On Mon, 30 Jun 1997, J./B. Moore wrote:

:| But overselling museums is SO easy to do! Consider this situation:

[cynical but frighteningly accurate budget process elided]

:| I have no ideas how to stop this, except to adjure all concerned to deal
:| straightforwardly with one another.  Everyone has to be honest about what
:| can realistically be done with limited time and money, and shed those
:| rose-colored glasses about the position of the museum in the community.
:| Don't expect the other party to work miracles.

I've worked on a volunteer-run convention for 10 years now and I
remember the silliness we got into after the very first one.  Very
successful; everyone was talking it up; we were concerned that the
second year we would have to get an overflow hotel... and, omighod,
where were we going to get the staff necessary to support it?

Turned out that we had about a 10% decrease in attendence and we had
to scramble like mad to cover our butts.

The rule of thumb I use when asked to fearlessly forecast off of
last year's numbers is to discount revenues by 10% and mark-up
expenses by 10%.

It isn't pretty, and people who have trouble differentiating between
"honesty" and "negativity" hat to be givne "bad news"; but it tends
to insure that all of your surprises are pleasant ones.

Rich Johnson
Director of Marketing
Cotton Expressions, Ltd.
Science, Nature and Humor Imprinted Apparel