Nancy...

They MAY be an upfront expense, but going with a first rate group who  
does museum master planning is well worth every cent!
The business plan is just one part of what they do.

If I were you, I would work with the board to develop a scope of work  
and then put it out to bid.

You probably can get some advice--gratis--for a start from WhiteOak  
Associates in MA.

I only mention them because they are the firm we settled upon and we  
got 150% of what we paid for!


Good luck-- don't hestiate to email/call with questions.

Good luck,

Lois

Lois Brynes, Principal
     DeepTime Associates
     P.O. Box 58
     Rockport, MA 01966
     USA
[log in to unmask]
land    978 546-8574
air        978 290-3029

On Aug 21, 2009, at 12:23 PM, Guy Hermann wrote:

> Nancy--
>
> It is a daunting task compiling such a list since there are so many  
> projects out there and so many variables. There are lots of museum  
> building and expansion projects out there, very few of them are  
> directly comparable because of difference in community size and make- 
> up, resource availability (all kinds: collections, a building,  
> endowment or governmental support, etc.), the focus of the museum  
> (history, art, science), the kinds of audiences served (tourists,  
> researchers, kids, community members), the scale and scope of the  
> project, location, competing venues, etc.
>
> Unlike doing these kinds of projections for a commercial enterprise,  
> where one Starbucks is much like another, every museum is different,  
> so there are few standard rules that apply--what works one place may  
> need to be substantially reworked to work in a different place. Any  
> comparison must be taken with a large margin of potential error.
>
> Rather than focusing on new or expanded museums, I might look at  
> existing successful museums of comparable size and scope to identify  
> the characteristics that make them work well for their communities.  
> You can then use these as a benchmark for your project and for  
> assessing the new or expanded museums that turn up in the process. I  
> think AASLH might have some resources for identifying similar museums.
>
> Best of luck,
>
> Guy
>
> -----------------------------
>
> Guy Hermann, LEED GA
> Museum Insights: Master Planning for Museums
> 860-245-1323
> http://www.museuminsights.com
>
> On Aug 18, 2009, at 2:51 PM, Nancy Geyer wrote:
>
>> Our board and staff are working on a business plan for a new museum  
>> we hope to build in the not too distant future. We are trying to  
>> make projections on visitation numbers and revenue for the new  
>> museum. I am hoping to get some data from other museums that have  
>> expanded or built new museum buildings in the past ten years. So I  
>> am compiling a list. I will need to eventually filter the list to  
>> cities and museums of comparable size to ours but right now I am  
>> just trying to put together the preliminary list.  If you know of  
>> such a museum would you mind shooting me an e-mail with the name  
>> and location? Thanks so much.
>>
>> Nancy
>>
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