MeBo – Menabrea Botalla Museum

Discover the experience of MeBo – Menabrea Botalla Museum with the amuseapp audio guide.
MeBo Menabrea Botalla Museum, located on Via Eriberto Ramella Germanin in the center of Biella, is the first museum in Italy to house the history of two companies under the same roof. Founded in 2019 thanks to the geographical proximity and friendship between Franco Thedy (Birra Menabrea) and Andrea Bonino (Botalla Formaggi), it is a space rich in tradition and local identity.
The museum tells the story of Italy's oldest active brewery and the dairy famous for creating Sbirro, the country's first beer-infused cheese. Spread over two floors, one part is dedicated to Botalla and the other to Menabrea, offering visitors a journey through Biella's production traditions.
What were the main challenges your museum faced before using amuseapp?
"Our museum lacked a customizable audio guide system. The system in place before amuseapp consisted of two fixed speaker columns, placed on the two floors of the museum. Visitors were forced to stand in front of the columns to listen to the audio content, which meant they couldn't move around and explore the exhibition while listening to the explanations.
The audio guides were available in only two languages, Italian and English, and had a total duration of just 10 minutes for the whole exhibition route. This limited the possibility of exploring content in depth and personalizing the experience."
Why did you choose amuseapp?
"One of the first factors we considered was definitely the price. Implementing audio guide systems often involves fairly high costs, while amuseapp offered us an affordable solution.
Another decisive factor was the ability to have audio guides available in many languages, at no extra cost: a significant advantage for a museum that welcomes international visitors. The activation timeline of the service also played a key role: in about a week, ten days at most, you delivered us a ready-to-use system.
But perhaps the most important aspect was the ability to use the audio guides without necessarily having to download an app. We noticed that many people are reluctant to install new apps: they already have too much content on their devices, and every extra step can become an obstacle. With amuseapp, on the other hand, access is immediate and simple."
How has amuseapp helped improve the visit experience?
"Implementing amuseapp transformed the visit experience at MeBo Museum. Visitors can now explore the museum independently, using their own smartphone to access the multilingual audio guides without having to stay in fixed spots.
We've also noticed that feedback at the end of the tour taken independently is very positive. When people take the tour using the audio guides, we often get compliments. We've noticed a higher level of satisfaction compared to before we introduced the audio guides."
Which features impressed you the most?
"Definitely the multiple languages and the ability to change the itinerary as we go. Being able to easily make changes to the audio whenever we make changes – even just rearranging the display of the machinery – and being able to adjust the itinerary so it stays consistent with the space is an important added value.
If we had made a major investment in traditional audio guides and they no longer made sense after a change, we too would have been limited in improving things structurally. With this ability to make changes in amuseapp, that risk doesn't exist."
How would you rate the support you received from the amuseapp team?
"The team is extremely professional, very responsive, present – without being intrusive. I'd say the support was excellent. The training we received was adequate and there was always availability whenever something wasn't clear."
Future goals
The MeBo Museum is planning a significant expansion, which involves enlarging the space dedicated to telling the stories of Menabrea and Botalla, with a possible sensory stimulation route.
"We definitely know that, should we need it, we can always count on the amuseapp team."
Would you recommend amuseapp?
"Absolutely yes. We've already done it. We've talked about this experience with another corporate museum in the Biella area. I'd recommend it for everything I've said so far: the flexibility, the ease of use, the professional support and the ability to offer visitors a personalized experience."
How would you describe amuseapp in 3 words?
"amuseapp means flexibility, ease of use and professional support"
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