Digital Strategy Post Pandemic
How to Keep Digital-Savvy Visitors Engaged
Take a look at their award-winning audio tour app.
Location: Wallace, Louisiana
Years with Guru: 1
Partnership model: Guru Guide
Content produced: Native app, map, linear path exploration, random access exploration
Whitney Plantation Audio Tour App Wins Bronze MUSE Award
The Whitney Plantation had been working on new ground breaking content. In comparison to so many other themes of storytelling at historical plantations, the team at the Whitney wanted to focus solely on the stories of the slaves who were held in bondage and made responsible for running the plantation. The stories the team were producing are paramount to providing visitors with an accurate portrayal of history, as well as honoring the lives of the slaves.
When the pandemic hit and guided tours were no longer offered due to health and safety concerns, the Whitney needed a solution for bringing these stories to their visitors quickly and safely.
The Guru team stepped in to create a simple and effective native app, so that visitors could safely explore the grounds outdoors on their own devices. The mobile app includes a map of the grounds with points of interest designating the audio stops of their content.
What made this app hugely successful was the incredibly quick turnaround the Guru team was able to execute when faced with an urgent need from a client. They needed visitors to have exposure to their audio tour, and they needed it whether guided tours were allowed or not. With the app in place, the museum was able to effectively reopen and continue fulfilling its important mission.
“When we shut down on March 17, 2020 we were already just about wrapped up on a project with Acoustiguide to produce an audio tour. Their team, and their partners Guru Experience Co., helped me turn that product into an app so that when we reopened in June, we could welcome our visitors with as little contact as possible. To say they worked swiftly would be an understatement. It’s remarkable how much they got done in just a few weeks’ time with no notice.
Make no mistake: if it weren’t for these folks and the tour they built with us, Whitney would not have been able to operate in the last year while guided tours were still banned at the state level. Quite literally, this app helped save our museum.
It’s also free on the app store if you want to check it out yourself! It’s available in SIX languages! I’m unreasonably proud of that fact!”
— Ashley Rogers, Executive Director
Congratulations to our friends at the Whitney Plantation, whose Guru-powered mobile guide won 3rd place in the mobile experience category! What exactly are the MUSE awards? According to AAM, "The Media & Technology Professional Network's annual awards are presented to institutions that enhance the GLAM experience and engage audiences with useful and innovative digital programs and services. The MUSE awards celebrate scholarship, community, innovation, creativity, education, accessibility, and inclusiveness."
The Whitney Plantation is the only plantation in Louisiana that focuses exclusively on the lives of the enslaved people. This app does not contain your average plantation stories. The team at the Whitney is unwavering in ensuring its interpretation reflects real historical truths, without whitewashing or glorifying antiquated views of plantation life. We highly recommend this incredibly moving experience for a glimpse into the historical realities of plantation life. Congratulations again to the whole Whitney team — we are honored to be your partners.
Behind the scenes of how we turn museum stories into interactive, accessible experiences - plus what we’re learning along the way
