Lane Motor Museum Puts Visitors in the Driver's Seat

Warning! Learning about the Lane Motor Museum may cause you to spontaneously book a flight to Nashville, Tennessee, just to see this amazing venue.

The Lane Motor Museum is home to a 580-piece collection of microcars, amphibious vehicles, military vehicles, prototypes, one-of-a-kind vehicles and motorcycles. Quipped as a “Hobby Gone Wild,” founder Jeff Lane opened the museum in 2003 with his own 80-car collection and remains active today in daily operations.

Housed in the former Sunbeam Bakery, this 132,000 square-foot facility was a large, modern bakery circa 1951. Now outfitted for the museum’s needs, the building’s high ceilings, natural light, and hand-crafted brick and maple wood flooring are ideal for displaying the collection.

Visitor Volume Pre and Post COVID

Pre-COVID, Lane Motor attracted more than 30,000 visitors per year. Like much of the country, the museum closed its doors for approximately three months during the pandemic and reopened in June 2020 with new safety measures.

“This year’s pandemic has essentially halved visitor attendance numbers. We feel lucky that we are seeing even that, as many museums are struggling with fewer attendees or even not re-opening at all,” reports Rex Bennett, Lane Motor’s Education Director.

During closure, Lane Motor remained active on social media hosting Facebook contests, posting new videos on its YouTube channel, and creating educational content for kids under the hashtag #saferathome.

Engaging Visitors Through Technology

In the past year, Lane Motor has worked with Engage by Cell to create a smartphone tour for guests. Accessed by scanning a QR code or texting “LANE” to 56512, visitors can upload photos of their visit to the selfie gallery, participate in a scavenger hunt, leave feedback, or take a quiz to identify specific vehicles in the museum.

When I see someone using the mobile app, I usually approach them and ask for feedback right then and there. Everyone I’ve talked to enjoys using it. Those that remember the old pen, paper, and clipboard scavenger hunts understand why we made the change to digital and have no usability problems.

             —Rex Bennett, Education Director at Lane Motor 

Outside the Box Revenue Streams

While the smartphone tour is included in the cost of admission, Lane Motor has created some other unique revenue streams. For example, only 150 cars of the 580-vehicle collection can be displayed at any given time. So for an additional fee, visitors can schedule a special vault tour which allows people to see cars that are not on display.

One of Lane’s largest revenue generators is Rally for the Lane, an event held on two weekends in October. Rally for the Lane allows participants to drive a Lane Motor Museum car on a predetermined rally route through Nashville. Priced anywhere from $700 to $1,200 per car, drivers can choose from a 1969 Mercedes-Benz 280S, 1971 Morris Mini, 1962 Chevrolet Corvair Wagon and many others.

Engage by Cell Team Visits Lane

Last month, Engage by Cell team members visited this spectacular venue in person. After the visit,
CEO Dave Asheim said, “It was so much fun to learn more about the incredible cars in the Lane Motor Museum collection. The scavenger hunt we took on our phones brought us all throughout the museum on our adventure!”

Mobile Solutions Consultant Alexandra Harper shared, “What an interesting and exciting experience it was to visit the Lane Motor Museum! Being born and raised here in Nashville, I appreciate having such a unique attraction to offer locals and tourists.”

Curious how visitors could use mobile technology at your venue? Call us today at 415.297.6677, email us at info@engagebycell.com, or visit our mobile solutions page to learn more about audio guides,  digital membership cards, GPS Mapper, smartphone tours and more.