Creating an engaging experience that attendees can share on social media platforms is crucial to the success of your event and future attendance. And what better way to invite your attendees to engage with the event than by installing an Instagram museum, where they can snap selfies and post to social media!

Instagram Museums are Hot Right Now

As a social platform, Instagram has soared in popularity, and for good reason. We all love photos! We want to see what our friends (and perfect strangers) are up to, to stay in touch and perhaps live vicariously through visually-shared experiences. No surprise, then, that Instagram museums started popping up (literally) a few years ago.

Museums (real ones) and art galleries have done installations that transform room-size art into selfie opportunities where guests can pose with famous artists’ paintings or sculptures. One painted fake versions of Michelangelo’s David blue and gave them pink mobile phones (presumably so David could take a few selfies). The Museum of Ice Cream featured a gigantic ice cream sandwich swing and a pool filled with sprinkles.

What Makes Irresistible Selfie Fodder?

You don’t need a degree in museum management or a crew of artists, nor do you have to rent an entire storefront to create an eventful experience. Instagram museum displays don’t even have to relate to your event. Just create fun spaces that make for interesting selfie backdrops.

But do keep your audience in mind. Millennials, in particular, love to post selfies to express themselves to the world and show others where they are and what they’re doing. Age aside, women are twice as likely to snap a selfie as men. So, make sure your Instagram museum “objets d’art” include options that appeal to everyone’s masculine side, too.

You can create a couple of displays or an entire series either all in one area or sprinkled throughout your venue. Photo backdrops are OK, but realistic touches add to the 3D effect. The Museum of Selfies used a pole with a lighted red beacon at the top to augment their “from the top of the Wilshire Grand Center” photo op.

Make it Fun! Make it Immersive!

No formal, hush-hush atmosphere here! Think of it like an interactive museum, one of those hands-on places where kids and adults get to play with the exhibits. Except, in this case, the play is all in the eye of your smartphone. Well, mostly. Think:

• Mirrors or mirrored objects
• Seven Wonders of the World
• Onstage with favorite celebrities
• On safari in Africa (who doesn’t secretly want to pet a lion’s mane?)
• Or, of course, scenes that do relate directly to the purpose or theme of your event

Hand out selfie sticks, so guests can get a broader perspective in their photos. And consider a roving “museum guide” or two — someone to snapshots if a group is too big to grab a true selfie.

It’s All in the Lighting

Well, maybe not all, but poorly lit displays won’t make for great photos. If you’re considering adding an Instagram museum, talk to your AV team early on to get their input. AV pros understand the ins and outs of staging as well as lighting, so we can help you transform your ideas into affordable, must-shoot selfie opportunities. We might even be able to use projection mapping to create amazing 3D backgrounds or turn plain structures into something entirely different.

Your Instagram museum doesn’t have to become an international traveling exhibition to be a sensational hit at your event. A selfie-worthy experience will be memorable, not only in the minds of your attendees but for all to see, thanks to their Instagram posts. Everyone will want to be there next year, smartphone poised to document their experience!