About Sentomus — European Museum Visitor Research Since 2022
The story behind the study
Sentomus was born from a concrete need in the museum sector. Museums in Belgium were looking for a shared study that would allow them to benchmark their results — supporting local museum advocacy and funding efforts. Through ICOM Belgium Flanders, in collaboration with the University of Antwerp and Sento, this initiative took shape. The big success of the study led quickly to similar interest and needs across the border. Today, 250+ museums across Europe use Sentomus to understand their visitors, demonstrate impact, and make better decisions.
Looking for how it works? See the Details page →From a pilot study to a European standard
What started as a practical need — make research accessible for museums to gather robust visitor feedback — has grown into a continent-wide research programme.
50 museums test the concept
In collaboration with ICOM Belgium Flanders and the University of Antwerp, a pilot study was launched across 50 museums — small and large, diverse in type and collection. Prof. Dr. Annick Schramme led the academic side. A workshop day helped participants turn insights into concrete actions. The pilot confirmed that a low-threshold method could still deliver depth. The study was supported by ICOM (Belgium) Flanders, headed by Sergio Servellón.
250+ museums and 80,000+ respondents across Europe
The success of the pilot study made Sentomus evolve to a European wide study with university partners in Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, France, Austria, Italy and Spain. Strong response rates and wide museum participation validated the approach beyond its Belgian origins.
Sentomus becomes accessible for free
A free tier is introduced to make audience research accessible to every museum. New countries join the network. New features launch: short thematic surveys, dynamic audio interviews, and expanded benchmarking capabilities.
Team & academic partners
Sentomus is supported by a consortium of researchers across seven European universities, together with national museum associations.
Prof. Dr. Annick Schramme
10 Researchers
Sector partners
Sento Team
Presentations & media
From the pilot study in Belgium to a session at Museum Connections Paris and a growing body of media coverage.
Prof. Dr. Annick Schramme
2024 — Study day following the pilot study
Sergio Servellón
2024 — Study day following the pilot study
Francis De Bonnaire
Museum Connections Paris, 2026
Sentomus in the media
External coverage and partner announcements across Europe.
Join the new round of audience research
Invitation for museums in Flanders and Brussels to participate in Sentomus 2025.
Museums as a safe haven
On visitor satisfaction, wellbeing effects, and what people still miss during a museum visit.
Why audience research matters: discover Sentomus
Background on Sentomus, key results from 80,000+ visitors, and how museums can participate.
A glimpse of a rapidly changing European museum sector
In-depth analysis of Sentomus results: satisfaction, wellbeing, the museum of the future.
Museum visitors want more than just art
Highlights on Impact Compass Model, staff appreciation, and future expectations.
Audience study for museums in Austria
Sentomus 2025 in Austria: science-based questionnaire and EU-wide benchmarking.
Sentomus now freely accessible
Museumvereniging Nederland announces that Sentomus, the European audience research for museums, is now free for every museum.
European museum audience study
ICOM France presents Sentomus, the European study on museum audiences.
Take the pulse of your audience with Sentomus
Francis de Bonnaire presents conclusions during the 52 minutes d'ICOM France webinar.
ICOM France: Sentomus study results webinar
Announcement for the Walloon museum sector about the Sentomus results presentation.
Take the pulse of your audience with Sentomus
International heritage organisation shares the ICOM France webinar about Sentomus findings.
Museums from the perspective of their visitors: German results
Prof. Birgit Mandel presents findings from 12,780 respondents across 60 German museums.
Museums from the perspective of their visitors: European results
Austrian Museums Association shares European Sentomus findings on satisfaction, motives and the museum of the future.
Musea Brugge scores 95%
1,500 visitors surveyed across six museums. Brugge outperforms the European average on satisfaction.
20th Century Museum scores highly in European research
Strong satisfaction scores and staff appreciation, benchmarked across European museums.
Audience research for Dutch museums
Project page describing the Sentomus audience research set-up and academic collaboration.
Sentomus: register until end of November
Over 150 museums already registered. Call for remaining museums to participate and benchmark results.
Sentomus is open for registration
European museum network announces the launch and invites museums to register.
+ many more — publications in Austria, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and beyond
Testimonials
Hear from museums that have used Sentomus to understand their audience and improve their work.
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.
We found the dataset and reports extremely useful. The study is rich, engaging, and full of actionable information, also for us as a network of museums that needs shared insights and clear comparisons.
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.
Museums that already participate
Browse museums alphabetically. Use search or jump by letter. Each name links to the museum website.
Interested to join these museums?
Start with a free membership and gain in-depth insights into your museum's audience, experience, and impact.