Managing Your Own Exhibit Content
We build interactive installations for tourist information centres, museums and visitor centres. Along the way, we keep hearing the same question from organisations: how do we keep our exhibit content up to date without needing an external party every single time? The answer lies in content management through a custom CMS. A system like this gives staff the ability to update videos, text, audio and settings themselves, without technical knowledge and without any waiting time.
A Real-World Example: VVV Almere
For Almere City Marketing, we built two exhibits: ‘City in the Spotlight’ and the ‘Flevo Timeline’. Both installations tell the story of the city, but they were designed around one core requirement. The staff at VVV Almere needed to manage the content themselves. In City in the Spotlight, the team adds new videos, playlists and locations, and adjusts the colour, shape and position of the connected spotlight on the physical scale model. In the Flevo Timeline, new historical moments are added, complete with photos, video and spoken audio. That audio, played through a listening puck, reads the text aloud. This makes the exhibit accessible to visitors who prefer listening over reading.
What Content Management Through a Custom CMS Adds
Our CMS also supports features that go beyond editing text and images. The system generates QR codes that reappear in the exhibit interfaces, letting visitors continue reading at home or gain extra depth during their visit. Content is fetched once a day and stored locally on the machine, so the exhibit keeps running even if the internet connection drops. Visitors never notice the difference. Multiple languages are supported by default, which matters for locations that welcome both local and international visitors.
Built to Scale for the Future
A standard CMS is often not equipped for the specific needs of an interactive installation, such as controlling a spotlight or synchronising multiple screens. A custom CMS is built around the technology behind the exhibit itself. On top of that, multiple exhibits can connect to the same CMS, now and in the future. For Almere City Marketing, this means a third or fourth installation can easily join the existing system, without the team having to juggle separate platforms.
Interactive Exhibits With Independent Content Management
We believe an interactive installation only reaches its full potential when an organisation keeps control over its own content. Content management through a custom CMS makes that possible, for tourist offices, museums and any location aiming to offer visitors a lasting, up-to-date experience. Curious what this could mean for your location?
