Why Data?

How Will The Data Benefit Us?

There are two types of museums that stand to benefit from COVES: those who have data, and those who don’t! All kidding aside, no matter where you are in your journey with visitor data, COVES can benefit your museum.

If your museum collects little or no data about our visitors and their experience, the benefits of COVES are straightforward. The data you collect through COVES will give you a much deeper understanding of your visitors, rather than relying on assumptions or anecdotal data. After the training process is complete, you can jump right into data collection using a trusted survey instrument that is standardized for comparison with key elements tailored to your museum. After approximately three months of steady data collection, you receive access to an interactive data dashboard where you can explore your shiny new data. 

If your museum has robust visitor experience data and/or a previously established exit survey, joining COVES will unlock the ability to compare your results to dozens of museums around the country. The COVES cohort includes art, science, history, children’s, and natural history museums, all with varied size, budget, and geography. Compare yourself to the full aggregate or a subset based on your museum’s type, size, and more. And, because the COVES survey allows flexibility for additional questions, you don’t have to lose data that your organization has come to rely on.