Guide ID

Producer Podcatcher

Guide-ID exists since 2004 and has been making Podcatchers since 2009. The product Podcatcher brings museums to life and supports visitors during their visit to a museum. Director Frits Polman: “It is very simple in use, and that is exactly the idea. People must notice as little as possible that they are walking around with a smart device. They come for the art and want to be able to fully concentrate on that. That is why we only work with sound to provide information about the artworks.” 22 people work at Guide-ID.

The company takes care of the technical production, the guidance of museum visitors, research and marketing. Podcatchers may be easy to use and they look simple, yet, this is not where the service of Guide-ID stops. Frits: “We collect a lot of information for the client. Such as at what artworks the visitor stops, how long and what cultural information they request. We send this information back so that the museum can tailor its collection and walking route to it.”

Guide-ID’s awards

In November 2015, the company at the Maagdenburgstraat received the ‘Orange Trade Mission Fund award’, an initiative by ING, KLM, SME Netherlands and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs to stress the importance of international trading for the Netherlands. With the honourable award, Guide-ID receives a year of supervision in exploring and gaining a foothold in the USA. This has succeeded very well in the meantime. With impressive customers including the USS Midway, The New Mexico Museum and the National Museum of the American Indian, Guide-ID is making progress into the right direction in the USA.

Closer to home, Guide-ID also received awards. In 2017, they were named best Overall Business in Deventer of the year. At the end of that year, its limit of 150 million told stories was reached. A number that increases millions each year.

Ambition

Their ambition is to grow further in countries where Guide-ID is already active. Particularly in the USA, there are still many opportunities. Frits: “We have only been active in the USA for a short period of time and our growth there is very steady. We expect to be able to get many more customers over there.”