This type of question has probably been asked here several times before,
but as a new reader, I missed it.

We are attempting to gather demographic information  to help build a new
marketing program, create a new system wide logo, and in short get our
act together prior to a move into our new main facility.  As part of
this research we would like to hear from other similar institutions.

The Indiana State Museum and Historic Sites is a system that combines a
natural history, cultural history, and art museum with 16 historic homes
whose interpretation ranges from the 1820s through the 1940s.  Our
operating budget is 4 million dollars annually.  We are state supported
as part of the Indiana Department of NAtural Resources, and we attract
300,000-500,000 visitors annually system wide.

We want to know the following from other museums and museum systems that
are similar:

1.) What is your operating budget? What is the primary source of these
funds and is there a different source for acquisition funds?
2.)  What is your annual attendance?  Have you done further demographic
studies of this number?  What were the results?
3.)  What percentage of your operating funds are spent on marketing and
advertising?  Has this increased or decreased recently?  What were the
results?
4.)  Describe the institution or the museum system to which you belong -
size of staff, size of collection, scope of exhibit program, types of
collections, etc.
5.)  Who is your competition?  Are you fighting for tourists or locals?

I will be happy to share any of the information I compile with any and
all of the respondents.  Thanks in advance.

James E. May
Chief Curator of Cultural History
Indiana State Museum & Historic Sites