Are other people hell?

I explore the most variable part of any visitor experience in today’s VEXblog

Find and subscribe at vexblog.substack.com

Five Impacts of Introducing Charging to the Nationals Beyond the question of whether the Government should introduce charging, what could the practicalities be on the ground?

Debate rages on about reintroducing charging in national museums. In the meantime, I can’t help but think through the ops…

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It's the Toilets, Stupid Why we should celebrate our great “houses of easement”

Heritage toilet fanatics assemble! 📣

So excited to talk all things functional in today’s VEXblog and share some upcoming bathroom projects at Hampton Court 🚽

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The Art of Dialogue An appreciation of genuine human connection is long overdue

“Even though so many people come to this sector because they love talking to people, the temptation to talk at people so often seems to triumph… We all have examples of museum interactions (mono-actions?) that have gone beyond the human to the inhumane”

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Staying Open, Staying Profitable Navigating Major Works Without Losing Visitors

How our year of scaffolding is going, in today’s Substack

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What’s the best Vis Ex interview question you can ask - and how can you answer it?

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The Blame Game Have you ever fled the scene of a museum mishap?

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On Trying to Fail What are the ‘broken bones’ of your visitor experience career that taught you valuable lessons?

My first VEXblog post is live, and it’s basically a list of all my failures. Come for the schadenfreude, stay for the helpful Visitor Experience content!

Subscribe for two-weekly posts sent straight to your inbox

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VEXblog | Rachel Mackay | Substack VEXblog is a Substack for people obsessed with delivering amazing visitor experiences in museums, heritage and cultural attractions. Click to read VEXblog, by Rachel Mackay, a Substack publication. La...

I’m keen to back to writing about visitor experience in 2026. So I’m starting a Substack! VEXblog will be a regular dose of all things vis ex straight to your inbox.

Subscribe below and expect new content soon!

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High-fiving the New Year like….

Long may yer lum reek from
Hampton Court Palace

Thoroughly enjoyed the amazing #MarieAntoinette exhibition @vamuseum.bsky.social

A brilliant time to visit the Wilderness at Hampton Court Palace - the autumn colour is stunning 🤩

A Welsh escape this weekend enjoying beaches, hills, BBQs and lush landscapes 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

#GotchaDay

Can’t believe it’s a year since I brought this fluff ball home 🧡

Yes I deliberately wore the same top

Flora and I had fun hanging out with London Fire Brigade and the RNLI as part of #WorldDrowningPreventionDay at Hampton Court Palace

As a riverside palace, so important for us to help engage our local community in water safety 💧

Three new challenges in visitor experience Rachel Mackay identifies three fresh challenges in visitor experience since she published her book Delivering the Visitor Experience in 2023.

What are the new frontiers of VEX I would talk about if I was writing Delivering the Visitor Experience today?

Find out in my new piece for @blooloop.bsky.social

blooloop.com/museum/opini...

We’re well into the 2025 run of the Hampton Court Palace Music Festival - always one of my favourite times of year! James, Rag n Bone Man and Tom Jones have already knocked it out of the park (palace) - tonight it’s the turn of Bananarama!

It’s dahlia time in the Gardens!

Spent a wonderful day at Portsmouth Historic Dockyard and @maryrosemuseum.bsky.social as part of our HRP Ops Leads away day

Looking forward to being in Theatre 2 at 13:00 @museumsandheritage.com Show today - come and hear us talk about our new philosophy of visitor engagement!

Going all out for Flora’s birthday today - meeting up with her siblings this afternoon! 🥳 🎂

A man dressed in Tudor clothes kneading fresh made butter to remove the buttermilk before storing. Behind him is a large sixteenth century fireplace and in the front of the image is a replica sixteenth century butter making dash churn

You can't put a better bit of butter on your knife!
#ShowingMyAge

Weekends of cookery are back at Hampton Court Palace all year from today. Tudor preservation methods are the topic for the year, and the first few weekends are butter making.

There have been many power struggles over the centuries at Hampton Court Palace, but none more tense than that between Flora and her pigeony nemesis.

Peak blossom time at Hampton Court

I’m horribly fickle when it comes to Hampton Court tulips:

Here are today’s faves 🌷

Or these, quite frankly, bonkers Mariettes!

I INSIST you visit soon and choose your favourite! 🤩

Or the blousy decadence of the Don Pedro…

Like these sharp, crisp, citrusy bursts of Spring, Clusiana Crysantha…

My favourite bit is always the Lower Orangery Garden, where we showcase rare and unique tulips…