WIMBLEDON LAWN TENNIS MUSEUM SHORTLISTED FOR 2008 EUROPEAN MUSEUM OF THE YEAR AWARD

Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum is well on its way to a Grand Slam year, after its inclusion in the 2008 European Museum of the Year Award shortlist.  Presented by the European Museum Forum, museums were judged on enterprise, innovation and significant influence in the national and international museum field.  Special attention was paid to imaginative interpretation and presentation, amenities, social responsibility and educational work. 

Museums from across the whole of Europe to Russia applied, but only a selection of museums has been entered to go through to the next round of the judging process. The winner will be announced in May 2008 at an awards ceremony in Dublin.

Ashley Jones, Commercial Manager of the Museum commented, ‘It is a great honour to be shortlisted for this distinguished award in recognition of our efforts to re-invent the sports museum and find innovative means of interpretation.’

Designed by Mather & Co of Wilmslow, Cheshire, the Museum has been accumulating awards since its opening in 2006.  It has recently been awarded the Gold Visit London Best Tourism Experience Award 2007 as well as the Bronze Visit London Accessible Tourism Award 2007, and has been put forward to the national finals in the former category which will be announced in April. 

WLTM continues to gain popularity as the world’s foremost tennis museum:  it combines state-of-the-art interactive touch screens with its unparalleled collection of traditional and contemporary tennis memorabilia, all exploring the story of the game and the Wimbledon Championships, from past to present, in a vibrant and entertaining way.

Highlights of the Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum experience include:

• The Science of Tennis filmed on Centre Court being shown in the 200˚ Cinema with amazing computer generated 3-D effects
• A recreation of the 1980s Gentlemen’s Dressing Room as a 3-D John McEnroe ‘ghost’ walks through
• Tim Henman’s winning outfit worn at his last ever match at Wimbledon
• Interactive touch screens bringing to life the Museum’s extensive archive
• The renowned Championships’ trophies

To further enhance the Museum’s extensive collection, complementary audio guides bring exhibits to life and immerse visitors in a multi-sensory experience.  Available in eight languages, visitors simply select their language of choice and a commentary navigates visitors through the Museum.  The audio guides are also customised to focus on tennis in each country. 

An official venue for the 2012 Summer Olympics, Wimbledon hosts some of the world’s best tennis that is rich in history and quintessentially British. Supporting this, Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum presents the past, present and future of the sport and has clearly set its sights on becoming the ultimate destination for tennis fans around the world.

Wimbledon Lawn Tennis Museum has been shortlisted for the 2008 European Museum of the Year.