2023 was another exciting and productive year for Cuseum! We formed valuable partnerships with diverse and dynamic organizations around the globe, welcomed new team members to the Cuseum family, and unveiled even more innovative products, research, and solutions.

In the past 12 months, we collaborated with a wide range of cultural nonprofits, as well as organizations and businesses dedicated to serving their members, visitors, and guests. This included partnerships with museums, zoos, aquariums, science and nature centers, associations, botanical gardens, universities, and public attractions of different shapes and sizes.

What is member loyalty worth? Imagine this – over a ten-year span, the value of a typical member outstrips that of a casual visitor by an astounding 4.5 times. Even more striking, renewed members contribute 66% more net revenue to organizations compared to new ones. In our rapidly evolving world, consumer choice and mobility are expanding at breakneck speed, propelled by the digital and e-commerce explosion during the pandemic. Unfortunately, this has precipitated a slide in customer retention and loyalty across industries. Consequently, cultivating member loyalty has become a critical necessity for organizations depending on the member revenue from for sustainable and robust growth.

Planning a Digital Membership Card launch or looking to boost engagement? Amplifying adoption is vital to your organization's success. We hosted a webinar featuring industry leaders Kelsey Brown, Membership Manager at the Oakland Zoo, and Melissa Smith, Director of Alumni Marketing and Special Events at the University of Tennessee Alumni Association, each of whom achieved a digital card adoption rate of over 70%. They provided invaluable insights and effective strategies to improve digital card usage and extract more value from membership initiatives. Dive in to learn key strategies and takeaways from their success story in ramping up digital card adoption rates.

Two weeks ago, we convened with more than 3,000 colleagues, partners, and museum professionals at #AAM2023, this year’s American Alliance of Museums (AAM) conference in Denver. The annual gathering was teeming with lively debates on an array of critical issues pertinent to museums, art, and culture - spanning areas like membership growth, development strategies, education, digital engagement, sustainability, and artificial intelligence.

Here we’ve identified a few key takeaways from #AAM2023 that will help equip museums and cultural organizations to meet rapidly shifting demands and confront emerging challenges of the digital era. Let’s dive in!

It’s just been one week since we joined over 3,000 peers, partners, and museum professionals at #AAM2023, the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) conference in Denver. The annual meeting was abuzz with riveting conversations touching every corner of the museum landscape - membership, education, digital engagement, sustainability, and even artificial intelligence. Among these enriching dialogues, the session titled "The Power of Data-Driven Member Research to Drive Growth and Build Resilience" stood out, generating excitement throughout the conference. Read on for some key highlights from the session (and an invitation to dive deeper into trailblazing member research)!

At Cuseum, we’re committed to streamlining membership operations to help you save time and cut costs – and so we’re thrilled to announce the rollout of our integration with Zapier to connect with even more CRMs and member management systems. 

With Cuseum’s new Zapier integration, launching a Digital Membership Card program at your organization will be easier than ever. Streamlined CRM integration means that tasks like importing member information, generating digital cards, and delivering cards to members is simple and effortless, saving you and your staff the time and headache of completing these processes manually.

In this post, we want to show you why we’re so psyched up about this new integration.

By leveraging Cuseum’s suite of digital tools, ballets, operas, theaters, and performing arts centers from the Tessitura ecosystem and of all types can streamline their processes, boost their revenue, and provide audiences with the ultimate experience.

In this blog post, we'll be exploring some amazing organizations that have successfully implemented our solutions to modernize their operations, increase engagement among members, and cultivate loyalty among their patrons.

Last year was an incredible ride for Cuseum: we forged exciting partnerships with game-changing organizations all around the world, welcomed inspiring new additions to the Cuseum family, and unveiled groundbreaking new products, research, and solutions. All-in-all, 2022 will go down as a banner year for our company. 

Over the last 12 months, we worked with an ever more diverse range of cultural nonprofits and visitor and member-serving organizations, including museums, zoos, aquariums, science and nature centers, botanical gardens, universities, and public attractions of all sizes. We launched innovative new digital solutions for membership, drove thought leadership in the art and culture sphere, and continued to help our partner organizations recover and thrive in the wake of the COVID-19 era.  2022 was alive with opportunities and connection - we thank all who were part of this journey. Here's wishing 2023 brings even more success on our mission toward deeper engagement between visitors, members, and donors alike!

As we head into the new year, join us in looking back at a few highlights from 2022!✨

Despite the growing need to engage constituents with more effective digital channels, institutions remain heavily reliant on email and snail mail. While these continue to be necessary pieces of an omnichannel approach, in 2022, they no longer yield the same results as they once did. Indeed, in our mobile-first world, channels like push notifications and text messaging are quickly supplanting email as the most effective way to reach consumers.

In response to the growing demand and interest in mobile methods of communication, Cuseum is thrilled to launch a new SMS Marketing & Text Messaging Software solution.

Over the course of 2021, we’ve worked with a growing and diverse range of cultural organizations, institutions of higher education, and member-serving organizations, including museums, zoos, aquariums, science centers, arboretums, botanical gardens, universities, and professional associations of all shapes and sizes. We’ve also published multiple industry-acclaimed reports on topics like membership and digital revenue streams, launched a leading-edge Member Portal product, and continued to innovate our mobile engagement solutions with AI and accessibility enhancements. We’ve examined new technology trends, like the growing discourse on NFTs, traveled (virtually) to over 25 conferences and speaking engagements, and won our very first Webby Award.

As we prepare to dive into 2022, join us in looking back on this 2021 highlight-reel!

We're thrilled to share some exciting news today: Cuseum has been shortlisted for the Digital Innovation in Art Award at the Investor Allstars.

According to .ART, the award honors “a cohort of creatives, who pushed the boundaries in an unprecedented turmoil during the year that has brought us online more than ever before.”

The Cuseum team is always working to provide a better experience for our clients and partners. As part of these efforts, we are excited to offer a special benefit to our customers: the Cuseum Community Forum. With this community, you will be empowered to take full advantage of Cuseum’s vast network of cultural organizations, universities, and associations to share knowledge and make the most out of our digital tools.

If you’re interested in getting active on the Community Forum, read on to learn how to join, how to use it, and more!

We're thrilled to share some big news today: Cuseum has won a Webby!

With this honor, Cuseum’s [AR]T Museum app has been awarded the title of best Art, Culture, and Event App in the “Apps and Software” category of the 25th annual The Webby Awards.

In today’s day and age, serving members, providing modern conveniences, and offering valuable benefits have never been more important for membership organizations. Indeed, for museums, attractions, nonprofits, universities, and associations, there is heightened urgency to attract and retain members with new perks and incentives.

At the same time, organizations are facing many challenges and inefficiencies: membership professionals often devote significant time and resources towards updating database records, answering redundant questions, and helping members access their benefits. These inefficiencies can likewise diminish the member experience, as constituents struggle to update their own information, access their membership benefits, and enjoy a seamless experience.

In response to these challenges, Cuseum is thrilled to announce the latest innovation in membership: the Member Portal.

Cuseum announced today that it has been nominated for Best Art, Culture, and Event App in the “Apps and Software” category of the 25th Annual Webby Awards. Widely recognized as the “Internet’s highest honor,” the Webby Awards celebrate excellence on the Internet. With this nomination, Cuseum’s Augmented Reality (AR) app, [AR]T Museum, has been singled out as one of the five best in the world in its category, and among the top 10% of nearly 13,500 projects worldwide. As a Webby Nominee, Cuseum joins the ranks of major brands including Google, HBO, and Comedy Central, along with renowned artists and celebrities Billie Eilish, James Corden, Jennifer Garner, Gordon Ramsay, Sir David Attenborough, and Bon Jovi.

More than ever before, museums and cultural attractions are working to improve accessibility and ensure audiences of all backgrounds feel welcome and able to visit. As organizations strive to implement new accessibility measures, a chief concern is developing experiences and content that are available in multiple languages. In response to this growing need for multilingual audio content, the Cuseum team is happy to announce an exciting new feature for our Mobile Engagement Platform: AI-powered Language Translation.

Today, Cuseum is happy to announce an exciting new functionality for our Digital Membership customers: extended support for Android and Google Pay. This new release will provide our partners with even more comprehensive support for mobile wallets, empowering them to offer their members the most seamless and up-to-date way to download and use digital membership cards.

Today, we’re happy to announce the unveiling of an exciting new Mobile Engagement feature: AI-powered Text-to-Speech. Aimed at enabling our mobile app customers to effortlessly serve their visitors better and faster, the launch of AI-powered Text-to-Speech means that all text-based app content can be instantly converted to a state-of-the-art audio format. In other words, even when no audio has been recorded and uploaded, audio content can be made available auto-magically, making every app a true audio guide.

Let’s learn more!

We’re psyched to announce that this week, Cuseum’s CEO & Founder, Brendan Ciecko, has been announced as a Forbes ‘Next 1000’ honoree.

2020 will go down in history as the year that everything changed. Between COVID-19, a social awakening, and unexpected events around every corner, the past year has been filled with unprecedented moments. These last 12 months have been transformative for Cuseum, and for the sectors we serve. As we step into these first days of the new year with much optimism and excitement, we want to look back at the past year and share many milestones, customer stories, and achievements with you.

Cuseum announced today the issuance of United States Patent No. 10,827,353 related to a new system for contactless venue admission. This latest patent represents the company’s dedication to delivering pioneering solutions that offer convenience and efficiency, as well as respond to the new challenges and demands faced by venues due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Cuseum’s CEO & Founder, Brendan Ciecko, was recently featured on Blooloop’s premiere “50 Museum Influencers” list, and we couldn’t be more proud. Blooloop’s 2020 list is designed to “shine a spotlight on 50 people whose innovation and creativity are helping museums through this uniquely challenging time.”

We’re so excited and honored to announce that Cuseum’s CEO & Founder, Brendan Ciecko, has been featured in the Artnet Intelligence Report’s Fall 2020 Innovators Issue, alongside 51 other talented and creative entrepreneurs, artists, dealers, and more! According to the Artnet, “at a time when the art industry is facing unprecedented challenges, we set out to identify the most forward-thinking people in the market today.”

This May, Cuseum announced the release of a new Augmented Reality (AR) feature that virtually transports famous artworks from museums into people’s homes. Through this new feature for Cuseum-powered apps, as well as through the [AR]T Museum app, people all around the world have been able to virtually place paintings and other objects onto their walls and revel in artworks that are typically only available to view inside a museum setting.

Now, we are excited to announce that [AR]T Museum has been featured by Apple as “App of the Day” and promoted globally across Apple’s App Store social media channels!

Partnerships have long been the backbone of the arts and cultural sector. Now, amidst the challenges related to COVID-19 and adapting to the “new normal”, partnerships are increasingly important to the continued success of museums and cultural attractions.

At Cuseum, we’re always excited to establish partnerships that can expand the offerings and opportunities available to the diverse organizations we work with. Now, more than ever, we’re committed to supporting museums, attractions, and nonprofits of all kinds as they rethink the visitor experience and introduce “contactless” options that can make visiting safe and seamless for guests. That’s why we’re thrilled to announce our partnership with accesso Technology Group (LON:ACSO), a premier technology solutions provider for attractions and venues worldwide.

In response to the new demand for immersive digital museum experiences, Cuseum is excited to announce the release of a new Augmented Reality (AR) feature that virtually transports famous artworks from museums into people’s homes, along with groundbreaking research on the neuroscience of how the brain perceives art through AR, VR, and other digital forms as compared to the original artwork.