Five Questions With: William Lynn

"No matter what you do for a living, there is an element of sales and marketing involved, and the museum is really no different."

William Lynn became president and executive director of the Herreshoff Marine Museum and the America’s Cup Hall of Fame in February. He is a lifelong sailor and classic yachting enthusiast with a background in marketing and communications. Most recently, he served as partner at RockHopper Group LLC, in Marblehead, Mass., and as chief marketing officer for outdoor apparel brand Atlantis WeatherGear, also in Marblehead. He also serves as director of the World Ocean School and of Pleon Yacht Club, a nonprofit community-based junior sailing program. Here he discusses his role at the museum.

PBN: How does your marketing background inform the promotional aspect of your work as executive director?
LYNN:
No matter what you do for a living, there is an element of sales and marketing involved, and the museum is really no different. Smart marketers understand their customers and what they want, and they focus on delivering a world-class experience that they are willing to pay for. If they do that right, financial success should follow. The same is true here. In addition, this organization relies on the generosity of supporters in terms of revenue, artifacts and volunteerism, and increasing traction in these areas requires a unique and compelling brand story.

PBN: How will museum facilities be transformed during your tenure?
LYNN:
We’re focused on taking this facility to another level, both in terms of the visitor experience and the increasing interest in the preservation and restoration of classic yachts. In the short term, visitors will notice several upgrades to museum displays and the grounds this spring and summer. (The projects were initiated by my predecessor Larry Lavers – all credit to him.)
In addition, we’ll be unveiling the scale model of the massive America’s Cup winner Reliance later in the summer, and work will soon start on the restoration of our historic General Burnside Building. Our longer-term goal includes the transformation of our main museum building on the corner of Burnside and Hope streets, though much more work is required before we’ll be in a position to unveil these plans.

PBN: How many members do you have and how are you expanding that number?
LYNN:
In 2014, the museum had about 750 members.
There are three areas that we’re targeting as expansion opportunities. First, we need to identify and reach out to groups we feel would find value here but have not really been given a compelling reason to visit, including younger individuals and families, classic yachting enthusiasts from outside the country and those interested from a business perspective in the Herreshoff Manufacturing Company story of design, innovation and entrepreneurship.
Second, we need to increase member value by expanding our offering of exclusive content and events for members. These can be focused on areas such as education, culture, history or they can simply involve inviting members to enjoy an evening on our waterfront with music and refreshments.
Finally, we’ll increase our use of the digital tools at our disposal to bring the museum experience to our members and to create opportunities for them to be involved with what’s going on at HMM even when they aren’t here. One thing this place has is a wealth of compelling content, and through the use of social media, we’re planning to spread that content far and wide so that everyone can experience it.

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PBN: Your season runs from April to December. What are you doing to prepare for this 2015 season?
LYNN:
The team here is running flat out right now. We have a full slate of events on the calendar that we’re getting ready for, and we have four important projects under way that will significantly improve our “curb appeal.” In addition, we’ll be unveiling an important new exhibit that’s been made possible by a grant from the Grayce B. Kerr Fund. Program Director Maria Coughlin is working on curriculum and staffing for our junior sailing program, and as soon as the snow melts, the process of getting the docks and boats ready to go in the water will begin in earnest.

PBN: How many kids are involved in the afterschool boat shop mentoring program? Does this lead to jobs for these youth?
LYNN:
Our program is designed to accommodate six to eight participants. We had five middle-school students in the session that just ended. Under the leadership of our shipwright, Keith Brown, they are learning boatbuilding and maintenance skills and gaining experience that can help them land jobs in Rhode Island’s thriving marine industry if that’s a direction they decide to explore down the road.

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