The Heritage Interpretation Training Center
Visitor
motivations for selecting/attending (or not attending)
interpretive
programs and services.
A visitor-centered
course on how to increase your visitor program
participation
numbers (attendance) in/at interpretive programs/services and experiences,
based
on research from visitor interpretive content/topic preferences and
expectations.
Course
Tuition: $300.00 (3.5 CEU’s).
Way back in the 1970’s working as a seasonal interpretive
naturalist with Ohio State Parks for 5 seasons, I observed several things that
affected my program attendances including:
- We offered many program topics that almost no one
attended.
- We offered some programs that only older park visitors
wanted.
- We offered some experiences that only younger visitors
wanted.
- We offered programs or experiences that visitors
attended, but for different reasons (perceived outcomes).
I felt that we (interpreters) offered interpretive programs
for our weekly schedules on topics that WE liked or were interested in – never
thinking about program topics or experiences that the visitors might be
interested in.
Two seasons of visitor survey research (surveyed over 4000
visitors) at the Ohio State Park I worked at, for my M.S. in interpretation (at
The Ohio State University), I wanted to learn, among other things, what program
topics the visitors were interested in. I surveyed 90 different program
topics, including program topics we actually offered. I also wanted to
learn why visitors actually attended programs I was offering. So what did
I learn?
- None of the interpretive program topics we actually
offered were selected as preferred
program topics that the visitors actually wanted to attend or have an
interest in.
- Some program topics were preferred mostly by men.
- Some program topics were preferred mostly by women.
- Some program topics were preferred by both men and women
but for different reasons (based
on Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs).
- There were significant program topic preferences
differences by different age groups and
genders.
- There were significant scheduling differences as to when
visitors wanted to participant in
interpretive programs or experiences.
- And more....
Based on the results, and now 30 years of interpretive
consulting work, I consistently think about just who the visitors/market groups
are you want, and, what do THEY want? What products are you selling
anyway? Thus the “visitor” analysis as part of our interpretive master
planning work.
If this course on better understanding your visitor's
motivations for selecting and attending interpretive programs or experiences is
something you could use, check out the course content below. You can
start the course at any time and complete the course at your own pace.
Course tuition
includes:
- Copy of John Veverka M.S. Thesis on Visitor Motivations
for selecting and attending
interpretive programs.
- E-Copy of Veverka textbook “Interpretive Master Planning”.
- Numerous handouts and articles on marketing for
interpretation and visitor survey research.
- Handouts on mass customization and markets of one.
- YouTube video introductions for each unit.
- You can call/SKYPE course instructor/coach when you have
questions.
The course units combine aspects of interpretive planning,
motivational psychology, visitor survey research strategies, interpretive
writing for marketing, and visitation tracking.
Unit One - Interpretive Master Planning –
the model of interpretive planning.
Unit Two - Visitor motivational psychology
– Maslow and visitor needs and motivations.
Unit Three - Visitor survey
research/questionnaire development and survey strategies.
Unit Four - Timing is everything – when/where to offer interpretive
experiences and program duration.
Unit Five - Using the survey results –
markets of one and mass customization.
Unit Six - Creating new visitor-centered
interpretive programs/services/experiences (mission, theme reviews and
objectives). Interpretive program planning strategies.
Unit Seven - Rethinking marketing – “if you
advertise an interpretive program, tour or experience and you ask the visitors
to “give you an hour or two of your time”, or you charge for your programs
or experiences, what benefits for attending the program or experience are
you offering them in return? What’s in it for them? Are you offering a
$1.00 perceived experience for $10.00?
Unit Eight - Interpretive writing for
interpretive program/service flyer/web-based advertising.
Unit Nine - Tracking long-term follow-up
based on new interpretive program/services offerings. Are your visitor
numbers increasing for interpretive programs or experiences?
If you
have any questions please feel free to contact me.
John
Veverka
Director/Coach
Heritage
Interpretation Training Center
We offer 41 courses on heritage interpretation:
http://www.heritageinterp.com/interpretive_training_center_course_catalogue_.html