Hilferty Museum Planning/Exhibit Design

What Hilferty Museum Planning/Exhibit Design does

Hilferty Museum Planning/Exhibit Design, also known as Hilferty & Associates, is a privately held, full-service museum planning and exhibit design firm founded in 1971 by Gerry Hilferty while he was an assistant professor at Ohio University. The company is headquartered at the renovated historic Windy Hills Farm dairy barn in Athens, Ohio, and employs between 11 and 50 staff (peaking at 36 planners, designers, architects, and developers). Its service offering spans the entire museum project lifecycle: feasibility studies, institutional concepts, master planning, architectural programming, comprehensive interpretive planning, content research and development, exhibit design and specifications, interactive elements, audiovisual concepts and system design, production oversight, and installation oversight, integrating architectural, environmental, display, graphic, interior, industrial, lighting, theater, and audiovisual design disciplines.

The firm sells exclusively on a B2B professional services model, with project-based pricing tailored to each engagement and no publicly disclosed price list. Go-to-market is direct enterprise field sales: long-cycle RFP and proposal-based engagement with museums, state and federal government agencies, cultural attractions, and higher education institutions, supplemented by active participation in industry conferences (American Alliance of Museums, AASLH, ASTC) and event-driven visibility. Projects range from six months to six or more years, with frequent multi-phase follow-on work from existing clients. Notable engagements include the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum (17,000 sq ft, 15+ awards), the Smithsonian National Museum of the American Indian, the CDC (18,000 sq ft), the National Park Service, the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences (58,000 sq ft), the Ohio Statehouse Museum, the Chickasaw Cultural Center, the Flint Hills Discovery Center (4D theatrical), and the Kentucky Horse Park Arabian Horse Galleries. The firm has completed more than 200 projects across 36 states and Canada.

Name

Hilferty Museum Planning/Exhibit Design

Legal name

Hilferty & Associates

Website

https://hilferty.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1971

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Hilferty Museum Planning/Exhibit Design is a privately held, full-service firm founded in 1971 that provides museum planning, exhibit design, interactive media, and audiovisual production services to museums, state and federal government agencies, and cultural attractions across the United States.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Museum Planning and Exhibit Design Services

NAICS

Architectural Services (54131), Interior Design Services (54141)

akta.pro primary industry

Architectural Design Services (BPAHAKAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Interior Design Services (BPAHAKAB), Theatre Services & Design (Scenic/Costume/Props/Stage Management) (MPAGABAO)

Keywords

• Museum planning services
• Exhibit design services
• Interpretive planning
• Museum master planning
• Interactive exhibit design

Headquarters

HQ city

Athens

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Museum Planning and Exhibit Design Services: B2B professional services model providing comprehensive museum planning, exhibit design, content development, and installation oversight for museums, cultural attractions, and visitor centers. Projects range from six months to six years or longer depending on scope.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Hilferty Museum Planning/Exhibit Design provides comprehensive museum planning and exhibit design services spanning feasibility studies, master planning, architectural programming, interpretive planning, content development, exhibit design (architectural, environmental, display, graphic, interior, industrial, lighting, theater, audiovisual), interactive elements, and installation oversight. The firm delivers full-service project work for museums, visitor centers, cultural attractions, and historic sites, with projects ranging from six months to six years in scope.

Product overview

Hilferty Museum Planning/Exhibit Design is a full-service museum planning and exhibit design firm offering a comprehensive suite of services for museums, exhibits, and visitor centers across history, science, sports, natural, cultural, and industrial history fields. The company's offerings span the entire project lifecycle from feasibility studies and master planning through architectural programming, interpretive planning, content development, exhibit design (including architectural, environmental, display, graphic, interior, industrial, lighting, theater, and audiovisual design), interactive elements, audiovisual production, wayfinding, and installation oversight. Key service modules include Interactive Exhibit Elements (featuring motion sensors, 4D theatrical experiences, kiosks, and simulators), Audiovisual Design and Production, Interpretive Content Development, and specialized Design for Kids programming. The firm has completed over 200 projects across 36 states since 1971.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Quantifiable outcome

• Mississippi Civil Rights Museum received over 15 state, national and international awards in its first year
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers14 records

Segments6 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature6 records

Partnerships

Seven partnerships are on record, tiered core and supporting.

• Donna Lawrence ProductionscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on the Flint Hills Discovery Center to create an immersive, 4D multi-sensory theatrical experience allowing visitors to see, hear, and feel the power and beauty of the Flint Hills. A dynamic projection grows and responds to imagery on screen.
• MDAH (Mississippi Department of Archives and History)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLead exhibit designer for the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, managing MDAH and a variety of partners to implement exhibit fabrication and AV elements for the nation's first state-sponsored civil rights museum.
• Monadnock MediasupportingTechnology or IntegrationPart of the design and production team for the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, contributing to multimedia and audiovisual elements.
• TransformitsupportingTechnology or IntegrationPart of the design and production team for the Mississippi Civil Rights Museum, contributing to exhibit fabrication.
• Smee+Busby ArchitectscoreImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerPartnered with Knoxville architects Smee+Busby on the K-25 History Center documenting the Manhattan Project, with Hilferty designing the exhibits.
• Verner Johnson, Inc.supportingImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerArchitects who designed the Flint Hills Discovery Center, working with Hilferty on exhibit design for this regional attraction.
• National Museum of African American MusicsupportingStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated with staff and consulting scholars from Fisk University and NMAAM on the 2,500 square-foot traveling exhibition about the Fisk Jubilee Singers.

Scale indicators7 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• C&G Partners: Design firm working across branding, wayfinding, exhibit, and environmental graphic design for museums and cultural institutions. Comparable in delivering interpretive and visitor-experience design with strong graphic-design underpinnings.
• Solid Light: Museum and exhibit design firm producing interpretive planning, exhibit design, and interactive experiences for cultural institutions. Highly comparable niche focus on history and cultural museums, similar mid-size scale to Hilferty.
• BRC Imagination Arts: Experience design firm focused on brand and cultural attractions, including immersive museums, themed environments, and visitor experiences. Comparable in delivering narrative-driven, technology-rich exhibit experiences.
• Local Projects: Experience design studio known for interactive, technology-rich museum and cultural installations. Comparable to Hilferty's interactive and immersive theater capabilities, with a stronger emphasis on digital interactivity.
• Gallagher & Associates: Museum experience design firm specializing in interpretive planning, exhibit design, and media-rich environments for history, science, and cultural institutions. Directly competes with Hilferty in the U.S. museum planning market.
• Luci Creative: Exhibit design and fabrication firm serving museums, zoos, aquariums, and visitor centers. Comparable in delivering turnkey exhibit design with in-house production capabilities, similar mid-market positioning.
• Ralph Appelbaum Associates: One of the largest and most established museum planning and exhibit design firms globally. Directly comparable to Hilferty in delivering interpretive master plans and exhibit design for major cultural institutions, civic, and history museums.

Regional players

• Design Workshop: Landscape architecture and planning firm that complements museum planning through site, interpretive landscape, and visitor-experience design. Comparable in the cultural-institution master planning space, particularly around visitor center and trail-related projects.

Emerging players

• Donovan Rypkema: Heritage economics and cultural-tourism consultant working with communities and institutions on preservation, museum feasibility, and adaptive reuse. Comparable on the museum planning / feasibility side of Hilferty's offering.

Broad incumbents

• Westlake Reed Leskosky: Larger full-service architecture and design firm with a cultural-institutions practice spanning museum design, historic preservation, and exhibit environments. Comparable as a broader incumbent that overlaps with Hilferty's architectural and exhibit work.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/hilfertymuseumplanning

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hilferty Museum Planning/Exhibit Design