Find this session's presentations here.

We all know that visitors perceive their visit as a whole experience: their interaction with staff, the cleanliness of the toilets, the wayfinding in place and the quality of coffee in the cafeteria all contribute to their general impression, as much as exhibitions and events do. When it comes to catering, most organisations are aware of the fact that the minimum they can do is serve decent food and drinks at a decent price in order not to tarnish the whole visit. Some science centres and museums have even turned their catering spaces into neatly branded cafés and restaurants offering a very pleasant food experience.

But you can go further: speakers of this session will argue that your café can do much more than fulfilling physiological needs at the bottom of the Maslow pyramid. Your café can play a crucial role in delivering your ambitious social, educational and cultural mission. Each speaker will describe their own café’s unique contribution to organisation-wide goals, before inviting the audience to discuss holistic visitor experiences, café synergies with exhibitions and programmes, brand and design alignment and more.