A sign of more recreational times

The first Museum of Senses outlet was opened in 2017 in Prague. A second Museum has since opened in Bucharest. Museum of Senses offers a novel experience to awaken the senses by letting people explore local culture through sight, sound, smell, touch , taste and balance.  It is an ‘edutainment’ concept for people of all ages. The attractions in the museum’s zones have been created by international artists, designers and architects. The Museum, with its interactive elements, encourages people to revive and activate their senses in order to feel more and learn something new. It is meant to both educate and entertain. 

The franchise offer

Museum of Senses is a relatively new franchise opportunity in a niche market that offers potential. The concept is original and fresh, offering plenty of opportunities for creativity and also for the use of marketing through social media techniques to ensure a diversity of sales channels. Moreover the business is open all year round thereby making cash flows easier and providing stability. 

The franchise owners point to the fact that the concept has performed financially in the two sites it has operated in. It reports average sales of 1.1 million Euro per annum with the slightly better performing location managing 1.25 million Euro for the year. It estimates that the return on invested capital should take between 6 and 18 months. Two museums were opened in a very short time. The first, at the end of September 2017 in Prague, and the second, at the beginning of December of the same year in Bucharest. Both museums immediately became tourist attractions, with one of the sites being visited by 150,000 visitors per annum.Ideally, the franchise is looking to target cities with more than a million inhabitants, but this does not mean that cities with slightly smaller numbers are not considered, only that, in this case, they should be regional or national centers that attract large numbers of people over the years.

Support for the franchise

The headquarters undertakes the complete planning and construction of the museum, so that the partner practically receives the finished project, according to the "turnkey" principle.While preparations are underway for the opening of the museum, the franchisor will organize training for the franchisee for the manager of the museum, at one of its locations. The training is scheduled to last four weeks. The training will cover all aspects of the business: complete operational knowledge, all business practices and procedures, as well as coordination of employees, marketing and sales.

The second part of the training, in which the employees of the museum will be involved, will take place at the location of the franchise museum. Namely, two weeks before the opening, one of the coordinators from the headquarters will be "in the field" and with the local team will go through all the processes, procedures and documentation.

Profitability of the franchise

The owners believe the Museum of the Senses is a rather profitable concept, because it does not require a complete change of museum settings. According to the experience so far the need for new installations surfaces in the third or fourth year of operation. However, since the exhibits can often be damaged, so something needs to be repaired, replaced, "refreshed", the exhibition in the museum always offers something new. But any large investment is needed only after three-four years and it amounts to around 10% of the initial outlay.  

The main source of income comes, first, from the sale of tickets, and then from souvenirs. However, partners can organize birthday parties and team building, and cooperation with different brands and sponsors who want to market their products in the museum is also encouraged in order to give the museum the desired ‘local stamp’.  

The Recreation market

The owners are keen to emphasize that experience based entertainment  is among the top 3 industries expected by forecasters to expand in the post-Covid 19 period due to the fact that people are eager to have fun, relax, and have quality time with loved ones in attractive locations.

The concept meets demands that have been identified in the latest market analysis. According to analysts from Mordor Intelligence the recreation services market is estimated to witness a  CAGR (Compound Annual Growth Rate) of 4.7% over the next five years. Now that the pandemic has relented, health-promoting physical activity to improve mental and physical wellbeing is driving the growth of the recreation sector. 

Market growth is also expected to be enhanced by rising disposable incomes, increasing investments in amusement parks, growing online marketing, and an increasing emphasis on combating obesity. Governments support for health and fitness and the availability of a variety of equipment and personalized fitness training programs at fitness and recreation sports centers have supplemented the market growth.

Consumers today are measuring wellness through a much broader and more sophisticated lens that includes exercise, diet, general physical and mental health, and looks. People are prioritizing the value of recreation to increase their productivity at work. They visit amusement parks to experience exciting rides, museums, fun-based activities, accommodation facilities, and innovative architecture. 

There are of course factors which will contain growth in this sector. The high investment costs for opening fitness centers, high membership fees,  are anticipated to hamper market growth. Additionally, much of  the industries' business is highly dependent on seasons and weather of the location, which is a constraint for market players to do business in adverse weather conditions.

Number of units

2 – Prague (Czech Republic) and Bucharest (Romania)

Support for Franchisees

• Museum of Senses handles all the set up activities and provides strategic partners  with know-how and support in all aspects of running the Museum of Senses concept.
• Comprehensive operational ongoing support
• Training and expertise

Franchise Requirements

• Total space requirement should be between 250 m² to over 1000 m²
• Expected initial investment outlay: from 200,000 Euro
• City location, preferably with over half a million inhabitants and which are interesting for tourists all year round
• Individuals with ambition, energy and high motivation
• Strong commitment to customer service and quality experience
• Business experience within the franchising and entertainment sector desirable