Claudia Nicholson wrote:
<is the Valentine a case where totally inadequate market
research (or, none at all) led the museum down
a path doomed to failure?>

Well, there were marketing studies done, as there have been for
the various cultural institutions in the Richmond area.  Maybe
there's something fundamentally wrong with the questions asked
in focus groups?  But, how can a museum staff, even
understanding that admission represents a
not-too-substantial-proportion of the museum's revenue, develop
a realistic strategy for getting people in the doors?  What are
the successful strategies?  The buzz in this area is Colonial
Williamsburg's wanting to enclose its historic area and charge
admission to the area to increase attendance, and thus revenue,
and thus enable CW to put more programs on the streets.  There
was a lively discussion about that strategy on the VA-HIST
discussion list.  On the one hand, I sympathize with CW's need
for increased revenue (operating, not restricted funds) but the
logic of enclosing its area seems a little wobbly.

Are there success stories of museums aggressively increasing
theier attendance and programs and staying alive?  We keep
hearing about collaborations and cross-marketing.  Are there
museums and historic sites that are engaged in these
successfully?

And, btw, Julia Moore's description of the budget conundrum
struck close to home.

--
Barbara C. Batson
Exhibits Coordinator
Library of Virginia
804/692-3518
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