The hit exhibition of street art superstar Banksy in Tallinn

Objectives

PoCo pop art museum set the goal of bringing an international hit exhibition to Estonia. This required an investment of half a million euros, necessitating the sale of at least 55,000 tickets for cost recovery. It was crucial to schedule the exhibition before Finland.
The primary objective was the successful execution of the exhibition and increasing PoCo's recognition. The secret aspiration was to sell 100,000 tickets.
Communication focused on the uniqueness of Banksy's work and the interactive visitor experience, while achieving the broadest possible visibility across both traditional media and social media platforms.

PoCo pop art museum set an ambitious challenge – to bring an international hit exhibition to Estonia, thereby demonstrating its capability as an organiser of world-class cultural events.
As PoCo is a relatively new player in Estonia's museum landscape, it was necessary to convince international exhibition organisers of the partnership's suitability.
Bringing the exhibition to Estonia also entailed financial risk – it required an investment of half a million euros, necessitating the sale of at least 55,000 tickets for cost recovery.
Success required adherence to the regulatory framework established by the international exhibition organiser while simultaneously implementing a locally creative approach.
It was crucial to schedule the Estonian exhibition before Finland in order to capture the potential of northern neighbors' tourism market.

We organised two private tours for journalists: one for Estonian media and another for Finnish media. Both tours were fully booked with several dozen publications in attendance.
The exhibition's official opening ceremony in July 2024 brought together prominent figures from Estonia's cultural and entertainment sectors as well as social media influencers. In addition to familiarising themselves with Banksy's work, attendees could create their own street art on t-shirts, which proved extremely popular.
Engagement of media and social media content creators in message dissemination. The most significant collaboration was with Postimees Group, which conducted thorough content preparation and media coverage.
A highly visible marketing and communication campaign encompassed various media channels, ranging from digital platforms and television advertising to bus rears. Freely distributed stickers found their way everywhere through enthusiasts' efforts, from elevator doors to street posts.
Continuous feedback monitoring and readiness to respond. For example, an initial limit of 100 visitors per hour was set to provide the optimal experience. Due to high demand, this limit was raised as a test, and since visitor feedback scores improved, the higher capacity was maintained.

As a result of communication activities, the exhibition attracted a record 108,000 visitors over four months, exceeding the target. Nearly half of the visitors came from Finland, demonstrating the success of international communication efforts.
The exhibition achieved extensive visibility among target audiences: in both Estonian and Finnish media, as well as on city streets. Banksy maintained visibility on social media throughout the entire 4-month exhibition period.
The project received the "Tourism Achievement 2024" award, helped bring tourists to Tallinn, and thereby supported local entrepreneurs.
PoCo pop art museum solidified its position as a result of the project, demonstrating how strategic communication and creative approach can activate a record number of cultural consumers in Estonia and engage an international audience.
When Google complied a summary of Estonians' most searched terms in 2024, the Banksy exhibition ranked 8th in the events category.