the state.
Room
The area for placing exhibits is selected for the intended purpose. If you are planning an open-air museum, then you need a plot of land with a lease term of more than 20 years or purchased as a property.
Any room is suitable for a closed exhibition. Organizers specifically choose abandoned production areas to save money and for the sake of large space. Small exhibitions are placed in halls with a small square footage. Since several people are expected to be present in the room at the same time, it is calculated for a minimum of 40 square meters. m.
Basic requirements for the premises:
- separate location;
- access for vehicles and parking space;
- installation of fire and security alarm systems;
- availability of communication systems.
It all depends on the specific type of collection and the form of implementation of the project. Rental payments will be part of the fixed costs of the business, so it is better to find a profitable option in advance. If it is known in advance that the exhibition will be open for several months a year, then it is beneficial to conclude an agreement only for this period.
When renting premises, there is a risk of contract termination. Since location stability is a key factor in museum activities, the best solution would be to invest in real estate.
What equipment to choose for a private museum
Most museums display exhibits in glass cases .
They will protect the collection from dirt, dust and sunlight, and from the touch of visitors. Showcases can be floor-mounted, wall-mounted, equipped with mirrors, and so on. Be sure to purchase equipment that can be locked. Lighting is equally important. You will have to take care of spot lighting of exhibits and general lighting of the hall. This is the required minimum. If you have any questions, you can consult for free via chat with a lawyer at the bottom of the screen or call by phone (consultation is free), we work around the clock.
In addition, museum activities use:
- holograms;
- dioramas;
- projectors;
- plasma;
- sound equipment;
- information kiosks.
All this will make the exhibition bright and memorable. If there is a desire to blur the line between the visitor and the exhibit, of course you can make an open demonstration and allow you to touch museum objects, but with a large flow of visitors they will not last long. It is better to organize a separate interactive area where visitors can take plenty of photographs with special exhibits donated.
Repair and equipment
The design of the premises is carried out in accordance with the overall design of the project. In some cases, repairs are not carried out. For example, in an open-air museum, an area is fenced off, and exhibits are placed on the territory according to a developed plan. In a traditional exhibition hall, a thematic design may be needed, which requires redevelopment, restoration or complex renovation work.
Typically, a museum needs to install:
- Fire and security alarms.
- Shelving structures.
- Showcases.
- Fastening systems for walls, floors, ceilings.
- Furniture for visitors.
Most often, exhibitions are held indoors, so it is necessary to take care of high-quality lighting in the halls and equip exhibits with additional lighting.
If an interactive model of museum functioning is provided, then screens, a stereo system, and computer panels will be required. To prevent damage to the collection, exhibits are protected from direct contact with people. But most visitors are attracted by the opportunity to touch interesting things, so it makes sense to designate an area where some objects are allowed to be viewed up close.
The museum needs a department to provide additional services - selling goods and souvenirs, a photo platform, holding master classes. It is necessary to allocate a small area for the needs of personnel, administration and sanitation.
Staff
Large-scale museum projects involve a large number of employees:
- tour guides;
- collection specialists;
- managers;
- organizers of performances;
- auxiliary workers;
- security guards;
- accountant.
The owner can organize and present a modest exhibition independently, engaging third-party organizations for certain needs - advertising, security, record keeping.
It is better to recruit specialists with experience in the museum field. Private business attracts employees from government institutions with increased salaries and a variety of activity formats. Therefore, with sufficient funding, it will not be difficult to hire qualified personnel.
You can download it here for free as a sample.
The initial stage of launching a project to open your own museum will not be without advertising costs. If the target audience is clearly defined and small in number, then it is enough to create a high-quality optimized website, pay for first places in search results and post information on thematic forums.
In a situation where the museum was conceived for a wide range of visitors, it is necessary to act on a larger scale:
- Cooperation with educational institutions and municipal authorities.
- Installation of signs and information boards in crowded places.
- Internet advertising.
- Advertisements in the media.
- Representation of interests at thematic conferences and exhibitions.
- Concluding agreements on mutually beneficial work with competitors - domestic and foreign.
A traditional museum, housed in a large room, can provide rooms for exhibitions of exhibits from other areas, thereby expanding the audience, which at the same time will become familiar with the main collection.
Museums conduct educational, entertaining and educational activities. The more actively excursions, lectures, and master classes are organized, the more famous the institution becomes and the flow of visitors increases.
Video: how to open a private museum in Russia.
Defining the topic
The choice of topic is determined by a number of factors:
- The presence or absence of experience in the museum field. If there is no experience, consultations with specialists – professional museum workers and collectors – are necessary.
- Knowledge of the topic. There is no point in choosing an unfamiliar topic - this is a sure sign of failure. For a project to be successful, an entrepreneur must work with topics familiar to him or gain this knowledge - by reading literature, communicating with colleagues, attending conferences and webinars of professionals.
- Having our own collections. Most private museums were formed from private collections and gradually expanded. Having your own collection is a big plus. Most famous museums were formed on the basis of such collections.
- Competition. All existing museums are potential competitors. The primary task is to lure visitors from them. This will not be easy, but it is quite achievable with the right approach to the project and a good advertising campaign.
- Tourist attractiveness of the region. For example, creating your own museum enterprise in St. Petersburg or Crimea is much more profitable than somewhere in the outback.
When choosing a topic, it is necessary to take into account all these factors; they are all interconnected and complement each other.
Additionally, it is necessary to analyze the target audience. It will show how visited a museum on a particular topic will be.
Since the primary task of an entrepreneur is to make money from visitors, this factor should be the main one.
After choosing a topic, you need to decide on the type of enterprise.
There are two types of museums:
- closed;
- open air.
Financial calculations
To determine the amount of investment and profitability of the museum, it is necessary to have information about traffic, seasonality, and ticket prices. For example, to open a weapons exhibition in a closed room of 50 square meters. m. will need to be invested (subject to ownership of the collection and building):
If the costs include the purchase of premises and exhibits, then the cost of launching the project increases by 3-10 times. The collection may belong entirely to the entrepreneur, or some of the items may be borrowed from another place - there are a lot of nuances regarding the formation and evaluation of the exhibition.
Fixed monthly costs include:
- Communal expenses;
- salary;
- taxes;
- advertising;
- administrative.
As time passes and the museum's popularity grows, marketing costs will drop to a minimum, although activities to attract visitors cannot be completely stopped. Average monthly business expenses are 250,000 rubles.
Visiting exhibitions costs Russians at least 50 rubles, the average cost is 300 rubles. Pricing is based on the group nature of museum trips - families, school classes, tourist groups. The ticket price is above 500 rubles. unaffordable, so such prices are set by establishments aimed at a financially secure narrow category of clients.
With a work schedule of 2 days off per week, during the period of maximum activity the museum receives up to 50 people daily. Monthly income is 330,000 rubles, profit is 80,000 rubles, profitability is 24%. However, such indicators are achieved within a few months; the rest of the time, revenue barely covers costs. With a successful combination of circumstances, investments in the project will pay off in 2 years.
According to reviews from entrepreneurs who opened a private museum, this business is very specific. Even with large investments and correct calculations, it is easy to fail - the demand for museum treasures is almost impossible to predict.
One of the ways to earn income from the “for the soul” category is to organize your own museum
, and on a wide variety of topics.
Let us immediately make a reservation that a private museum can become a commercial project only if certain conditions are met.
:
1. Unique, unused theme;
2. Location in tourist areas; The most profitable are private museums in tourist destinations; For example, in small villages on the Black Sea coast. This is explained by the fact that tourists are attracted to these places by the opportunity to relax at sea, but since the villages are small, the entertainment package for tourists is usually very modest. In fact, only on vacation are people ready to make full use of every minute and, accordingly, spend a lot of money on leisure; One disadvantage of this orientation of a private museum is seasonality.
3. The museum must be part of another commercial project; For example, you are engaged in some kind of craft, making unusual souvenirs. In this case, you can organize a museum of your works, combined with a crafts store. Or you are the owner of a guest house on the sea coast. In order to attract guests specifically to you and provide them with quality leisure time, you can completely organize an original museum on the territory of your hotel. There can be many variations. A related revenue component of the museum, in addition to paying for visits, may be charging for photos with exhibits.
4. You can make the museum part of a commercial excursion program and charge payment to the organizers of the excursion route.
5. On certain days (for example, Friday, Saturday and Sunday) you can organize spectacular thematic performances (on your own or with the participation of invited actors). For example, a museum of medieval weapons and armor can organize impromptu knightly tournaments, etc. In a museum of ancient musical instruments, before visitors leave, you can play a barrel organ with a parrot on your shoulder, collecting “donations.” You can actively involve visitors in performances.
6. To attract visitors, you must create an online business card for it, otherwise no one will know about it, and residents in its location are unlikely to visit it regularly. The fact is that a museum is a specific entertainment facility, which is enough to visit just once, in some cases once a year. Thus, in order to generate income from museum activities, museum owners must take care of a constant influx of new visitors.
7. Ideally, to start such a project, you already own a suitable premises, since the business is not stable, and rent will need to be paid constantly.
Ideas for organizing private museums:
1. Fairy-tale characters;
2. Museum of Folk Crafts;
3. A thematic museum of a certain era or people;
4. Product Museum: Museum of chocolate, handmade soap, etc.
5. A museum with exhibits made from unusual materials (ice sculptures, wax museum, etc.)
6. Museum of Inventions and Technical Innovations;
7. Museum of private collections (paintings, records, bells, shells, etc.)
If you seriously intend to engage in this business, your activities should be registered in the appropriate organizational and legal form.
OKVED code 92.52 is suitable for registering museum activities
“The activities of museums and the protection of historical sites and buildings.”
The most optimal taxation system for conducting museum activities will be a simplified taxation system at a rate of 6% on income.
In order to start using it, you must submit an application to apply the simplified tax system when registering with the tax authorities.
In addition to ensuring a minimum tax burden, the simplified taxation system is also attractive due to the absence of the obligation to maintain accounting records and submit financial statements on time (there is no need to prepare a balance sheet, profit and loss statement, etc.).
Moreover, museum activities are classified as preferential activities
to apply
reduced rates of insurance contributions
to the Pension Fund, Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund and Social Insurance Fund (not 34% as for other organizations, but 26%).
Reduced insurance premium rates for the period 2011-2012 included
:
- Pension Fund - 18%,
- FFOMS - 3.1%,
- TFOMS-2.0%,
- FSS - 2.9%.
We remind you that insurance premiums are calculated from the salaries of museum employees.
Main conditions: application of the simplified tax system, income from museum activities must be more than 70%.
To open a museum, you need to solve almost the same problems as when opening a company.
Come up with an idea, preferably a competitive one, find permanent sources
Funding, premises in a public place, recruiting professional staff, etc.
STEP 1. IDEAS AND MOTIVATION
Absolutely any private museum begins with an interest in collecting. Once there are enough exhibits in the collection to put it on public display, it is worth clearly defining the motivation; it will largely determine the future museum policy. Whether you want to Open a Museum to display your collection, or to find
Like-minded people and create a club based on interests, or you want to make money (a rare case, Example - the Vodka Museum).
STEP 2. ROOM
The next step is the premises. “It makes sense to acquire ownership of the premises, it’s safer,” says Dmitry Shneerson, director of the private Museum of the History of Photography. “The main disadvantage of rented premises is the ever-increasing rental rates.” There is another way - to look for a sponsor, for example, a large enterprise or institution that could house a museum in its building, or try to obtain premises for a cultural institution from the Municipal authorities on a preferential lease basis. Thus, the Anna Akhmatova Museum, created on a private initiative, became a departmental museum. Silver Age" in Avtovo, and several museums received municipal premises for rent, including the Vladimir Deryabkin Museum of Gramophones and Phonographs.
STEP 3. STAFF
Even a small museum should have at least 5 Employees. The second person after the director is conditionally the main custodian. He must understand the Funds, keep records, know where each Item is located, when and what exhibits should be restored, etc. Often he also performs the Function of the Curator of Exhibitions and decides which exhibits can be offered for exhibition. You will also have to provide for the position of an accountant and a cleaner, you may need to preserve exhibits, a computer technician to service equipment and maintain the Internet site, as well as a tour guide, preferably with knowledge of a foreign language.
STEP 4. BUDGET
If the museum operates in its own premises, then among the main monthly expenses are Salaries, utility bills, restoration, website maintenance, printing - leaflets,
Posters, brochures. The costs of purchasing exhibits from a private museum are not standardized. It is even impossible to guess in advance how much you will be able to purchase a new item for.
Some exhibits can be received for free: donors like that their item will be in the museum.
It is considered unsafe to discuss the value of the collection among private museum workers. “As soon as we start talking about what it costs, people will decide that we receive Gifts and sell them for crazy money,” says Dmitry Shneerson. — Therefore, in our museum there are no paid Services at all. We don’t sell tickets, books, photographs, we don’t rent out cameras, otherwise suspicions will immediately begin that this is a shop, a cover for a serious commercial structure.” Museum income comes from entrance fees and excursions. Charitable donations, less often - grants for projects. To earn money and achieve payback, you can rent out premises, for example, for presentations and special events.
STEP 5. ACTIVITY
In addition to setting up a permanent exhibition, it makes sense to hold temporary exhibitions from your own funds and in collaboration with other collectors or artists. This is a good news opportunity: announcements of exhibitions appear in media posters, which increases the flow of visitors. Thus, the Museum of the History of Photography holds exhibitions of Russian and foreign photographers, and the private Doll Museum hosts exhibitions from private collections. The non-state Nabokov Museum also hosts concerts, lectures, and performances.
Dmitry Shneerson, director of the Museum of the History of Photography and chairman of the board of the Era Foundation fund for effective management of assets, opened his museum out of great love for photography.
$2 - 5 thousand - monthly costs for maintaining a private museum in its own premises, not counting the purchase of exhibits.
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A museum is a type of entertainment business and opening it requires the same approach. Let's consider the main advantages and disadvantages of starting a business, key success factors, as well as financial indicators of the business (cost structure and profitability). Let us examine the choice of the form of organization of a legal entity to open a museum. In this article we will look at how to open a museum from scratch.
How to: How to open a museum?
In St. Petersburg, the creation of a new museum is announced about once a month. So the exhibition of Daniil Kharms’s things threatens to find a permanent home. A street art museum was recently opened in the Krasnogvardeisky district. And Brodsky’s museum-apartment has remained a project for 12 years. We tried to figure out what steps the creator of a private exhibition should take.
Eros Museum
Select a topic
In order to open your own museum, you first need to decide what you will exhibit in it. There is no law that would clearly state what can be a museum exhibit and what cannot. So you can choose anything you want.
| Olga Kosterina, manager of the Puppet Museum and curator of social projects: The creation of any private museum is a story of passion, sincere and, as a rule, long-lasting. Of course, a good business idea can be added to this, but it will always be in the background. The idea of creating our museum appeared 30 years ago. Director Galina Varenyuk has been collecting dolls for a long time. When the collection had already become quite impressive in size, familiar museum workers advised creating conditions for its display not only to relatives and friends, but also to ordinary people.” |
| Alexander Rugaev, one of the founders of the St. Petersburg Museum of Erotica: In St. Petersburg at the time of the creation of our project, there were world-class museums on almost all topics - except erotica. Considering the rich erotic history of our city and the fascination with eroticism of many Russian emperors, we decided to correct this situation. Historical exhibits were mainly collected from private collections. Many modern exhibits were made specifically for the opening.” |
Erarta Museum
Please register
A private museum must receive the status of a legal entity. To do this, it is best to register a non-profit organization, but a limited liability company is also possible. The taxation of a private museum will depend on the type of legal entity chosen, the ownership of property and many other points. To obtain official museum status, you must have evidence that your exhibits have cultural or historical value. To do this, you first need to conduct an appropriate examination, then submit an application for registration of exhibits in the State Catalog of the Museum Fund of the Russian Federation.
| Olga Kosterina: The Puppet Museum is a non-profit organization, or to be more precise, a non-profit institution. To be officially called a museum, the organization must be non-profit, otherwise its name is “gallery”, “cultural center”, etc. Registration takes place in a special department of the Ministry of Justice (note - not in the tax office)" |
| Alexander Rugaev: To simplify the process, we registered our museum as an LLC in order to meet the opening time for Valentine’s Day.” |
"Museum of Power"
Find a room
Convenient location for a museum is a fairly significant condition for its success. Of course, if you are sure that people will go to the outskirts for your exhibits, you can save on renting space in the central areas of the city. But keep in mind that according to the law, museums must be located in premises specially adapted for exhibiting and storing museum objects and collections, remote from fire-hazardous objects (gas stations, parking lots, etc.), factories and factories that pollute the air. The suitability of the museum location is determined taking into account the conclusion of the fire service and the sanitary and epidemiological station. There are no special requirements for the size of the premises.
| Olga Kosterina: There are no special discounts or forms of support for private museums, but there are significant government discounts for all non-profit organizations. You will pay utility bills at the general rate." |
| Alexander Rugaev: Our premises are unique, with palace interiors. The search took about a year." |
Erarta Museum
Make repairs
You can decorate the space you find on your own or turn to professionals for help. Whether or not to involve a designer depends on the concept of the museum and your own talents.
| Olga Kosterina: If you do not claim to be unique in terms of space design, then it is not necessary to call a designer. If funds allow, then of course it is better to consult with professionals.” |
| Alexander Rugaev: Repairs take at least 2-3 months, it is advisable that designers at least provide consultations.” |
St. Petersburg Puppet Museum
Assemble a team
The required minimum is a curator who will oversee the condition of the exhibits, a tour guide, and an IT specialist who monitors the museum’s equipment and website. It is not necessary to employ an accountant; the preparation of financial documentation can be outsourced. And most importantly, when forming a team, look for passionate people with sparkling eyes.
| Olga Kosterina: The museum needs enthusiasts. Now the one-sided understanding of the museum as exclusively a “temple of the muses” is dying out. A modern museum is a space for dialogue between cultures, times, and people. In addition to curators, exhibitors and art historians, the museum now urgently needs specialists of various profiles: artists, psychologists, marketers, management specialists, actors, philologists. Passionate, knowledgeable people who will be able to bring something new to the traditional understanding. In order for the museum not to perish as an institution, it needs to develop as dynamically as the world around it. It is much easier and more promising to recruit young employees who experience all modern trends “first-hand” and understand the need for constant changes. At the moment, the Puppet Museum is staffed mainly by people under 25 years of age, and there are already permanent volunteers. Colleagues should not be afraid that the museum will turn into “I don’t understand what.” Generations can and should cooperate.” |
| Alexander Rugaev: The most important thing is good guides, preferably with knowledge of English. The main thing is to be able to tell an interesting story about the museum.” |
Make the most of your opening
Come up with an original concept, for example, write some beautiful legend about your project. Preferably 2-3 months before the official start, start telling journalists about the upcoming opening. If the event is really interesting, you are guaranteed media attention. In general, try to use as many channels as possible, based on your budget.
| Olga Kosterina: You definitely need to know the portrait of your potential visitor. If you contact everyone at once, nothing good will come of it. Come up with a bright promotion in partnership with someone already famous or alone. Gifts, performances, concerts, quests. It is a mistaken belief that you have to pay for everything. No need if you have an interesting project. Journalists are looking for a good news story - so what prevents them from being mutually useful? I speak as a person with a zero advertising budget (and every event of ours is covered on the Internet, television and radio). Many museums do not take advantage of this opportunity, but this is probably due to ignorance.” |
| Alexander Rugaev: You definitely need an interesting theme for the museum, plus good PR specialists.” |
Anna Akhmatova Museum
Earn money
Of course, most museums are not a very profitable investment. But there are examples of how such a project can become a commercially profitable event. The main thing is to arouse the interest of the public. In addition to the permanent exhibition, organize temporary exhibitions, involve other projects in cooperation, and hold events.
| Olga Kosterina: Any museum can really make money. Moreover, it is necessary for its development. Yes, it is very difficult, but possible. The simplest thing I can recommend is a souvenir shop. You can open it together with the museum. There is no need to sell exhibits. It’s better to create a gallery at the museum (as Erarta did) and sell there what you specialize in. For example, we have demonstration workshops for creating souvenir dolls, where visitors can watch through glass how our craftsmen work, and downstairs in the store they can purchase the fruits of their labors at quite affordable prices. Unusual services, the possibility of holding holidays, special excursions for children and adults, games, master classes - all this brings profit. The notorious day of preferential visits will help to cope with the problem of accessibility and attract additional visitors.” |
| Alexander Rugaev: Most museums in the world rely on government assistance, but there are dozens of examples of commercially successful private projects. The most important thing in the success of a private museum is the positive feedback from its first visitors. Only under this condition will their acquaintances and friends also want to visit the museum. In this regard, we are somewhat similar to theater and cinema. In addition to entrance tickets, you can earn money by selling souvenirs, for example, with museum symbols, or reduced copies of exhibits. But exhibiting exhibits for sale in a museum is not very effective - people come there for new emotions, not expensive purchases.” |
Advantages and disadvantages of opening a museum
The main target audience of the museum: children, students and young people under 30 years old. There are many subtypes of museums aimed at their visitors. Let's look at the key advantages and disadvantages of starting a business.
| Advantages | Flaws |
| Easy to open | High rents for premises in the city center |
| Does not require a large number of personnel | Availability of expert knowledge in compiling the collection |
| A unique collection increases competitiveness and attractiveness to the target audience | Uneven distribution of visitors, most visitors occur on weekends, on weekdays from 19:00-22:00 |
Many famous museums began their existence with private collections, for example: the Tretyakov Art Gallery, the Museum of Soviet Slot Machines in Moscow, the Museum of Retro Cars, etc. A museum can be created as a commercial organization for the purpose of making a profit and providing its own financial support. If the museum relies on external funding, donations and contributions from participants to operate, then the museum is registered as an NPO (non-profit association).
The building reconstruction project is almost ready. Most likely, another shopping center will open on historical squares. The commercialization of the project is also indicated by the fact that a beer hall has already been opened on the ground floor of the plant. Many historians of Arkhangelsk hoped that the famous building would still be given over to an exhibition that would tell about the history of brewing in the North. By the way, it’s very interesting, because the “secret” of Surkov’s beer has not yet been revealed, and many modern brewers only copy the recipe.
— Now the question arises: can an object with a cultural function be attractive for investment? And what is this cultural function - the purpose of the building, its age or architectural features? - says Andrei Sokolovsky, co-owner of several interactive art projects. “We are accustomed to a clear division: a library cannot generate income, so it must be on the city’s balance sheet, and a shopping center is a commercial facility, so there is no place for a museum in it.
European trends are such that today museums and libraries are located in shopping centers, and large stores are located in museum complexes. And cultural objects themselves can and should generate income. Only for this you need the right approach.
The average payback period for a new museum is about five years. However, you can earn income much faster if you know some of the secrets of running a museum business.
— If we talk about art, then creating a high-quality museum collection requires significant investments. The museum, of course, cannot pay for itself only through the sale of entrance tickets; its income is hardly enough to support economic activities,” notes Alexander Gubanov, executive director of the online art auction “ARTLOT 24” in St. Petersburg. — A successful business model of a modern museum involves having its own gallery and infrastructure facilities that provide additional monetization opportunities.
Among the private museums that successfully use this model in St. Petersburg are the Erarta Museum of Contemporary Art and the Faberge Museum.
Thus, one of the types of additional income can be called the holding of temporary commercial exhibitions by the museum, tickets for which may cost more than for visiting the permanent exhibition of the museum. In addition to exhibitions, the museum may host other third-party events - lectures, master classes, presentations, concerts.
Also, almost every museum has its own “exit through a souvenir shop” - an additional source of income from a museum store that sells themed books, postcards, souvenirs and miniature copies of sculptures. An initiative group of Arkhangelsk search engines decided to follow approximately the same principle of creating a museum. In December, a new “Military Museum” opened in the capital of Pomerania; its exhibits included things found during the expeditions. Visitors can learn about military operations during the Intervention and the Great Patriotic War on the territory of the Arkhangelsk region.
“Visitors can also get acquainted with the work of search engines and their unusual finds,” says one of the founders of the “Military Museum” Alexey Sukhanovsky. — The ticket price is average in this segment - about 300 rubles. All exhibits can be touched with your hands - this is one of the trends to attract visitors in the modern museum business.
Deputy Director for Development of the Art Deco Museum Marina Björnsgård believes that in order to ensure attendance at the exhibition, a number of conditions must be met. Firstly, it should present unique samples, secondly, it should be geographically accessible and, thirdly, provide a high level of communication (excursions and educational projects based on the exposition).
— In order for people to come to the museum, it is necessary to surprise. Often they try to achieve this using modern lighting or graphic effects. The most promising direction now is interactive museums, where the visitor not only walks through the halls, but also performs some actions himself and interacts with exhibits. This could be, for example, a “fun science museum” or a petting zoo. This idea looks promising for a province that has not yet been spoiled by such entertainment,” notes Oleg Tkach, financial director of the Greenwood trade and exhibition complex.
The Northern Maritime Museum in Arkhangelsk has also thought about how to attract visitors. A renovated building in the city center, new exhibitions and the maritime theme itself, it would seem, should attract visitors and, therefore, generate income.
“We have come to the conclusion that if we do not organize presentations and various events in the museum and do not work with travel agencies or with schools, then the flow of visitors will be very small, not like at shopping centers,” he believes. O. Director of the Northern Maritime Museum Evgeny Tenetov. — I am sure that a museum, even the most modern one, cannot generate income. At best, it can work for zero - earn money for its own development.
According to Tenetov, a museum or art space is always a point of growth for the development of a territory.
As Elena Dmitrieva, head of the Kolomenskaya Pastila cultural and production cluster, notes, in small towns the appearance of a museum or cultural facility stimulates the opening of related businesses, increases the value of real estate, and makes it possible to create new goods and types of economic offer, the main of which is not knowledge, but impression .
Nowadays, most of the museums opening in the North-West regions are aimed at tourists. Basically, these are small exhibitions dedicated to some folk craft, where the main role is played by an interesting story from the guide and a visit to a large souvenir shop.
“A good move is the organization of a museum in which the historical part is combined with the entertainment part, for example, like in the Museum of Soviet Slot Machines,” notes Anna Karganova, director of the Foundation for Russian Abstract Art.
Private museums have followed approximately this path and are opening in tourist-attractive areas of the Arkhangelsk, Murmansk regions and Karelia. Time will tell whether they will survive, and competent strategic planning can help them with this.
How to open a private museum from scratch: business registration, taxation
To register with the tax office, a private individual is created: an individual entrepreneur or an LLC. The table below analyzes the main advantages, as well as the necessary list of documents for each form of business. When registering under OKVED, select your main activity:
92.52- “Activities of museums and protection of historical sites and buildings”
| Form of business organization | Benefits of use | Documents for registration |
| IP ( individual entrepreneur ) | Used to open a small, narrowly themed museum (80-100m²). Number of personnel 1-2 |
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| LLC ( limited liability company ) | Used for opening a large museum (>100 m²), attracting additional funding, scaling, capital construction |
According to the law, the authorized capital of an LLC cannot be less than 10,000 rubles! |
The optimal choice of taxation system for a museum would be the simplified taxation system (STS)
with tax on income at an interest rate of 6% (provided that more than 70% of income is generated through museum activities!).
In addition, the activities of museums are classified as preferential types and for them reduced interest rates on insurance contributions to the Pension Fund, Social Insurance Fund and Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund are applied - 26%, while for other types of activities it is 34%.
Business organization
If you have any questions, you can consult for free via chat with a lawyer at the bottom of the screen or call by phone (consultation is free), we work around the clock.
Registration
Any business must be registered. There are two registration options:
- entity;
- individual entrepreneur.
Most private museums in Russia are registered as individual entrepreneurs. There is no need to register the status of a legal entity. To obtain an individual entrepreneur, the following documents are required:
- Copy of the passport.
- Receipt for payment of state duty.
- Application on form P21001.
- Application to the tax office.
To register an individual entrepreneur you need:
- Apply. There are two ways - at your place of residence and via the Internet. The second option is the most common.
- Select OKVED code. This code tells the authorities how the type of business activity is registered.
- Write an application (form P21001).
- Pay a state fee of 800 rubles.
- Register with the tax office.
ATTENTION: new entrepreneurs are recommended to use the simplified taxation system (STS).
There are known examples of registering private museums as non-profit associations. This status does not prohibit an entrepreneur from deriving commercial benefits from his activities and gives him the opportunity to receive financial support from the state.
Location and search for premises
The ideal place is the cultural or historical center of the city. The main flow of visitors are tourists. Most of them will not look for a museum on the other side of the city, especially if it has just opened and has not yet gained mass popularity. Pros of opening a museum in the city center:
- convenient transport interchange;
- higher flow of visitors.
- high rent - you will have to compete with large offices and enterprises for which high rental costs are not a problem;
- The dense development of the city center creates difficulties for organizing a tourist destination - this means additional expenses for rent.
If you have any questions, you can consult for free via chat with a lawyer at the bottom of the screen or call by phone (consultation is free), we work around the clock.
Museums that cannot afford rent in the city center also find a way out - they open in abandoned industrial and historical sites - factories, workshops, military hospitals, barracks, libraries, galleries, houses where prominent personalities lived. If there is no money to rent or buy premises, exhibitions can be shown in other museums. They will take part of the profit for themselves, but will independently resolve all organizational issues.
Exhibits
The exhibitions of private museums are formed through:
- private collections;
- rental of individual exhibits or entire collections in other museums.
REFERENCE: The first museums in Russia were formed on the basis of private collections. Thus, the Hermitage, which appeared in 1764, was initially replenished only by private collections. For example, the famous Siberian collection of gold jewelry first belonged to Peter the Great and only in the second half of the 18th century was transferred from the Kunstkamera to the Hermitage, where it is still stored.
Recruitment
Personnel selection is an important and responsible moment. The staff is the face of the museum. The success or failure of this business depends on how well he performs his work.
Location and premises for the museum
Museums often require large spaces and premises ranging from 300 to 1000 m². Large premises increase rent and fixed costs for a business. Rental costs are especially reflected in large cities: Moscow, St. Petersburg, Yekaterinburg, where in the city center the cost of 1 m² starts from 10,000 rubles. The difficulty of opening a museum in the center forces it to compete with business facilities and offices with high rents. Therefore, museums are often opened in former industrial facilities: power plants (Tate Modern gallery in London), wineries (Winzavod Museum in Moscow). If the premises are small, up to 300 m², then it will be more economically profitable to buy the premises; for larger areas, renting is more profitable.
Since museums are classified as entertainment establishments, the location should be in places where residents relax or visit tourists. An important feature when choosing a museum location is its walking accessibility; the closer it is to places of recreation and busy crowds, the more likely it will be to attract more visitors. Park areas are excellent, for example, Gorky Park in Moscow, where the Garage and the Central House of Artists (CHA) are located nearby, next to VDNKh there is the Cosmonautics Museum, and next to the Moscow Planetarium Zoo. Most cultural objects are located in the city center (more than 80% of museums in Moscow are located within the boulevard ring) and in close proximity to each other, which creates a cultural and entertainment cluster.
If you do not have the original premises, you can organize exhibitions of exhibits on the premises of other museums. To do this, you need to agree on the presentation of your collection and its advertising.
Museum staff
The main staff of the museum: an expert who keeps track of newly arriving exhibits, a guide, an accountant, a content manager who provides support and content for the site. If the collection is aimed at foreign tourists, then the role of a guide who speaks English, German or Chinese is important. It should be noted that museum exhibits are accounted for in accounting as fixed assets and are not subject to depreciation.
There are many interesting museums and collections, we have listed 5 interesting museums.
- “International UFO Museum and Research Center” (Roswell, New Mexico, USA) - was founded in 1991 and is a collection of photographs and UFO sightings. Aimed at fans, science fiction writers and lovers of esotericism.
- “Star Wars Museum” is a museum of lovers and admirers of the cult film “Star Wars”.
- “Museum of Soviet Slot Machines” is for everyone born in the USSR and feeling nostalgic for that time.
- “Museum of Bad Art” (USA, Massachusetts) - collected from exhibits that are not prohibited from being shown in other museums.
- “Museum of Boxing” - aimed at amateurs and boxing professionals, opened in the Jean-Claude Boutieres Sports Palace in Sannois.
It can be noted that the success of the museum was due to its narrow focus on a specific target group
: science fiction writers, fans of the Star Wars movie, athletes, residents of the USSR, etc. It is important to take a sufficiently large target group when creating your museum, this will ensure a constant influx of visitors.
Costs of a private museum
Initial investment costs for opening a private museum are ~1,200,000 rubles. (furniture ~200,000 rubles, ~shelving ~100,000 rubles, showcases ~100,000 rubles, decoration and renovation of premises ~400,000 rubles, supply and exhaust ventilation ~500,000 rubles).
The biggest expense for a museum is compiling/purchasing copies of the collection!
Key fixed costs after the opening of the museum: rent of premises, including utility bills, wages, costs of maintaining the collection, promotion and advertising on the Internet, current costs of printing and other insurance costs with the Pension Fund of the Russian Federation, the Social Insurance Fund and the Compulsory Medical Insurance Fund. The main costs are for renting premises, so to reduce costs it is recommended to use: industrial facilities, ground floors, semi-basements in the city center. It is also recommended to create a reserve fund to pay key costs (rent and employee salaries) one year in advance, this will allow it to function even in the event of unfavorable market changes and losses.
Financial plan
Start-up investments and ongoing expenses
Initial investment:
- purchase or rental of premises – from 50 thousand rubles;
- purchase of furniture for exhibitions – 200 thousand rubles;
- purchase of equipment to support temperature and humidity conditions – 100 thousand rubles;
- payment of state duty – 800 rubles;
- advertising – 60 thousand rubles;
- employee salaries – 150 thousand rubles;
- purchase of exhibits – from 100 thousand rubles.
Income
The profitability of such an enterprise depends on:
- tourist attractiveness of the city;
- museum location;
- seasonality;
- presented exhibitions and public interest in them.
The average cost of an entrance ticket is 200 rubles. Additional income is the services of a guide and paid permission to photograph exhibits.
Guide services – 1000 rubles. The fee for using the camera is 100 rubles.
Monthly earnings – 400 thousand rubles.
Profit calculation
Every month the income from the museum’s work is 400 thousand rubles. Taxes, utility bills, and employee salaries are deducted from this amount.
Net profit – 200 thousand rubles.
Payback – from 1 year.
Museum business is not a new, but still relevant type of entrepreneurial activity. Most domestic museums were formed from private collections. You can still make money from this today. Exhibits can be purchased absolutely legally - without the fate of black archaeologists and other antiquity hunters.
