Cultural organizations often try to stand out by being different. Festivals promote unique programming. Museums develop exhibitions unlike those of their peers. Artists search for styles that feel completely original. The assumption is straightforward: difference attracts attention. Yet research in marketing science points in another direction. What audiences respond to

Cultural institutions spend enormous energy perfecting what audiences come to see. Museums refine curatorial narratives. Theatres invest in staging and production. Festivals compete for premieres and prestige. Yet some of the most memorable cultural experiences are shaped by something else entirely. Hospitality. In his book Unreasonable Hospitality, restaurateur Will Guidara