How Award-Winning Museum STRAAT Used an OTA Partnership to Up Their Digital Marketing Game
Even though STRAAT Museum opened during the pandemic, it has already welcomed a range of talented street artists from around the world. But back in 2020 and 2021, when tourism had come to a halt, there was definitely a question of how to get a decent numbers of visitors to come. As Commercial Director Guy-Georges Trigallez said, “One of the biggest problems is the tourists — well, the lack of tourists.”
For connoisseurs of street art, STRAAT is an opportunity to see 150 curated works of art in one single place. “There aren’t many places like this, and definitely none as big as this one. For sure it’s the biggest street art museum in the world,” says David Roos, Curator at the STRAAT Museum.
Because of pandemic restrictions, the first full year the museum was technically open, it was only open 26 out of 52 weeks. Lockdowns stymied efforts to launch, and people were not exactly flocking to busy public spaces.
The museum managed to attract a fair amount of local walk-ins because of its great location, and made many ticket sales directly, via its website, thanks to local word of mouth. “But even though we’ve captured the attention of the local population, we need to reach the rest of the Netherlands – and the rest of the world,” says Trigallez.
“All these kinds of efforts around the pandemic were nice, and they worked. We were happy with the growing numbers of guests. Thanks to our internal marketing efforts, especially on our social media platforms where we’ve grown an audience in the tens of thousands from scratch, we are seeing growth. But we needed the international market too.”
To attract visitors from all over the world requires specific museum marketing strategies. Partnering with Tiqets as an OTA helped the STRAAT Museum extend its reach, provide strong social proof, and tap into experienced digital marketing for museums.
One of the biggest problems is the tourists
– well, the lack of tourists.”
Guy-Georges Trigallez
Commercial Director, STRAAT Museum
The Challenge
“In the know” is not enough to truly grow an attraction
Anne Frank has long been an iconic historical figure for Amsterdam, and now, thanks to a collaboration between the STRAAT Museum and Brazilian street artist Kobra, her likeness is larger than life. STRAAT is the world’s biggest street art museum, a concept that may have once seemed contradictory but which has now carved out an important place in the art world.
“With our museum,” says Roos, “we want to create context and tell the stories behind the artwork.” STRAAT’s goal is to bring more awareness to street art by inviting prominent artists to create dynamic artworks inside the giant industrial space.
Like street art itself, the history of STRAAT is rather grassroots. The building, located in an industrial area of Amsterdam called the NDSM Wharf, used to house a local flea market, IJ-Hallen, which has since moved outside. The building’s owner had noticed that a lot of local graffiti artists were using the empty building as a canvas. While he wasn’t a fan of all the art, he took the opportunity to leave some of it in place, and eventually, the space evolved into a full-scale ode to street art — a museum.
The authentic urban origin story of STRAAT didn’t necessarily lend itself to international exposure, however, and it is only a small part of the museum’s marketing strategy in general. The digital marketing team for the museum certainly doesn’t have an unlimited marketing budget or a lot of in-house resources, so spreading the message globally took the same spirit of creativity that went into the museum’s founding.
The Solution
Taking the grassroots message international with digital museum marketing
“In order to take some big steps in the beginning and have a bigger, global reach,” Trigallez says, “our strategy was to work with distribution partners.” At first, STRAAT partnered with Tiqets just on ticketing, but that relationship has started to evolve into more of a digital marketing partnership for the museum.
Working with a global OTA like Tiqets, and honing their own online marketing presence, enabled STRAAT to attract people from around the Netherlands when travel wasn’t yet happening. And eventually, that reach extended around the world. The content marketing opportunities Tiqets provides, as well as the built-in global reach of its audience, is a critical factor. As Trigallez says, “We are trying to juggle a lot of different balls. It’s really nice to have a partner who is helping to create marketing opportunities and get our name out there.”
We are trying to juggle a lot of different balls.
It’s really nice to have a partner who is helping to create marketing opportunities and get our name out there.”
Guy-Georges Trigallez
Commercial Director, STRAAT Museum
01
Worldwide web exposure
The promotional opportunities inherent in working with an OTA with a museum-specific marketing strategy are tremendous. In the case of STRAAT, Tiqets enabled the startup museum to participate in promotional packages that placed STRAAT on the same radar as more established museums.
Tiqets featured STRAAT in a prominent blog post called “An Insider Guide to Amsterdam’s Street Art Paradise” with an in-depth interview with David Roos. A dedication to giving smaller and newer attractions a voice is one of the major benefits Tiqets offers its partners.
It’s not all creative writing, though. For new museums, it’s critical to get ranked on Google, which is why, as Trigallez says, “From a marketing perspective, it’s important to get these kinds of articles circulating online. But it’s also important that it’s not just some fake text to get Google ratings. What Tiqets publishes is actually in depth and about our mission. We’re very happy with that.”
02
The proof is in the social proof
“One thing we noticed on Tiqets,” says Roos, “is that the reviews are good! Like, really good. Lots of people leave stories talking about how much they enjoyed it.”
Those good reviews are highly visible on Tiqets, and their visibility was elevated even more when STRAAT won the Best Museum award in the Netherlands category in Tiqets’ 2021 Remarkable Venue Awards. This accolade is awarded to museums and attractions based on customer reviews and popularity, so the award indicated that STRAAT Museum was already beloved and respected around and beyond the Netherlands.
The Remarkable Venue Awards also placed STRAAT Museum in the spotlight on Tiqets’ own website and social media platforms. And as a result, the media picked up on the accolade, and the promotional benefit gained steam.
One thing we noticed on Tiqets is that the reviews are good!
Like, really good. Lots of people leave stories talking about how much they enjoyed it.”
David Roos
Curator, STRAAT Museum
03
A true partner in museum marketing strategy
Partnership with Tiqets has enabled STRAAT Museum to remain cutting edge in its creative approach and still tap into an established, global museum marketing strategy. As more and more artists and aficionados of street art make their way to Amsterdam, STRAAT will stay true to its grassroots and strive to give a platform to the most talented street artists of every generation.
If you’re curious about how another Amsterdam-based museum leans into its OTA partnership to extend its reach, read about How Muiderslot Attracted a Millennial and Gen Z Museum Audience with the Right Marketing Partners.
Want to learn more about how you can partner with Tiqets or use the Tiqets Booking Engine to achieve similar success?
Read the latest blogs for museums, tours and attractions
Unlock Growth with Tiqets’ New Custom Packages
Tiqets’ Custom Packages give suppliers the option to customize ticket packages. You can combine any experience at your museum or attraction with that of another Tiqets supplier, giving you an automatic stream of passive income and increased clout with customers.
10 Years with Tiqets: Join Our Anniversary Campaign!
Join Tiqets 10-year anniversary campaign in celebrating a decade of unforgettable experiences with marketing activations and exclusive discounts
Interactive Exhibits and the Future of Tourism
Discover how attractions with interactive exhibits engage visitors, offering immersive experiences. Explore examples and get inspired!