About Sentomus
The European museum audience study
Sentomus is a large-scale, scientifically grounded visitor research programme for museums across Europe. Built in collaboration with a consortium of 7 universities and supported by leading museum organisations, it helps museums understand who their visitors are, how they experience the visit, and what impact the museum has on their wellbeing — all through a low-threshold, affordable methodology.
On this page you will find everything about the study: its history and origins, the European report, presentations and media coverage, testimonials from participating museums, and a full list of museums that have already taken part.
museums across Europe
university partners
countries
visitor responses
History
History of Sentomus
Sentomus started as a practical idea: make it easy for museums to gather robust visitor feedback and translate it into clear learnings. In close collaboration with ICOM Belgium Flanders and the University of Antwerp, a pilot study was launched with a broad group of museums in Belgium and Brussels.
The pilot confirmed the value of a low-threshold method that still delivers depth: visitors were highly satisfied, and museums gained concrete evidence about experience, service and societal impact. The workshop day that followed helped participants turn insights into actionable priorities.
After the pilot, Sentomus grew into a European study with strong response rates and wide museum participation across Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Austria, Italy and Spain — with the United Kingdom and further countries added in 2026. Today, Sentomus can be used as an ad hoc measurement or as a permanent tool to support decision-making, positioning and impact conversations with stakeholders.
European report
European report of Sentomus
Open the latest European report and explore how museums use Sentomus to understand visitors, service quality and societal impact.
Presentations & Media
In the spotlight
From the pilot study in Belgium to a session at Museum Connections Paris and a growing body of media coverage — here is how Sentomus is making its mark in the museum world.
Pilot study
Where it all started
Prior to the European roll-out, a pilot study was conducted in collaboration with ICOM Belgium Flanders and the University of Antwerp across 50 museums — representing a cross-section of the museum landscape: small and large institutions and diverse museum types.
Prof. Dr. Annick Schramme (University of Antwerp) led the academic side of the study. A workshop day was organised for participating museums to present results and guide teams in turning insights into concrete actions.
Sergio Servellón
President ICOM Belgium Flanders
Director FeliXart Museum
"This research is a fantastic opportunity for museums to get to know and engage their audience through a low threshold methodology. Sentomus gave us detailed feedback about the museum and is very useful in our daily operations. Benchmarking with other museums was extremely interesting.
The study also demonstrated the importance and very positive impact of the museum on the well-being of our visitors, and is a great tool for us to substantiate conversations with our stakeholders."
Sentomus at Museum Connections Paris 2026
Francis De Bonnaire represented Sentomus during an audience studies session at Museum Connections Paris 2026, focused on how museums can move beyond attendance metrics and better measure the value of the visitor experience. Sentomus contributes with a low-threshold and scientifically grounded approach that helps museums translate visitor feedback into clear priorities and impact narratives.
Quick info
Event: Museum Connections Paris 2026
Speaker: Francis De Bonnaire
Topic: Audience studies & visitor experience
Tool: Sentomus
Media
Sentomus in the media
External coverage and partner announcements about Sentomus across Europe.
Testimonials
What museums say
Laurine, Van Gogh Museum
"The report feels valuable from the very first read. It surfaces insights on themes we do not measure ourselves, and the benchmarking gives the results the context we need to act on them."
Antje Lehmann, Staatliche Kunstsammlungen Dresden
"We found the dataset and reports extremely useful. The study is rich, engaging, and full of actionable information, especially for a network of museums that needs shared insights and clear comparisons."
Amsterdam Museum
"Sentomus provides meaningful input for our own audience research approach. The results help sharpen our internal research model and translate visitor feedback into clear learnings."
"This research is a fantastic opportunity for museums to get to know and engage their audience through a low threshold methodology. Sentomus gave us detailed feedback about the museum and is very useful in our daily operations. The study also demonstrated the importance and very positive impact of the museum on the well-being of our visitors, and is a great tool to substantiate conversations with our stakeholders."
Sergio Servellón — President ICOM Belgium Flanders, Director FeliXart Museum
Museums
Museums that already participate
Browse museums alphabetically. Use search or jump by letter. Each name links to the museum website.