Grow a community of followers and collectors with interactive virtual exhibitions

On first impressions, a virtual tour of an artist's exhibition is simply a representation of art mounted in an exhibition. But it is much more. Visitors know about an exhibition from word of mouth, advertising or perhaps a festival promotion. Those who know the artist will already be "in the loop." Add a virtual exhibition to extend the reach to many more potential viewers using numerous channels. How do virtual exhibitions attract more visitors, increase the number of followers and boost the number of collectors? 

A common way to find out about an upcoming exhibition is to see a promotion in your social media news feed, or photos and a virtual tour on the Google business of a gallery. You might find it in a Google search, in an artist's talk on YouTube, or see images of the work on Instagram. If you are already aware of the artist and their work, you might receive an email from a list you've previously subscribed to. From the artist's point of view, creating the work is not enough to have the work seen no matter how enticing it is. "Build it and they will come" may be sound advice in a "Field of Dreams" but in a virtual world, "building" is only the first step in building your community of viewers and collectors.

Virtual exhibitions are designed to help art businesses flourish by attracting new viewers, turning viewers into collectors and collectors into advocates. They need to be more than a representation, they need guide viewers on a journey into the world and work of the artist. A range of visual and interactive storytelling devices are used to achieve this.

Turning an exhibition into a virtual experience

If the gallery building stands in open space and is notable for its architecture or history. the virtual exhibition can begin with a aerial fly-in shot, creating a grand cinematic opening. You, the viewer is transported into another world, the world of art and theatre. As you approach the doorway, a flash screen appears and announces that you have arrived at the beginning of the interactive part of the journey. Click to continue and presently, a pop-up window appears with the "Rules of Engagement" for this virtual world; discover how to find your way around, what to be on the lookout for and where to find help if you need it. 

You are able to look in all directions, but you can only see through a comparatively small window. Autopilot, which can be interrupted at any time, guides you through the important parts of the scene, helping you to get oriented in this virtual space. At the doorway, you click to download notes on the works. Then, click on what is clearly a play button and a video of the artist pops up to welcome you with background information that will help you better appreciate the exhibition.

Very soon you are clicking your way around the gallery viewing the artwork. Click on a work and a pop-up window displays a high resolution image. Having viewed all the works you advance into a small adjoining room. Here there are some more art works and also something that you won't find in the real world, a treasure hunt. An information window describes how the artist's style has progressed and as a fun way of taking closer notice of this you are invited to find evidence of this new style. When you have, the notice informs you that you will be admitted into the artist's studio where artist videos tell you about the behind-the-scenes experience of creating the work; the story of the work and the story if the artist.

Finally you will be able to see which works have been sold and which are still available in the online shop. You can subscribe to the email list for new information and the tour is complete. As you emerge for the virtual exhibition you become aware that you were there longer than expected. You got to know the artist a little better, enjoyed the artwork and interacting with the virtual exhibition.

Reviewing data collected by Google Analytics

By examining Google Analytics curators now know a lot about online visitors behaviour, where viewers spend the most and the least amount of time. They know where visitors come from and the pathway they take through the tour. As viewers spend longer in the tour, Google advances the site in its search rankings. When visitors stay longer it assumes that more people will want to see it, so it is offered higher in search results. Google Analytics records how many viewers continue through to the shop and how many purchases are made.

When the exhibition has closed and later its virtual counterpart has sold out, the virtual tour remains online as an archive of the work. As an artist's portfolio it is a reference point for future grant applications, residencies and other opportunities the artist aspires to.