Choosing a Suitable Name
In their history that is twenty-years-long, the Tech Museum of Innovation, generally referred to as simply “The Tech,” has been known for a lot of things. For example, the place where roller coaster was designed, the place where people could see the internal functioning of the human body, and so much more. Although there is one thing that this incredible place has never truly been — a museum.
This nicely-colored building in San Jose now has another name and that is The Tech Interactive. They plan to interact with people beyond Silicon Valley.
The president and the CEO of this institution, Tim Richie, admitted that the word “museum” had been a problem since its opening in 1998. He added that people were often puzzled by their name and that they were asked questions that didn’t really concern The Tech. He pointed out that, since they were an interactive learning place, they should change the name into a more appropriate one.
The debate regarding the name was eighteen-months-long. Every employee had the right to share their ideas. Ultimately, they’ve chosen the word “Tech,” and decided that the logo will contain double T. This institution had several names in the past, such as the Technology Center of Silicon Valley and the Garage. They got the idea for the name from the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry and the Museum of Science in Boston.
The president at the time of the opening was Peter Giles, and he was also present at the announcement. He admitted that they had struggled in the past with choosing the appropriate name. Even though he wasn’t asked about his opinion of the new name, he said he approved it.
Expansion of Business and More
Besides the change of their name, they did one more thing. They announced their collaboration with Discovery Education, which is a leading company in digital K-12 educational program. This collaborative duo has set out to invent digital versions of The Tech Interactive exhibitions for Discovery’s network for five million educators and 51 million students worldwide.
Vice president of partnerships for Discovery Education, Amy Nakamoto, stated that this program would help students become a part of the competitive world we live in. Richie revealed that the past year, the board had been thinking about how to expand and reach more people. Richie added that they were currently reaching out to 500,000 people and that they planned to reach a wider audience who would use their materials. That being said, he believes that the word museum wouldn’t fit in anymore.
In addition to their expansion in business, they will also change the look of their building. 66,000 square feet will be added to the existing building. Richie said it would be finished by 2023 and that it would be a place for big conferences.
