Smart Work 2027: Developing a faster start-to-work process
The Smart Work page showcases everyday innovations and success stories developed by employees of the City of Hämeenlinna.
Visitors sometimes ask funny questions at the museum and guess wrong about the purpose of an old object on display. In these situations, staff naturally behave correctly and try to stick to the facts. But what if there were a day when only falsehoods were spoken? Sometimes, as a guide, I wonder whether visitors are really listening to what I say during the tour, or whether made-up nonsense would go over just as well. How would a visitor react if a guide in a suit started saying whatever came to mind?
An approximately 45-minute April Fools’ tour has been designed for the Palander House lifestyle museum, in which a guide leads visitors around the house. April Fools’ Day (1 April) falls conveniently between the Christmas and summer seasons. This special tour gives loyal visitors a chance to experience Palander House in a new way. The April Fools’ tour also appeals to “non-traditional museum enthusiasts” who skip the regular exhibition but still want a fun museum experience.
To plan the tour, the guides at Palander House had coffee together and threw around their own funny experiences and ideas. A nice joint brainstorming session! I wrote up a room-by-room tour script, which I update as needed whenever the exhibition changes. In both 2025 and 2026, all the April Fools’ tours drew a good number of visitors who came to laugh and enjoy themselves at the museum. Mission accomplished—happy people all around!
The April Fools’ tours have been running for a couple of years now. They have proven popular, so work is already underway on the tour script for spring 2027. The tour evolves from year to year; surprising objects have appeared in the exhibition, including false teeth, crocodile eggs, a photo of Danny, and the guide’s underwear on a clothesline. As a guide, I wear fish sandals, and according to my name tag, I also speak Japanese and Hindi. For the tour, I pick out and link in current topics related to the City of Hämeenlinna, such as the parking garage beneath the hall floor.
Developer
Piritta Puomiranta, Museum Services Manager, Hämeenlinna City Museum