Options for Museum and Hall of Fame explored

The initial thrust of the PTMHOFF was to create a “bricks and mortar” facility, but as they pursued this goal they realized that the history of the game could also be told by a “virtual museum”. Many traditional museums were moving in this direction as they saw opportunities to deliver content in a more visually exciting and interactive way with the added benefit of attracting “visitors” without the need for them to be physically at the museum.

The revised approach was developed during 2011 and comprised three phases:

Phase I: Create a “virtual” museum and Hall of Fame with the first step being a dramatic upgrade to original web site. The revised site would have three features – an illustrated history of the game, a completely new look and feel for the Hall of Fame with extensive biographies, and a “Search and Explore” section which would house all of the memorabilia collected in digital formats and allow visitors to browse the artifacts by various search keys (by name, for instance).

Phase II: Create a physical presence but with a significantly reduced foot-print by combining the material from Phase I with the more traditional elements of a museum – physical displays. The work in this phase will also include seeing how we can repurpose the material developed for a “travelling/pop-up museum and Hall of Fame” that could be used at major National Championships.

Phase III: Build an app which would be the digital equivalent of our coffee table book Passing Shots: A pictorial History of Platform Tennis, containing all the elements of the “virtual” museum