The Tempe Historical Museum installed pole banners on the street lights along
the two streets adjacent to the museum building.  They advertize our current
exhibit on the fiftieth anniversary of the Cactus League (spring training) in
Arizona.  The response has been extremely positive (to no one's surprise, I
might add).  Attendance has increased and the public visibility of the Museum
has been heightenned.  We hope to be able to continue fabricating banners for
changing exhibits from now on.

I would like to pick the brains of institutions that have had some experience
with banners.

1. Do you put up banners for every exhibit you do?  Is the effectiveness of the
banner related to the exhibit topic?  Does it depend on whether the public
already has a familiarity with the topic, and whether it is inherently a popular
subject (e.g., baseball) versus one that requires cultivating public interest?

2. Do you advertize other types of programs, such as special events, with
banners?  How effective has that been?

3. What do you do with the banners once they are taken down?  Do you sell them,
auction them off, retain any for your collection?

I would appreciate any insights museum-lers might have related to these issues
and any other comments you might have about street banners (especially pole
banners) as a means of getting the word out to the public and marking the
location of your institution.  Thanks in advance!


Amy A. Douglass
Tempe Historical Museum
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