How to Drive Young Adult Footfall Through Museum Activations: A Case Study with the National Heritage Board
A participant capturing the moment during the exhibition walkthrough.
How Friendzone designed and facilitated On The Flipside, a community event series at National Gallery Singapore that turned an exhibition visit into a social experience young adults wanted to show up for.
The Context
Getting young adults through the door — and keeping them engaged
Museums and cultural spaces tell important stories. But getting young adults to show up, stay present, and genuinely engage with those stories is a challenge many institutions know well.
The National Heritage Board (NHB) faced exactly this challenge with Not Mere Spectators: The Makings of Multicultural Singapore — an exhibition held at the National Gallery Singapore exploring how multiculturalism was shaped in 1950s–1970s Singapore, presented by the Founders' Memorial. As part of Project Citizens, NHB's initiative to engage Singaporeans in conversations about the nation's founding values, they wanted to do more than put the exhibition on display. The goal was to create a social, energetic experience that could attract young adults while helping them engage meaningfully with the exhibition and its themes.
How We Brought the Exhibition to Life
The key design decision was to treat the exhibition not as a backdrop, but as the centrepiece of the evening.
A trained facilitator introducing one of the exhibition stations during the guided walkthrough.
Each two-hour session began with a structured walkthrough of Not Mere Spectators at the City Hall Chamber. Trained facilitators were stationed at key stops to introduce themes, spark curiosity, and help participants connect what they saw with their own lived experiences. Rather than leaving participants to wander passively, this approach gave the exhibition energy, turning each station into a conversation starter before the main dialogue even began.
After the walkthrough, participants joined Friendzone-facilitated conversations in groups of four to five. A bingo icebreaker got participants moving and talking from the moment they arrived, setting a social tone that carried into the guided dialogue that followed. This made the transition from exhibition viewing to group dialogue feel natural, rather than abrupt or overly formal.
Participants filling in their bingo cards as part of the icebreaker activity at the start of the evening.
How We Filled the Room
Attracting young adults to a museum event on a Friday night required clear positioning: this had to feel less like a traditional exhibition programme, and more like a night out centred on meaningful conversation. Friendzone promoted the events through our social channels and Meta ads targeted at young adults in Singapore. Direct outreach to influencers and community networks helped extend the campaign’s reach.
The evening’s host introducing the exhibition before participants begin the guided walkthrough.
The Outcome
5 events across 4 months
182 participants
80%+ aged 35 and under
Average age: 31
Attendees from 15+ countries, including India, Japan, France, Turkey, the USA and South Korea
The numbers tell part of the story. The atmosphere told the rest. Across all five sessions, National Gallery Singapore became a setting for conversation, reflection, and connection.
— a place young adults chose to spend their Friday evenings, engaged genuinely with the exhibition, and left having made real connections. In one session, the connections continued beyond the programme itself, with participants heading out together for dinner and drinks after the event.
The sessions also introduced Founders’ Memorial and its story to a wide and diverse audience, building early awareness and emotional investment in the upcoming landmark ahead of its 2028 opening.
New connections made — participants taking a group selfie to wrap up the evening at the National Gallery Singapore.
“Their most valuable assets were their ability to 1) attract and recruit the right mix of participants through effective recruitment and retention methods, and 2) create an atmosphere for organic and genuine interactions through connection activities, conversation cards, and importantly, good facilitation.”
— Benjamin Seow, Assistant Director, Founders' Memorial
Why Museum Activation Works When the Format Fits the Audience
Museum activations succeed when the event format matches the audience. Young adults do not just want to learn. They want to connect, participate, and leave with something they did not have before — whether that is a new perspective, a meaningful conversation, or a new friend.
By designing On The Flipside as both a social experience and a cultural engagement, Friendzone helped NHB create evenings where the exhibition was not just visited, but talked about, debated, and remembered. The result was a programme that delivered on NHB's brief and proved that the right event format can make a cultural space feel alive.
Looking to Activate Your Museum or Heritage Space?
Looking to bring your museum, exhibition, or heritage space to life for young adults? Friendzone designs and facilitates community events that help audiences connect meaningfully with your content — and with one another. Get in touch at hello@friendzone.sg.
