ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
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The simple answer is ,do you have a crystal ball?,

You are asking the single hardest question in the industry,
other than what do people learn when they come to the museum.

You obviously are in a high traffic area with a good tourist audience,
but will the visitors come through the doors and pay your admission
fee?

If there are lots of other free offerings in the area, this will be a
negative both for cost and for available time for families.

What are you planning on charging and how will visitors perceive
the relative value of the experience to other things available to them?

is parking easily available, and if so is it free, if not how much does
it add to the cost of a visit to your museum...?

Can potential visitors easily know what they will get to do at your
site and is  it exciting to them?  If they have to guess they won't come.

How much advertising are you planning on doing to the local
community and to the tourist audience?

All of these factors will influence your attendance...  and once again,
I would recommend investing in a crystal ball...

David

                    David Taylor
        AHHA Museum Services
             Now I Understand
             Seattle, WA 98177
                (206) 363-8126
      e-mail:   [log in to unmask]
 http://www.AHHA-MuseumServices.com
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> From: Jenny Theodorou <[log in to unmask]>
> Reply-To: Informal Science Education Network <[log in to unmask]>
> Date: Tue, 28 Sep 2004 16:16:13 -0700
> Subject: Attendance projections

> We are opening a small (7,000 total sq ft, 3,650 exhibit space) Marine Science
> Center in Santa Barbara, CA. I am trying to project our annual attendance and
> am having difficulties. Can anyone suggest a method/ formula? I am anxiously
> awaiting the 2003 ASTC survey data and will order the 2002 survey data as
> well.
> 
> Our facility will open next year and be situated in Santa Barbara on a high
> traffic area wharf. The Wharf sees between 500,000 to 1 million visitors and
> Santa Barbara has over 400,000 residents. We are about 1 ½ hours from LA so
> the population pool is enormous. Our facility will only have approximately
> 3500 of exhibit space. Our old facility was about 2000 sq ft and served
> ~70,000 visitors. The new improved and much more interactive facility will be
> 3600 sq feet.
>  
> Can anyone point me in a direction?

> Jenny Theodorou 
> Sea Center Director
> Santa Barbara Museum of Natural History 

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