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Peter, and others - my experience would suggest you are in the ballpark
with id'ing the difference between iconographic and other exhibits....

Another way of thinking about it is to look at the size of the exhibit.
If its BIG, like the coal mine or the sub, my guess is people will wait.
If it's a table top exhibit, people won't wait.  Makes sense from this
aspect of size:  bigger equals fewer - smaller equals more.  I think
about my experience with explora where most everything is tabletop -
literally.  There are so many more choices, I don't think visitors feel
the need to wait - besides, how do they know the level or the depth the
engagement for them personally beforehand?  At the other extreme, I
remember the hurricane exhibit in the old part of the tampa museum.
Although it was timed (every half hour?) people would queue up a good 15
minutes early.

Imho, it is much more a subtle psychological issue of waiting/vs. return
than it is a measure of how engaging or exciting the exhibit is, as
measured independently.

And, hey, I remember the pieta at the worlds fair.  Still have the
silver medallion of it that my parents bought!  If I'm not mistaken, one
got on a moving flat escalator (guess that's an oxymoron) and remember
distinctly thinking, 'here it comes.  There it is.  There it goes.'
behind glass that seemed inches thick to a kid.

Jeff courtman

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