How Museumnacht Amsterdam connects ticketing, marketing and visitor communication with CM.com to engage young audiences and elevate the visitor experience.
One night. 65 museums. Thousands of young people discovering Amsterdam in a whole new way. Museumnacht Amsterdam is about more than one extraordinary night. Its mission? To introduce young audiences to the world of museums and inspire them to keep coming back.
tickets sold out in 12 days
visitor profiles in the CDP
unique app downloads
app page views
Since its first edition in 1999, Museumnacht has grown into an annual sell-out event, attracting around 30,000 ticket holders. With a programme packed with workshops, music and unique activities, participating museums tap into the interests and experiences of younger generations. “Hopefully, museums can then build lasting relationships with these visitors and inspire them to return on their own,” says Jordy, General Manager of Museumnacht Amsterdam.
To support that ambition, Museumnacht partners with CM.com. By bringing ticketing, marketing and visitor communication together on one platform, every stage of the visitor journey connects. From pre-registration and ticket sales to personalised communication during the event.
With thousands of visitors, a short presale window and so many different entry locations, ticket sales demand a flexible approach. That's why Museumnacht switched to NXTGN, CM.com's next-generation ticketing platform.
Interested visitors receive presale updates via email. The ticket shop and virtual waiting room are fully branded in Museumnacht's look and feel, including a video that keeps visitors informed about their waiting time. As Jordy points out, the visitor experience starts long before the event itself:
The experience already starts in the waiting room, so it's great that CM.com's ticketing system lets us make that part of the experience look and feel right too.
General Manager of Museumnacht Amsterdam.
NXTGN also unlocks new possibilities. Thanks to the Stadspas integration, Stadspas holders can easily purchase discounted tickets, making Museumnacht more accessible to a wider audience.
Museumnacht doesn't just want to reach young audiences during the event. It wants to understand who they are and what sparks their interest. These insights help the organisation communicate more effectively and keep visitors connected to the museum world long after Museumnacht ends.
That's why collecting visitor information starts even before ticket sales open. With Pages, part of CM.com's marketing tooling, Museumnacht independently creates and manages landing pages for activities such as pre-registration. Along the way, the organisation collects additional information, including which museum visitors plan to start their night at.
This data automatically flows into CM.com's Customer Data Platform (CDP), alongside ticketing data from NXTGN Ticketing. Museumnacht can also collect information from each individual ticket holder rather than just the person placing the order. The result? A more complete picture of its visitors and their preferences.
With everything coming together in one central place, Museumnacht no longer needs to juggle separate exports and disconnected systems. That means less manual work and easier audience segmentation, opening the door to more personal and relevant communication at future editions.
We used to work with exports and imports. Now everything comes together automatically, and we no longer have to work across different systems
General Manager of Museumnacht Amsterdam.
With museums spread across Amsterdam, keeping visitors informed is essential. Through the Appmiral Event App, visitors can explore the programme, find information about each museum and stay up to date with the latest news. During a previous edition, the app reached 15,506 downloads, well above the target of 10,000.
The app also helps spread visitor flows across the city. With Crowd Connect, Museumnacht can see when locations become too busy and send targeted updates to visitors nearby.
“When a museum gets too crowded, we send push notifications to visitors nearby to let them know it's full. We can monitor that ourselves,” Jordy explains.
Push notifications also highlight talks, activities and other museums nearby. This way, the app doesn't just help keep the night running smoothly. It encourages visitors to explore new places along the way.
With 65 entry locations spread across Amsterdam, access control during Museumnacht calls for tight coordination. Especially with different ticket types, access rights and thousands of visitors moving across the city.
“We also have different types of tickets, for example for daytime and evening access. And not everyone is allowed into the opening event either. That makes things pretty complex,” Jordy explains.
To keep everything running smoothly, CM.com provides a scanning terminal per location, all connected to Museumnacht's central ticketing system. And support? Never far away. During the event, the CM.com team works directly from Museumnacht's office, providing remote support to volunteers managing the entrances. That leaves the museums free to focus on what really matters: their visitors.
For Museumnacht, the strength of its partnership with CM.com goes beyond technology. It's about how everything comes together. “Marketing, communication, branding, presale and regular ticket sales all connect seamlessly,” Jordy explains.
The personal connection matters just as much. Jordy values the CM.com team's approachable, hands-on attitude and their willingness to think along and provide support when exploring new possibilities.
With growing insights into its visitors, Museumnacht can take personalisation even further and build lasting relationships with its audience. Because ultimately, it's not just about making Museumnacht a success. It's about what happens next: inspiring young people to keep discovering the world of museums.
Want to bring ticketing, visitor data and communication together? Discover how CM.com can support your organisation with solutions that connect every stage of the visitor journey.
Select a region to show relevant information. This may change the language.
