Honing Guest Experience at Ventfort Hall by Clare Pomerantz

I have been fortunate enough to spend this summer at Ventfort Hall as a Guest Experience Intern. This has been such a valuable experience for me as I hope to build a career specifically curation and exhibit design in museums. I have learned that no matter how well developed, materialized, or acclaimed an exhibit may be, if visitors have bad and unpleasant experiences at the museum they will not return or will discourage others from visiting. Ensuring that guests at Ventfort Hall feel welcome and well tended to is incredibly vital not only to the museum’s survival, but also for the preservation of an important historical cultural and architectural landmark in the Berkshires.

Before starting my internship, I had very little knowledge of Ventfort Hall. I had never visited the museum or attended any programming there. This turned out to be beneficial to the amazing team of directors at Ventfort Hall, Wendy Healey, Haley Barbieri and Chelsea Gaia; as I was able to come into the house as a first time visitor would, and experience the house with a fresh set of eyes.

I began my internship by following many of the volunteer-docent led tours in order to grasp a better understanding of what guests at Ventfort experience. While many visitors do opt for the self-guided option, most choose to go on a docent led tour. On the tours I followed I kept track of the duration of each tour, how many guests were in the group, what the guides discussed, as well as any discrepancies in facts or information I heard on the different tours from different tour guides. Perhaps most importantly, I  observed and took notes of how the tour guides interacted and dialogued with visitors. I also conducted interviews with several of the front desk associates and other staff members at Ventfort Hall.

Another large part of my work this summer has been to develop different iterations of exit questionnaires. I was curious how the same question posed in different ways may elicit new responses. The surveys also had subtly different themes. For instance, one version emphasizes and asks for feedback about how the museum addresses accessibility, mobility and the physical comfort of the guests more than others, while another addresses the temperament and helpfulness of staff. These surveys will be used to garner feedback on guests’ experiences, their thoughts on the museum, and how it can be improved. As the end of my internship approaches I will pool and analyze the data collected, and give the report to the team of directors at Ventfort.

One of the tasks I have taken on is researching how Ventfort Hall may better its overall guest experience by touring other cultural and artistic organizations, museums, and historical homes in the Berkshires. As someone who loves museums, history, and art, this has been my favorite component of my internship. Through this project element I have met interesting people who work at these organizations. This has allowed me to not only to build my network of contacts at artistic and cultural institutions, but also spread word and encourage people to visit Ventfort.

As everyone I interviewed stated, and from what I have seen and talked about with guests in my own first hand experience, it is clear from visitors' reactions and from their participation during the tours that guests’ experience at Ventfort Hall is overwhelmingly positive. There will always be elements and aspects of the museum and tours that can be improved upon, as with any institution, but it is reassuring to know that people enjoy themselves when they come to the museum. And while our museum may not have the same big name appeal or notoriety as some of its neighbors, such as Edith Wharton’s The Mount, Chesterwood, and Norman Rockwell Museum, it is clear to me as well as all our guests that Ventfort Hall stands out as uniquely itself.

More about Ventfort Hall please visit: https://gildedage.org/

More about internships at MCLA: https://mcla.edu/student-services/career-services/internships/