Roko Živković from Zagreb, Croatia, is the Director of the Museum of Illusions. Photography © Courtesy of the Museum of Illusions
1.What is your museum about and what it your work there?
The Museum of Illusions, which was first opened in Zagreb, Croatia in 2015 by Roko Živković and Tomislav Pamuković, has expanded rapidly, operating now in 19 locations around the world, including New York, Paris, Dubai, Toronto, Muscat, Kuala Lumpur, Athens, Berlin, and Vienna.
Museum of Illusions is an unusual museum that will blow your mind. In this fascinating world of illusions nothing is what it appears to be. Museums of Illusions are offering interactive, immersive and fun experiences for people of all ages and features various optical illusion exhibits, smart playrooms with games and puzzles and hologram and stereogram displays.
All museums around the world are carefully and thoughtfully designed to provide an educational experience that will leave guests feeling inspired long after they leave. Their smart shops and playrooms are stimulating learning and fun with wooden puzzles and are turning the playroom into a real fitness centre for your brain.
We are not offering only intriguing, visual and sensual, but also an educational experience for all generations. The emphasis is on family, entertainment and quality time. The Museums of illusions are recognized by the market for its quality, education, entertainment and new concepts.
Our mission is to use our knowlegde and experience, follow the global trends, initiatives and innovations in order to establish new standards of museum operations and draw users closer to museum in the always new and as effective way as possible.
2.How is your museum dealing with the coronavirus crisis?
In these unsetlling times it was most difficult for all of our museums to deal with the silence. Since it is always loud in here, for Zagreb museum these 42 days of quarantine have been very difficult to handle.
Fortunately in Zagreb after that period we had a good epidemiological situation, so we could re-open on April 27th. During this period we were in constant contact with our suppliers, partners, clients, and of course other Museums of illusions around the world.
We created a plan to use the time in a most positive way, and focused on the museum decoration and various online employees training. Most of our museums around the world are still closed, but for those that are re-opening again Zagreb headquarters is offering constant support.
Also we all follow regulations and respect maximum security measures for our visitors.
3.What is the impact on your digital activity? Do you have tips to share with your colleagues?
Digital marketing has an incredible influence on people’s interactions, work, purchases and life habits. Museum of Illusions has a significant number of followers who, among other things, like to be informed about the activities of the museum on our social networks.
Also, through social networks we reward, entertain and inform them… It’s a great way to keep in touch with our interest group, especially in this strange pandemic period. Since the museum captures the essence of today’s selfie culture, social networks are a great platform for it.
4.Are you already preparing yourself fot the reopening? Tell us in what way.
Half of our museum are already open and other half is still waiting for favourable epidemiological situation. This quarantine time we used to further improve our employees, arrange the museums and strengthen our already good relationships with partners, customers and suppliers.
With our visitors and everyone who loves and follows this concept we were in daily contact through social networks. Now when visitors are slowly coming back to the museum we are giving our best to entertain and educate our guests in the safest way possible. Hopefully soon we will be able to do it in all our museums around the world!
Interview by Fabio Pariante, journalist
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The Museum of Illusions / Zagreb on social networks: Instagram – Facebook – Website
The Museum of Illusions was launched in 2015 by Roko Živković and Tomislav Pamuković in Zagreb, Croatia.
The museum offers an interactive experience dedicated to everyone, from older to younger people, where the perception and vision of things will never be the same again.
Dallas, Istanbul, Kansas City, Belgrade, Kuala Lampur, Shanghai, Dubai, New York and Paris are just a few locations already open all over the world. The next openings instead in Rome, Sevilla, Madrid, Miami, Milan, New Delhi, Cairo, Las Vegas and Washington, among others.
An immersive reality full of fun!