ABSTRACT

This chapter analyses the way in which blockbuster exhibitions are a key factor in the attractiveness of museums seeking to diversify their sources of financing by organising special events. The success of blockbuster exhibitions relies on the fact that they are exceptional, because of the limited time dedicated to the presentation of important and rare pieces; and on the fact that they are potentially at least a social phenomenon. Exhibitions are becoming a first-class asset for the implementation of strategies based on cultural tourism, urban marketing, and city branding. Education, local employment, tourism issues and the like may not be central to the purpose of the exhibition but they are still worth taking into account if the museum is to ensnare all the support it can claim from the private and public sectors. Internally, the management of the exhibition implies the collaboration of many people and departments: collections, education, conservation, marketing, finance, communication, design, administration, evaluation, volunteers, and security.