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I second Alan's comments about the difficulty of predicting these things. I
have seen the hassles associated with "under building" instead of over
building. Within one year of opening, the Illinois Holocaust Museum &
Education Center had to turn away school groups and/or carry out elaborate
choreographed, timed tours to get students through the gallery tours during
peak times. And she shortage of space resulted in banishing the Education &
Development Departments to a different building separated from the main
facility--not great considering Chicago weather.

It's also hard to get the staffing levels right. That first year after
opening, everything is crazy and the people on staff are all run ragged,
but you can't over hire because year two is at risk of the "sophomore
slump"  (I"m borrowing that term from John Jacobsen at White Oak) when
lower attendance could result in layoffs.

It is tough to think that many of the people being laid off have barely had
a chance to catch their breath and have likely been giving up weekends and
vacations for a couple of years to get the place open. My heart goes out to
all the staff and I hope they can take pride in their accomplishment and
leverage the portfolio of good work without letting the departure tarnish
their achievement.

Any Exploratorium employee needing volunteer help with a resume overhaul
just ask.


On Sat, Aug 17, 2013 at 12:14 AM, Alan Friedman <[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.
>
> *****************************************************************************
>
> Last month I was in Berkeley for a few days and took BART to spend a
> Saturday at the new Exploratorium.  I spent most of my time watching other
> visitors, the result of a lifetime working in the science center field.
> Conclusion:  there were thousands of people, almost all families with a
> wide range of ages, having a great time.  I chatted with two families from
> the East Bay who were making their first visit to the new location, and
> loving it, courtesy of deep discounted Groupon admissions.
>
> It is still the Exploratorium which inspired so many of us for decades,
> only now in different location. In its new home the Exploratorium has all
> of its old strengths, and most of the old issues connected with its unique
> style and attitudes.  Sure, I enjoyed strolling around the grounds of the
> Palace, but the Embarcadero, tourists and all, is fun too.  The breeze off
> the bay and the sailboats are wonderful, and the Exploratorium's Bay
> Observatory Gallery is one of the most delightful places to be in San
> Francisco.
>
> Many museums and science centers built or expanded in the past 30 years
> have
> overprotected revenue, and had to take cuts a few months to a couple of
> years after opening.  Even the best experts at predicting such things have
> a tough time.  UNDERestimating what visitorship will be after opening can
> cause even longer-lasting headaches than overestimating.
>
> The emails in SFGate seem very familiar.  People not in our profession
> often
> have no idea how nonprofits are funded, what their costs are, and
> how difficult the calculations are to find a happy compromise among all
> the choices we must make.  One would like to think that the public gives
> us the benefit of the doubt, and people don't assume the worst, and that
> they withhold judgment until they learn more about the trade-offs.  Alas,
> among the folks who post comments to news stories, these are not qualities
> in good supply.  Perhaps if the Next Generation Science Standards are
> adopted and more people understand what engineering "trade-offs" are all
> about, we'd have a more tolerant world.
>
> As it is, best wishes to our friends at the Exploratorium as they make the
> adjustments needed, and as they continue to inspire us.
>
> Alan
>
> ________________________________________
> Alan J. Friedman, Ph.D.
> Consultant for Museum Development and Science Communication
> 29 West 10th Street
> New York, New York 10011 USA
> T  +1 917 882-6671
> E   [log in to unmask] <mailto:[log in to unmask]>
> W www.FriedmanConsults.com <http://www.friedmanconsults.com/>
>
> a member of The Museum Group
> www.museumgroup.com <http://www.museumgroup.com/>
>
>
>
>
>
>
> On 8/17/13 12:00 AM, "ISEN-ASTC-L automatic digest system"
> <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
>
> >Exploratorium cuts 18% of staff as attendance lags - SFGate
>
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