More than a quarter of a billion visitors have walked through the doors. The Museum welcomes over 5M+ million visitors annually and is the most visited cultural and indoor attraction in the UK. Entry is free to the public
Originally envisaged as a ‘cathedral to nature’ the building represents nature’s past, present and future.
All profits from our licensing activities are returned to the Museum to support its mission
More than ncludes specimens from three centuries of the world’s most important scientific expeditions
The blue whale suspended from the ceiling is a powerful symbol of hope collection.
leading scientific, global and cultural institution with over 350 scientists who contribute to the fight to save the planet Our mission is to create advocates for the planet
Mission & Vision
In 2020, the Museum launched its bold new strategy, setting out the role it will play in tackling the planetary emergency as a global, scientific and cultural leader. It includes commitments to expand efforts to engage the public with planetary issues, to further open up its collection and share the scientific data and evidence needed to find solutions to climate instability and biodiversity loss. The Museum’s strong presence at both COP27 and COP15 showcased this commitment.
Understanding life on our planet is the greatest scientific challenge of our age and we are well positioned to be a major contributor. Our scientists represent one of the largest groups in the world working on natural diversity. NHM authors were published in peer-reviewed scientific journals over 620 times attended over 100 conferences in 2022. They’ve undertaken fieldwork to each corner of the globe, contributing to the international understanding of our changing planet.
Engage
Our
mission is to create advocates for the planet.
Our vision is a future where both people and planet thrive.
Doug Gurr, Museum Director “ “
We must act now, we must act on scientific evidence, and we must act together
The Collection
The world’s largest scientifically important natural history collection
More than 80 millions specimens - a quarter of the world’s natural history specimens!
The world’s finest collection of natural history literature, artwork and manuscripts
We house the world’s most diverse collection of dinosaur fossils
We have more type specimens than anyone else
Our oldest specimen is 4.5 billion years old!
Our longest specimen is 25.2 metres long
- our blue whale skeleton
A new research and digitisation centre due to be completed by 2027 will house about a third of the Museum’s collection (around 28 million specimens)
This will be the largest move of natural history specimens globally
Home of the Dinosaurs
Today, we house the world’s most diverse collection of dinosaurs fossils, and our experts continue to make ground-breaking discoveries through new excavations on international dig sites and research on the collection. There is much we can learn from studying dinosaurs as we face many of the dramatic environmental changes, they did hundreds of millions of years ago.
The Museum’s founder coined the term ‘dinosaur’ in 1841
We are home to the world’s most diverse collection of dinosaur fossils
brand new dinosaurs in our newly renovated gardens
Millions of visitors from all over the world flock to the Museum each year to get up close to these awe-inspiring goliaths of the deep past. They capture children’s imagination and spark a fascination with science that can last a lifetime
The Museum houses the most complete Stegosaurus in the world
The Dinosaur Gallery is our most popular gallery
85% of visitors stated dinosaurs were the reason for their visit
Two
Exhibitions and Touring
The Museum has been generating and touring innovative exhibitions for decades. Our world-renowned exhibitions are seen by millions across the world.
Fixing Our Broken Planet explores how humans have transformed the natural world, the consequences of our actions and solutions that could help mend the planet. Since opening in May 2021, this exhibition has welcomed over 1.2 million visitors. It is now being toured.
Wildlife Photographer of the Year is an international showcase of the very best in nature photography. In 2024 the competition will celebrate its 60th year.
2024 Exhibitions
Birds: Brilliant and Bizarre
Touring
The Natural History Museum has been touring its ground-breaking exhibitions since 1990. Each year, our world-renowned displays are seen by millions of visitors all over the world. They include dinosaur exhibitions, the prestigious Wildlife Photographer of the Year, and the very best of our unique and varied collections.
Our latest exhibition, that will run from May to December 2024, will unravel the epic story of birds. Visitors will discover the secrets to their success and learn some of their surprising and often shocking tactics for survival. Birds are the soundtrack to our mornings, they soar through our skies and swoop around our feet, but how well do we really know our feathered friends?
Titanosaur: Life as the Biggest Dinosaur is currently being toured internationally and can be seen in Japan.
We tour all over the world, in more than 30 countries on 6 continents
August 2023 was our busiest ever month
2.4M Engagements on our social channels
804K Facebook Followers
11th
Most visited museum in the world
6.3m Visitors (2024) #1 Visitor attraction For families
2hrs 20mins
Average dwell time of visitors
Most visited indoor attraction
Brand Awareness
Schools attended 2022-2023
In 2023, the Natural History Museum was the most popular indoor attraction in the UK, for the second year running
861K Instagram Followers
2.2M Twitter Followers
97.5K TikTok Followers
196K YouTube Followers
20M+ Online Visitors (23/24)
Engagement
Yoga and Tai Chi
• Predominantly female
• Young Professionals
• ABC1 millennial audience
Dino Snores for Kids
• 13 sleepovers per year
• For kids aged 7-11 years
• 95% from the UK
Silent Disco
• 850 guests, monthly event
• Sells out 4 months in advance
• 18-30 age audience
Dino Snores for Adults
• ABC1 millennial audience
• 300 guests per event, 7 events per year
• Typically sells out
Adventure Babies
• 75 babies per event
• Sells out 4 months in advance
• Occurs fortnightly
Seasonal Events
• Predominantly female
• Young Professionals
• ABC1 millennial audience
Jurassic Encounters:
Animal Show
Delve into the Jurassic and meet the modern-day relatives of animals that lived alongside Dippy
Licensing Programme
Overview
An award-winning, fast-growing licensing programme with a two-pronged approach to the programme (Children/Adults) and a strong focus on sustainability
Strong brand presence in homewares, stationery, gifting, apparel & accessories across multiple retailers
Ambitious multi-year homewares activation with leading UK retailer Dunelm spanning multiple categories with double digit growth per quarter
2024 B&LLA win for Best Brand Home Décor Product or Range for their collaboration with Dunelm. Winner at the Licensing and Progressive Preschool awards for their collection with Peppa Pig for F&F at Tesco at the Licensing Awards. Winners of the Climate Action Award at the Products of Change Member Awards.
Shortlisted for the Best Brand – Art, Design, Museum award at the 2024 Licensing International Excellence awards
New licensees include Kinnerton, IG Designs, Ohh Deer!, Fable England, ROKA London, Tonies, Cotton Division, My 1st Years, MT Productions and Palava and more
Ambitious focus on international markets with new agencies signed in key territories
Licensing Programme
Adults
The aim of the adult licensing programme is to develop trend relevant products that have been inspired by nature. Drawing on our vast historical archives, we harness these assets within a contemporary context to develop collections that appeal to design enthusiasts and nature lovers in multiple markets.
Style guides have been developed specifically to cater for the adult market, with a focus on popular areas of interest for this demographic which include botanicals, minerals, marine life and nostalgia for the Museum
At the 2024 B&LLAs, the Museum won the Best Brand Licensed Home Décor Award for its homewares collection with UK retailer Dunelm
Our approach to the licensing programme is to build a story and narrative around each collection. Providing context to a design can significantly increase the appeal to the consumer while simultaneously strengthening awareness of the Museum’s wider work. Combined with a strong design execution, the story behind a collection is what provides a point of difference at retail
Licensing Programme
The aim of the children’s licensing programme is to develop product ranges that inspire a love of the natural world. Working closely with licensees and retailers, the programme centres around encouraging future generations of scientists and nature lovers through fun and learning.
At Toy Fair, the Museum’s ‘Lets Learn’ STEM Collection with Galt Toys was shortlisted as a
‘Hero Toy for 2024’
Style guides have been developed specifically to cater for this age group, focused on topics that strongly resonate with a younger audience, with dinosaurs, insects and mammals leading the charge
A key part of our approach to the children’s programme is our commitment to gender neutrality. This means that we consider each design to ensure that we are being inclusive and to avoid playing into traditional stereotypes and bias. We aim to offer products that appeal to a wide audience by providing more variety at retail.
Marketing and PR Execution Examples
For substantial product launches, we are able to provide marketing support via numerous channels:
Press & PR
We work closely with our press team to develop releases and target relevant areas of press in collaborations with the licensor.
Launch Events / Photo Shoots
We can make us of the Museum buildings to hold launch events, photo shoots or for other marketing activities. Please note that there are fees involved for this access.
Paid For Social Media
We can support launches with targeted paid for social media subject to budgets.
NHM Social media channels are by approval only.
Our campaign with Farrow & Ball received 358 press inclusions including 140 features, as well as 32.4 million impressions on social media and 141 events globally
Make product and packaging as easy to recycle as possible
Creative Assets
Kids
Our children's style guides are toolkits of flexible graphics with a focus on a variety of subjects from exploration, mammals, oceans, insects, natural sciences and much more. Each guide has been purposely created with product application in mind
Minibeasts style guide
Day at the Museum style guide
Creative Assets
Dinosaurs
Blast from the Past style guide
Our dinosaur assets include ‘palaeontologist-approved’ illustrations and multiple style guides featuring the most popular prehistoric species including T-rex, Triceratops, Stegosaurus, Diplodocus and much more
Beasts from Bygone
Digi Dinos
Dinosaur illustrations
Creative Assets
Adults
Our adult style guides feature prints and graphics inspired by the natural world with a focus on subjects including botanicals, the Museum’s architecture, oceans, insects, minerals and more
Creative Assets Image Bank
Our image bank contains a wealth of visual assets that have been selected as the most commercial from the Museum’s archives.
With over 9,000 images to choose from, key categories include:
• Dinosaurs
• Mammals
• Insects
• Botanicals
• Minerals
• Birds
• Marine Life
• Museum architecture
Thank you
Future Plans
The Museum is undergoing a huge transformation. In the lead up to our 150 th anniversary in 2031, we have ambitious plans to transform our galleries and secure the future of our collection.
The Children’s Gallery
For under eights, igniting a love of The natural world in the very youngest minds and providing for young children that come to the NHM yet currently Find nothing specifically designed for them
The Shaping Life on Our Planet Gallery
Using a Titanosaur to act as a provocation to explore fundamental questions such as ‘What shapes life?’ and ‘Can we imagine an Earth without humans?’
The Life on Land and in Air Gallery
Exploring our interconnected planet in all its breath-taking beauty, highlighting the breadth, depth and diversity of its extraordinary ecosystems and the challenges they face
The Oceans Gallery
Exploring through the eyes of our globetrotting mammalian relatives the whales, the environment that covers 70% of the Earth’s surface, drives our climate and feeds billions of people.
Natural History
Collections Reading Room
Revealing our vast historical collections, engaging the visitors with their history and showcasing their role in cutting-edge science
NHM Unlocked
One of the largest moves of natural history specimens globally.
We will move 28 million specimens to Thames Valley Science Park in partnership with the University of Reading.
Sustainability
In 2020, the Museum launched its bold new strategy to 2031 , setting out the role it will play in tackling the planetary emergency as a global, scientific and cultural leader. It includes commitments to expand efforts to engage the public with planetary issues, to further open up its collection and share the scientific data and evidence needed to find solutions to climate instability and biodiversity loss.
As advocates for the planet, we try to think sustainably when making decisions and to operate in a way that is kind to the environment. We aren’t perfect and we face challenges including the restrictions of operating within a grade I listed building, but we are constantly looking at ways to reduce our carbon emissions and energy consumption. Below are just a few examples of actions we have taken so far:
• Solar panels were installed at Tring supplying enough energy to power the ornithology building
• Visitors can recycle waste in our cafes and at our exits
• Provided facilities for mixed recycling as well as cardboard, electrical equipment, scrap metal, glass and food waste
• We’ve installed more water stations on site to encourage visitors to refill bottles
• None of our operational waster goes to landfill
• All new buildings will be net zero carbon
Urban Nature Project
The Urban Nature Project is an ambitious national project transforming the Museum’s five-acre gardens into an exemplar of urban wildlife research, conservation, and learning. Features include a timeline wall of the Earth, a weather-proof bronze cast of Dippy, a new café, new learning activity centre, relocation of the pond and universal step-free routes improving access. We will also be doubling the amount of wildlife habitat on our grounds.
In the UK nature is in trouble, with increasing demands from growing towns and cities making it more challenging for wildlife to thrive. Children have less access to green spaces and nature, affecting both their wellbeing and their desire to protect wildlife for the future. The UNP will develop the scientific tools and skills urgently needed to monitor, understand, and protect urban nature.
The Urban Nature Project will allow us to safeguard nature’s future. With a coalition of museums and wildlife organisations, the UNP will create an urban nature movement through a UK-wide learning programme for young people, families and schools. Work began on this ambitious project in September 2022 and is due to open to the public in July 2024.
International
In 2019/20, 71% of our visitors were international. The pandemic altered these numbers dramatically between 2020-2022, however our international visitors have now returned. 36% of all tickets booked in June 2022 were for international visitors.
2019/20
2022/23
In 2019/20, 71% of our visitors were international, 10% from London and 19% from the rest of the UK
