An innovative motorcycle show at the Otago Museum has not only set a recent attendance record, but also attracted ''an entirely new audience'', organisers say.
One month after the opening of the ''REVolution: 100 Years of Motorcycles'' show, more than 21,300 people had visited, the museum said.
This outcome had ''blown away'' previous attendance figures at special exhibitions during the past five years.
By comparison, an earlier touring ''Christchurch Quakes'' exhibition had attracted 9400 over the corresponding period last year.
The free exhibition features 105 motorcycles spanning more than a century, and runs until February 16.
Museum director Dr Ian Griffin said working with outside groups which had special collections was opening up the museum to ''an entirely new audience''.
The exhibition had been developed in association with motorcycle enthusiasts Bill and Jason Veitch, Brian Walker and Trevor Kempton.
The four men tapped into a vast network of ''serious enthusiasts'' who agreed to share their motorcycles and stories.
Research showed the exhibition had attracted ''a part of the market we don't usually see attending in such large numbers'', Dr Griffin said.
About a third of visitors were in family groups, half the audience was aged over 51 years and 68% were male.
''There's nothing like a display of stunningly designed and beautifully crafted machinery to attract this group,'' Dr Griffin said.
