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Just catching up on this after being away on leave - seems they've  
fallen into the same trap as many of the Millennium Centres did 12-13  
years back here in the UK, believing the most optimistic visitor  
projections and building the business model round them, with no room  
for flexibility. I find consultant projections of numbers consistently  
30-50% over reality and underestimate the impact of offers on the net  
ticket income with the result that here in the UK virtually all the  
millennium science centres had big cuts in their early years and a  
couple closed.

I always reckon its best to capitalise as much of your first year  
operating cost as possible or, if expanding, aiming to fund core staff  
based on the numbers being received at the original venue, and make  
all the additionals short-term for the expansion with 6 month-1 year  
contracts so you have options for either making them permanent or  
letting them go at the end of the contract.

I am also surprised they are making such sweeping cuts only 4 months  
in, changing location can change visiting patterns significantly and  
unless major crisis looms holding fire for preferably the end of the  
first year before widespread redundancies are made is better as it  
gives a chance to equilibrate out. It also concerns me that a lot of  
the losses are in the workshop and similar places that are vital to  
the soul of the place, which would seem to be cutting off the flow of  
innovation that makes the Exploratorium what it is in the first place.

IAN SIMMONS
Science Communication Director
Centre for Life




Quoting Charles Carlson <[log in to unmask]>:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related  
> institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
>
> The article reflects events, and the extensive comments reflect some  
> obvious public sentiments and anger. What's surprising and sad is  
> the lack of compassion in the public domain; a zenith and nadir in  
> the first 4 months.
>
> C
> http://www.sfgate.com/bayarea/articleComments/Exploratorium-cuts-18-of-staff-as-attendance-lags-4737148.php?gta=commentlistpos#commentlistpos
>
>
> Sent from Charlie Carlson's iPad
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