Museums…free admission???

Sorry for the delayed response – ‘university run’ with number 1 son and a rather hectic work schedule!

Ironically I don’t actually perceive it a being a matter of competing – each venue has its own individual ‘product’ / offering; whilst free admission may present a communication challenge with some visitors you just roll your sleeves up and get on with it!

Aviation Heritage Lincolnshire (AHL) is a great example of how like minded organisations can co-operate and gain mutual benefit from supporting and working with each other.

Yesterday I attended the AHL Conference at Hemswell Court and in the afternoon the key note speaker was the new Director General of the RAF Museum. I was greatly encouraged and heartened by what was a well considered presentation on a host of aviation related topics. 🙂

Within the presentation there was an acknowledgment that the whole aviation movement needs to pull together to develop an enhanced awareness and greater engagement with the general public to widen the appeal of aviation to as large an audience as possible! 🙂

I have never been acussed of being a conservative type in the Canadian or American museum world…

Nor was I suggesting you were either, just to be clear.

Yet the expectation both by some enthusiasts through the general public is they should be free!!!

The thought train does not make sene to me so I am trying to understand where this comes from.

I don’t think it qualifies as a ‘thought’ more a thoughtless expectation. 😎 To be fair though, that’s not how I read any of the comments in the other thread, or generally, the expectation of forum members here. Understandably there’s objection to gouging or ‘tricks’ (the RAFM’s ‘free entry’ and car parking charge) or poor quality – the RAFM’s appalling food offering remote from alternatives. But that’s different.

I defer to Twottoer for the detail of the issues of competing with the national collections though.

Regards,

Without trying to take the thread waaaaay off topic ~ a very quick description of the motion simulators in the picture …..

On the left on the pic we can see the front where the seats are. This section can roll 360 deg around the attachment to the rear section ~ which can be seen second to left. That’s the bit with the counter weight and the horizontal beam that holds it to the very substantial mount ~ which includes a pit underneath so the rear section can revolve 360 deg in the vertical axis. Put the two sections together and it can perform any maneuver and hold any attitude your stomach can handle

I first saw them in 2008 at this location ~ so they’re not new but it’s just a whole quantum leap above the things we see at air shows in the UK

Evening Tom, why did I provide that link – now I’ll let off a bit of steam! 😉

No really – free admission for the Nationals is something that the Independent Museum sector in the UK has had to live with for many years.

The biggest impact comes from some sections of the paying public who think that every museum receives a hefty government grant and then ask “why do we have to pay here when it’s free at xyz museum?” 😮 They then recoil when advised we get no central funding!

I suspect that with the latest grant cutbacks many of the Nationals are now struggling for income; and I always raise a wry smile when some of them are the biggest online advertisers on sites like this and the good old taxpayer is ultimately footing the bill.

Within the Independent sector there is some good evaluation work being done by AIM (Association of Independent Museums) to assess the economic impacts of the Independent sector; more reading / downloading for you here http://www.aim-museums.co.uk/pages/pg-18-aim-economic-impact-paper/

NAM (if you’ll pardon the pun) helped pilot the AIM Toolkit last year and based on its 2009 visitor figures it was estimated to have generated an additional £700k beneficial spend into the local economy – over and above what its own income was.

That made us feel good about ourselves and what we contribute indirectly to our local economy! 😀

Morning and thanks for the comments

ONce again you and I have shared many of the same experiences and cocked eyebrows at similar things.

Thanks for the link….we have asimilar bag of tools and it’s amazing at how much operations such as ours (yours and mine) contribute to the local economy…literally millions of dollars of year in economic impacts and services!

I drive the point home where ever possible and think all of the private museums should.

Thanks again for the comments

Tom

Tom, I think you misread the discussion. The person enquiring for feedback wished to establish one criteria for their survey which was vital, whether the respondent museum was free entry or not – which informs other aspects of the feedback.

Secondly they were trying to establish is ‘free with donations possible’, or ‘entry costs’ were options, and I among others provided feedback regarding aspects of the experience after those choices.

No one is suggesting ‘all’ museums should be free.

However I would say that I’m vehement that museums need to look and think globally regarding best practice, ideas and approaches. However there are some areas (fewer than conservative museum managers realise) where local cultural expectation has to be allowed first. The UK and N America (more the US than Canada, though) have fundamentally different expectations regarding free museum entry or not; and they are wrapped up in differing expectations of private wealth, tax breaks, government funding / interference and so on and so forth.

I don’t think any question of any demand on your museum (or case study type) to be free entry.

Regards,

Morning JDK

No I read the otehr thread correctly and understand what the OP was trying to do which is why I broke this dicussion off to a new thread.

But some of the comments in the other thread (no names no pack drill) were quie clear in my mind of what they expected.

Combined with a couple of bad days as well as on/off incidents regarding the topic with guests at our facility and others across Canada I know of drove me to ask the question.

I have never been acussed of being a conservative type in the Canadian or American museum world but at the same time as the person that is responsible for making sure the bills get paid I have come to a few IMO “truisms”.

1) A museums first duty is to survive
If you don’t survive you cannot accomplish the “core” of your mandate.

2) You must act in a business like fashion…for a lot of reasons, including paying the bills.

3) People have to want to come and you must work to make that happen.

At the same time on both forums, in person and in print presures are put on Museums to be better offer more and the expectations of restorations being absolutely correct, whatever the cost.

These things all cost large $$$$$

As I have described a private not for profit here gets “0” government support for the most part.

Yet the expectation both by some enthusiasts through the general public is they should be free!!!

The thought train does not make sene to me so I am trying to understand where this comes from.

Appreciate your comments

Tom

Motion flight simulators with 360 deg roll ….

:confused:

How does that work?

Moggy

Tom, I think you misread the discussion. The person enquiring for feedback wished to establish one criteria for their survey which was vital, whether the respondent museum was free entry or not – which informs other aspects of the feedback.

Secondly they were trying to establish is ‘free with donations possible’, or ‘entry costs’ were options, and I among others provided feedback regarding aspects of the experience after those choices.

No one is suggesting ‘all’ museums should be free.

However I would say that I’m vehement that museums need to look and think globally regarding best practice, ideas and approaches. However there are some areas (fewer than conservative museum managers realise) where local cultural expectation has to be allowed first. The UK and N America (more the US than Canada, though) have fundamentally different expectations regarding free museum entry or not; and they are wrapped up in differing expectations of private wealth, tax breaks, government funding / interference and so on and so forth.

I don’t think any question of any demand on your museum (or case study type) to be free entry.

Regards,

Evening Tom, why did I provide that link – now I’ll let off a bit of steam! 😉

No really – free admission for the Nationals is something that the Independent Museum sector in the UK has had to live with for many years.

The biggest impact comes from some sections of the paying public who think that every museum receives a hefty government grant and then ask “why do we have to pay here when it’s free at xyz museum?” 😮 They then recoil when advised we get no central funding!

I suspect that with the latest grant cutbacks many of the Nationals are now struggling for income; and I always raise a wry smile when some of them are the biggest online advertisers on sites like this and the good old taxpayer is ultimately footing the bill.

Within the Independent sector there is some good evaluation work being done by AIM (Association of Independent Museums) to assess the economic impacts of the Independent sector; more reading / downloading for you here http://www.aim-museums.co.uk/pages/pg-18-aim-economic-impact-paper/

NAM (if you’ll pardon the pun) helped pilot the AIM Toolkit last year and based on its 2009 visitor figures it was estimated to have generated an additional £700k beneficial spend into the local economy – over and above what its own income was.

That made us feel good about ourselves and what we contribute indirectly to our local economy! 😀

Thanks for the post bomberflight (Peter)

I know the Museum in your post well and have studied it thoroughly.

The theme park twist is interesting as they no longer charge admission but do charge for the use of virtually everything except looking at the aircraft.

And while it and the another Museum have gone the theme park route
(the other has a 747 on the roof that is part of a waterpark!).

In my mind they are really not museums anymore…the core functions of education, archives and to an extent preservation are no longer there.

Now I am not deriding or being critical…just pointing out a “Business Choice” they have made to sustain operations and why they differ from a museum.

That said it does allow the operation to preserve the aircraft and create an exciting environment. There is a lot to be said for that.

I also appreciate your comments re: Museum A.

All accurate and in our museum we have addressed many of those same issues and found solutions.

We offer many of the same entertainment options as the museum in your example ( a good one BTW) but rather than charge for each option and compromise the core we have retained a modest admission and include all.

I guess being the one responsible for paying the bills and protecting the core functions puts me in a position/focus that I have a hard time getting over the expectation of a museum needing to be FREE. Your example is far from FREE, it simply generates the income in a different fashion.

Thanks for the post, information and comments

Tom

Hi Tom, I’ll have a go at explaining what I’ve seen in the US last summer if I may …..

Musuem A charges an entrance fee, is stuffed full of aircraft, memorabilia and displays. The staff are motivated and passionate about what they do.

Yet I can away thinking most aircraft ( many outside ) are doomed in the long term. They have so much stuff ~ the place feels over crowded and not well cared for ( too much for an army of staff to keep dusted and looking good ).
If I returned ~ I would expect it to look very similar ~ since they don’t have funding to add or upgrade any of the displays.

Museum B used to charge for entrance but reducing footfall cause them to be bold and develop a business plan that seems to be working

The main display building is not an iconic piece of radical architecture ~ it’s a big shed that uses light in a dramatic way

It’s uncluttered ~ not much memorabilia here ~ and therefore low maintenance ….

It doesn’t rely on active warbirds to keep people coming back time after time

It does have a very well stocked gift shop. It has a reasonably priced ~ basic cafeteria on the upper floor with a seating gallery looking out across aircraft on display

It has an “olde time” fair ground with rides for smaller children and these ……

Motion flight simulators with 360 deg roll and pitch !

I’m told parents are dragged back to the museum time after time just so there budding fighter pilots can get more stick time in them.

This “theme park” approach might seem offensive to many people on this forum ~ but at the end of the day ~ if this works for them and I can go visit and photograph some beautifully presented warbirds ~ they get my vote