The Inhotim Institute, the largest open-air museum in the world, announces this Monday (10) its app for visitors. Called “Inhotim” and now available for download in the Apple Store and Play Store, the app comes from an institutional effort operationalized three years ago and newly personified in the leadership of the Institute’s CEO, Paula Azevedo, and CFO, Luciana Zanini, and one more Team of directors, and aimed at improving the visitor’s experience and consolidating a business view focused on the institute’s financial and social sustainability.
The arrival of the app at the hands of visitors coincides with this moment of transformation of Inhotim and what the institute wants to be from now on. “We cannot help but be business. We have to capture and manage projects, generate interesting programming to bring visibility and attract sponsors and the public. Our biggest source of revenue today is the Rouanet Law and the Minas Gerais Culture Incentive Law. Inhotim is a cultural heritage that has to last forever. To make this happen is to have a governance that thinks in the long run – from the financial and social point of view, ”says Luciana Zanini, CFO of the Inhotim Institute, in an exclusive interview with Infomoney.
This transformation of governance goes through many phases, but Zanini highlights precisely the arrival of Azevedo in January 2024, the institute’s first CEO, and the creation of a council of seven directors with different and complementary formations.
“This change in management and vision will be replicated in our policies, including the impacts we want to generate: financial and environmental, but also on biodiversity, culture, and the limit on people,” says the CFO.
This view also impacts, in Minas Gerais, headquarters of the Institute. The city is marked by the 2019 tragedy,
Zanini explains that the new management replicates all its long -term vision for the city as well. “The more I capture people’s attention, the more I can capture and generate economic and social value. We have over 500 people working at Inhotim and we have a strong presence in the restructuring of the region, ”says the executive.
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According to her, one of the goals of Inhotim is to rebuild tourism and foster Brumadinho’s economy. And this involves the creation of the app, to improve the experience, attract more visitors, but also for partnerships on the hotel chain, for example.
“Fostering a new socioeconomic environment, jobs and incomes are generated, more people come here and we also encourage local entrepreneurship eventually with new businesses. It is a virtuous cycle, ”says Zanini.
Given this, Inhotim has sought in recent years more partners and sponsors who can corroborate the region’s growth and development. In the executive’s view is a “win-win” everywhere. Vale is the institute’s master sponsor, as well as companies such as Cemig, the Minas Gerais, Vivo, Volvo, Itaú, Mapfre, among other institutions in various sectors. And Clara Resorts is one of the partner companies in the luxury hotel segment.
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Why an app and “Disney inspiration”
“We did a study in 2022 to identify the pains of visitors and identify the audience profile we received. We think about how to improve their journey within Inhotim. Here we have a fusion between art and nature and the app is enough to be a visitor’s ‘companion’, facilitating the exploration and planning of the visit. The experience is still offline, ”says Luciana Zanini.
To reach this concept, the application development was inspired by successful references such as O in Los Angeles, USA, and
From the studies of these other places and museums, the institute has created an app that has design, layout and usability that promise to please and assist tourist or visitor. “Our customer is a client of other services as well. Not only accesses art and culture. How do we integrate this technology experience? Therefore, we set up a team of developers who have worked with banking, retail, wholesale services, among other segments to embed these app experiences, ”says the CFO.
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The app has online marketplace, maps, guidelines, curiosities, among other items. The idea is not only to inform, but also to anticipate the visitor’s needs, offering complete support from planning the visit to the on -site experience.
How does the app work?
The Inhotim app is an intuitive and responsive tool designed to meet a variety of visitors’ profiles, from those looking for a relaxing ride to those who want to deepen the works of art and the local botany.
Users can customize their experience by connecting with the app, which offers programming, purchase of tickets and scripts suggested. Navigation is simplified, allowing visitors to exploit the institute’s galleries, artists and iconic points, all with a touch on the screen.
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In 2024, Inhotim received more than 350,000 visitors, with 60% of them taking advantage of the gratuity offered. Inhotim audiences are diverse, with an average age between 26 and 50 years and more than half of the visitors are from Minas Gerais. The idea from the app is to scale these numbers.
The app offers a number of features, such as the ability to create custom itineraries, consult the event calendar and access information about food and mobility within the park.
You can also see data on the distance to be traveled, the estimated time for each path and transportation options, such as electric strollers for those with reduced mobility. In addition, the platform is inclusive, offering audio and video content for visually impaired and hearing impaired.
Inhotim wants to position itself as an art and culture space, but also as a sustainable business model that seeks to democratize access to culture and nature.
