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Megan and all,

I don't think a movie is the right analogy. Adults expect to enjoy the
movie--often, there is content added that goes right over a kid's head--and
don't see themselves just in the role of chaperone. I suspect the parents
who are questioning the fee are thinking of things like those indoor kid
gyms some communities have, where you pay a fee for each child but the
adults pay nothing because, obviously, they are not going to be scrambling
up the rope structure. In this latter case, the parent is clearly
accompanying the child to a child-specific event and would be outraged if
the gym tried to charge the adult.

--Erin




On Wed, Jul 17, 2013 at 9:50 AM, Glen Moore <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
> institutions.
>
> *****************************************************************************
>
> A bit like someone attending a children's movie with a child. Would they
> ask for free entry?
>
> Sent from my iPhone
>
> On 17/07/2013, at 9:30 PM, "Megan Pratt" <
> [log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> > ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> > Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related
> institutions.
> >
> *****************************************************************************
> >
> > We have recently started the Pensacola MESS Hall here in Florida. We have
> > had a great response from the community, and things are going very well.
> > However, we repeatedly get asked by visitors why the adult has to pay,
> too.
> > "I'm not going to do anything," is the typical statement. A recent email
> > feedback said, "I feel like the parents of children interested should NOT
> > be charged since we were the ones trying to instruct the children instead
> > of having someone in charge come and explain each experiment to us." We
> do
> > have things that adults enjoy, and many other adults are interested in
> > adult nights or other events. I doubt the folks who ask about not paying
> > would object to paying for a kids' movie or other so-called kids
> activity.
> >
> > We usually try to explain to folks that it is a family learning
> experience,
> > that their kids will get more out of the visit with their parent or other
> > adult engaging with them. However, the question happens very early in the
> > interaction, and the customer is already a bit annoyed.
> >
> > We are hoping that this is just a community learning experience, that
> many
> > of these folks just aren't familiar with the idea of a science museum.
> (We
> > get lots of calls asking, "What are you?") However, I would appreciate
> any
> > suggestions on how we can best diffuse the question about the adult fee.
> >
> > Thanks.
> > Megan
> > ------------------------------
> > Megan Pratt, Ph.D.
> > Executive Director
> > Pensacola MESS Hall
> >
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