Case study Opening of the new building of the Józef Piłsudski Museum in Sulejówek

Challenge and analysis

Since its creation in 2008, the Museum has had the ambitious goal of presenting the figure and activities of Józef Piłsudski in a multidimensional way, on the most widely possible cultural, political and social background. The expansion of the Museum and the addition of the new building is an important stage in its development. It represents the culmination of many years of efforts by many different people and entities.
The opening of the new building of the Józef Piłsudski Museum in Sulejówek took place on 14.08.2020 and was one of the main points of the celebrations of the centenary of the Battle of Warsaw 1920. Agencies: Public Dialog and EL PADRE were responsible for the preparation of a 6-month communication strategy, the comprehensive organisation of the event, the production of the signal and the provision of broadcasts from several spaces: the Museum square – the main ceremony, the studio inside the building.

The main challenges faced by the agencies:
Ceremonial opening of the museum building in the historical context of the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Warsaw 1920 and maximum publicity in traditional media, social media. Enabling thousands of observers and eager visitors from all over Poland to participate in the event via on line channels.

Preparation of the necessary infrastructure and safeguards to organise an event with VIP guests and state authorities while maintaining the rigours of sanitary security. Cooperation with the State Protection Service, which is particularly difficult during the pandemic.
Building and consolidating good relations with the people of Sulejówek.
Integrating the stage into the surroundings of the modern museum building, designed by Józef Piłsudski’s grandson.

Realization

Due to pandemic constraints, the event was planned over a total of 3 days. The main event took place on 14 August 2020 on the grounds of the Museum in Sulejówek, where a stage was set up, an auditorium was organised and covered, and a studio was set up for guest interviews broadcast for participants online. The guests in the studio talked in an interesting way, from different perspectives, about the history and events related to the site, the exhibition of the figure of the Marshal. A reporter working on the site reported live on the emotions and statements of the guests about the museum and the event itself. The artistic part, which preceded the opening of the exhibition, began with a cavalry muster drill to the beat of a concert on the mouth harmonica, while the official part was crowned by a piano concert. Guests at the event included the President of the Republic of Poland and his wife, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage and the Deputy Governor of the Mazovia region. Special attractions were also prepared for the youngest visitors. Under the supervision of animators, children took part in games and art animations, could check their family tree, watched films and visited the exhibition.

The whole event was recorded by 7 cameras and broadcast on youtube and the Museum’s fb channel, as well as being made available to interested media. All those interested from all over Poland could symbolically take part in the ceremony, thanks to the broadcast on the website, facebook and youtube channels. The broadcast material was enriched with interviews with, among others, the creators of the Museum and films devoted to the history of the Milusin Manor House, the architectural principles of the new building and the collection of the Museum’s holdings. A 360-degree walk was also prepared for participants taking part in the virtual/remote form, which covered the heart of the building – the permanent exhibition dedicated to Józef Piłsudski. During the event, we published it on the museum’s social media channels.

On the opening day, more than 60 journalists had the opportunity to attend the event in person. A press office (dedicated 4 people) and two areas on the square, including one platform opposite the stage, were organised especially for them on the Museum grounds.

The press office operated 24 hours a day for 3 days. One person was dedicated on a rotating basis, who was constantly on site and coordinated with the media (e.g. Polsat TV organised a morning studio at the Museum from 5.00 a.m.).

On 15 and 16 August it was possible to visit the Museum and the grounds of Milusin Manor House, as well as to attend meetings with the curators or evening film screenings, organised in the form of an open-air cinema. Together with the residents of Sulejówek, two activities were organised: “Panorama” – an art installation and “Neighbourhood, meeting, celebration” – an exhibition of archival photographs of Sulejówek citizens.