VISITOR CENTER PLANNING WORKSHOP
SEPTEMBER 20-21, 2004
Presented by
National Association for Interpretation
Tim Merriman, Executive Director
888-900-8283 – naiexec@aol.com
Lisa Brochu, Associate Director
866-326-4642 – naiprograms@aol.com
Definition and Principles of Interpretation
Interpretation – A communication process that forges emotional
and intellectual connections between the interests of the
audience and meanings inherent in the resource.
Interpretation is filtered through our own experiences. Example –
What comes to mind when you see a bottle wrapped in a brown bag?
Some think tragic, wino, while others think alcohol, party.
Three Tenants of Interpretation
1. Resource possess meanings that have relevance to people
2. The visitor is sovereign – they take away anything they want
from the experience
3. Education
Tilden’s Principles
1. Relate what is being displayed or described to something
within the personality or experience of the visitor.
2. Information, as such, is not interpretation. Reveal
3. Interpretation is an art, which combines many arts. Use all
the senses
4. The chief aim of interpretation is not instruction, but
provocation. Get the visitor to want to know more.
5. Interpretation should aim to present a whole rather than a
part, and must address itself to the whole man rather than
any phase.
6. Interpretation addressed to children should not be a
dilution of the presentation to adults, but should follow a
fundamentally different approach. As appropriate, not only
related to age.
Larry Beck & Ted Cable’s Principles (abridged)
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Incorporating technology into the program must be done with
foresight and care. It shouldn’t become the point of the
exhibit.
12. The overall interpretive program must be capable of
attracting support – financial, volunteer, political,
administrative – whatever is needed for the program to
flourish.
13. Passion is the essential ingredient for powerful and
effective interpretation.
Pine and Gilmore’s (article Harvard Business Review 1998)
Experience Economy Characteristics
1. Harmonize impressions with positive cues – i.e. Starbucks
experience
2. Eliminate negative cues – don’t have to clean the mess of
making your own coffee
3. Engage all five senses – comfortable atmosphere, music,
smells great
4. Theme the experience – thematic – feels like you’re home
5. Mix in memorabilia – souvenirs recall the experience – postmarketing icon – usually something tangible – ex. Coffee
cup, Balsam fir products
Address all of peoples’ needs – the pee before you see factor –
food, restrooms, places to sit.
The PEROT Model – Sam Ham
1. Purposeful – purpose is often the icing on the cake – not
good - must be in line with mission, goals, objectives,
outputs, outcomes, impacts
2. Enjoyable – multi sensory
3. Relevant – meaningful and personal
4. Organized – doesn’t give you greater retention, however,
visitors are more likely to pay attention because there’s an
expected process/progression
5. Thematic – central idea – people remember themes over facts
T(theme) = T1 + T2+ T3+TN
Most people can carry away at most 7 ideas – should play to 5
Prioritize your central message.
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Tim handed out an oval rock to the group and asked each of us to
hold it and give one word to describe it. When first asked to
describe the rock, we all described its physical attributes. We
then learned the rock had been given to women when she was very
sick child and not expected to live by an Indian doctor who had
taken the rock out of the stomach of a deer he had killed and
told her it would keep her safe and healthy. The woman was now in
her eighties and gave the rock to Tim so he could keep the story
alive. When asked again to describe the rock, we all described it
with intangible words – hope, faith, etc.
Information Center is mostly intellectual stuff. It needs to be
more than just handing out information, if you want to be an
interpretive center.
Context – important to provide context
brain approach
- communicate in a whole
Help people to connect. After they’ve been through your center,
you don’t want them to ask “So what?”
Emotional doesn’t have to be happy. It can also be powerful i.e.
Holocaust Museum - they want you to leave feeling flattened.
Theme is a complete idea – connects a tangible to an intangible
Interpre – tanement = no value simply keeps people busy
Interpre – ganda = only presents one side of the story
Interpre – data = no meaning
Interpretation = whole brain approach
Actively engaged in stewardship – don’t damage/deplete the
resource
Interpretation can serve a role in handling resource
problems/management. For example, a state park out west was
having a problem with bears breaking into people’s cars to get
food. This was resulting in nine bears being put down per year
and $2 million in damages. Before entering the park, all
attendees were shown a video about bears and new signs were
erected throughout the park to remind visitors to properly store
their food. This education effort resulted in only one bear being
put down and a significant reduction in damages.
Interpretation Planning and Business Planning
Stewardship
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Care For
Care About
Understanding
Awareness
Curiosity
Decide – Entry – Connections – Exit
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= COMMITMENT
Experience begins when you decide to go somewhere – using
information – web, brochures
Entry experience – helps people understand where they are, what
to expect, etc. Make sure this experience is positive
Connections – exhibit, gallery, auto tour
Exit – important to take a reminder home (gift shop), reminder
sign, something to encapsulate the visit
5-M Model for Interpretive Planning
1. Management
 Mission, goals, objectives
 Policies and regulations – include all partners
 Key issues – things you may have to work around, budget
and market driven
 Revise and update strategies
 Operational resources – staffing, budget,
facilities/equipment, maintenance
2. Markets
 Product – what you have to offer
 Pricing – perceived value – cost to operate, what are
people willing to pay?
 Place – relationship to what’s around – complementary
and competitive functions, maybe turn competitors into
partners
 Promotion – how do people know about you
 Publics – market segmentation (users/support,
existing/potential, target/primary)
3. Message
 Why is this site significant?
 What interests visitors?
 What is management most interested in communicating?
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4. Mechanics – How things work together
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Large scale – design balance, visitor experience model,
site or landscape features, facilities, building,
interpretive stories
Small scale – space programming, accessibility,
opportunities, constraints
Space programming – visitor behavior determines spatial
needs, i.e. tendency to turn right, constraints of
reading text i.e. height and distance, Mazlow’s
hierarchy of need – restrooms, water, resting spots
5. Media
 Signs, publications, exhibits
 Audio tours, landscape features, art, sculpture, living
history
 Music, playscapes, programs
Additional Things to Think About
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Include floor grids for mechanical wiring needed for
exhibits in the center of rooms.
Avoid windows unless capitalizing on a specific view –
glare and fading is and issue
Make sure doorways to exhibit galleries work properly
Lifespan of exhibits – build in flexibility, updated,
change
Once figure out a solution, make sure to test i.e.
accessible picnic tables placed on sand are not good
for wheelchairs.
The mission statement should drive everything you do
Target market – specifically designed for this
audience, look at primary market versus secondary. Who
do we have now and whom do we hope to draw?
The Planning Process
1. Information – gather information on the 5Ms – sift through
and analyze it i.e. if audiences are 6th graders and seniors
that means one tour won’t do for both
2. Analyze
3. Options
4. Action
You have to pull in community members, other audiences and
stakeholders (try at least 3 times). Start at the beginning with
the big idea i.e. something to communicate what’s special about
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our place. Not all ideas will work as they pass through the
filters. Go back to group with some options.
Ask participants - What do you want this Center to do for you?
Multivote to find priorities – 10 stickers per person, they may
put up to 4 stickers per goal.
Helpful Hints
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Have backup books/research on the things that relate to
interpretive displays at your gift store. i.e. Indian beadwork,
hoop dancing.
The flip/flap approach to view a message, doesn’t really engage
you.
If it’s not safe to get to something you want to interpret
(tidal pool), it’s good to create a reasonable facsimile.
Provide photo opportunities.
Work with other facilities to continue the message – i.e.
Monterey Bay Aquarium put “No dumping, flows to bay” signs on
sewage grates. This integrated the experience with the
community. Near the museum, Bay Rangers were stationed on the
water to tell people to stay a safe distance from the bay
wildlife.
Donor Wall – bronze fish.
Design center so visitors go through the gift shop to exit the
facility.
Make sure your message matches your policies – i.e. the
aquarium gift shop used plastic bags that are not good for the
sea turtles. Train employees to continue the experience.
Diorama – At the Dessert Museum in Benz, Oregon, you could hear
the sounds, feel the wind, and smell the environment – it was a
complete immersion experience. The cost is $30,000 to $50,000
per diorama.
People don’t like to read signs – will go ask a person instead.
Many interpretive centers have on average 6 to 8 volunteers for
every paid staff.
Shark exhibit, “What Happened to Surfer Bob”, offered a solve
the mystery approach to the interpretive center. It had a crime
lab, etc. The overall message was very few people are hurt by
sharks.
Also make informational signs thematic – signs can be shaped,
fiberglass fades and chips, resin is better.
Following are estimated timeframes, if an Interpretive Planner is
involved in the process.
Planning – Spend time here to secure funding for the future –
avoids problems later
 Should take 3 to 6 months – cost $10,000 to $100,000
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CIP interpretive planner by trade – ask for project examples,
references
Member of NAI
Market analyst – could be the same person – help identify the
segments
Representatives – stakeholders, the “ologist”, etc.
Design
 6-9 months
 Exhibit designer
 Illustrator
 Text writer
Fabrication
 6 to 12 months
 Construction
 Installation
Comprehensive Interpretive Plan – Do this first, as it will drive
the rest of the elements. An experienced interpretive planner
will write the guidelines for the rest of the project.
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Architectural
Site considerations (landscape)
Thematic messages
Business (operational pieces)
Include a clause in contract to approve any changes i.e. change
of staff working on the project.
Quick Prospectus
$2,500 plus expenses could buy you a conceptual plan – a quick
prospectus/fundraising tool
 mission, goal objectives
 thematic guidelines
 visitor analysis – based on availability of information
 architect, site and exhibit guidelines
 exhibit descriptions
 preliminary cost estimate
 For more money, they could do concept sketches and
exhibit descriptions
Money/Mission Matrix
$
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1
3
Casino
Night
($20,000)
School Field
Golf Tournament
($15,000)
Trips
2
4
Rummage Sale
Bakes Sale
Car Wash
Rapture Center
$
Plot on the Mission/Money Matrix all the things the interpretive
center is hoping to do. This example was for a nature center Tim
ran. For this example, the volunteers’ time is valued at $8 per
hour. The U.S. Park Service values volunteers at $13 to $17 per
hour.
While casino night and the golf tournament had little to do with
their mission, they were major moneymakers. However, they turned
the golf tournament toward their mission by introducing birds of
prey to educate people about them.
If possible, the projects that fall into quadrant 4 (low money
maker, low on mission scale) should be eliminated or moved to a
higher mission quadrant i.e. sell gems and plants instead of bake
sale.
The Rapture Center helps wounded birds. The project lost money
but it is very high on the mission of the organization. They
considered it a loss leader. It is because of this project that
people want to volunteer with the organization and donate money.
As long as the organization has other projects to balance the
money lost on this program, the Center’s finances should be OK
(balance quadrant 1 and 2).
Income Sources (Revenue)
1. Donations – foundations, corporations, individuals,
government
(grants) (gift)
(gift)
(grants)
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2. Fees – admissions, tours
3. Sales
4. Membership – reinvest this money into membership services
i.e. coupon books for members
5. Concessions
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Become good at earned income. Grants should never be more than
½ of the agency’s income and should not be used to cover
operational costs.
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Better off letting people in free or they start comparing what
else they can by for $6 i.e. movie, lunch
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Use a donation jug with a sign – donations are appreciated
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Additional annual campaign – appeal for more money – need help
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Soft money – grants, in-kind are a huge trap. Know how to make
your center self-sustaining.
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$50,000 grant first year – used $30,000 to hire someone and
$20,000 to buy bikes and canoes, rental fees will cover the
salary of the person the next year.
Old Canada Road Center Template
The name of the Center is critically important. Avoid using a
person’s name in the naming of your center.
1. Mission is the rudder of the ship and vision is the compass
(direction). Keep the mission to 15 words or less.
Initial Old Canada Road Mission
Provide a forum for tasteful and accurate dissemination of
historical and cultural information that is not currently
available to the public.
New Mission
Connect people with the natural and cultural heritage of the
Upper Kennebec Valley Region (UKVR) – working mission, may
be tweaked as you develop goals
2. Vision – Sustain the traditions and resources of the UKVR
3. Goals
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a. Educate people about the traditions and resources
through experiences (center, school programs, access to
resources) – EDUCATION
b. Achieve sustainability of the organization – fiscal,
staff, revenue sources – FINANCIAL/OPERATIONAL
c. Encourage partnerships along the Byway – STEWARDSHIP
 local historical society
 businesses
 community members  economic viability
 landowners
d. Identify traditions and resources – oral history,
archives – RESEARCH
4. Theme – What is the big idea we want them to take away from
the experience? The message is what people are going to
remember. You can have a slogan or motto that relates to the
theme. The logo should reflect the thematic message. All
collateral materials/signage should speak to the theme.
Can have 3 to 5 sub-themes
1. Working/economic traditions – logging, river – what
specific stories do we want to tell?
2. People over time – who has used this place over time
i.e. native American people
3. Migration – southern settlement, northern forest
5. Audiences
 Sportsmen (hunting/fishing)
 Outdoor recreation (snowmobilers, rafters, canoeist,
bikers, hikers, atvers)
 Sightseers – drivers, pass through
 Visiting residents – antiquing, eating out, cultural
shopping
 Heritage tourists
 School visits
Central Theme – The UKVR people are hardworking people that are
proud of their traditions (don’t theme as cultural, natural or
geographic).
1. Old Canada Road has been a migration route for centuries
(Native Americans, Canadians).
2. Southern Settlement reflects the effort required to live here –
dealing with landscape, types of buildings needed to live in
the area.
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3. Ownership of the northern forests has changed little over the
last two centuries. What’s happening now, what happened in the
last 100 years?
Next step – refine and fill in the story lines
Key Issues
1. How do we slow down and stop pass through traffic to explore
and understand the UKVR area?
2. Get a handle on what else is being done in
Byway possibly link to these facilities by
tell help tell their story i.e. historical
Center could serve as a hub and the spokes
pieces of the story?
Maine. Could the
having other people
museum. Interpretive
are providing the
Assume 5,000 cars pass per day and 10% would stop = 500 people
per day stop at the Center, at one time could expect 20-30
people, 45 if a motor coach.
Media Options
1. Live theatre – use costumed interpretation to tell the story –
don’t necessarily have to build a theatre, maybe could use
theatre space already in town. Estimate $200 per sq ft
2. Displays – wall maps, flapper/crankers, high tech stuff average cost is $250 to $300 per square foot. If have 1,000 sq
ft of exhibit space at $300 per sq ft, the total cost for
exhibit space would be $300,000.
3. Video kiosks – could go to another facility – portable ($20,000
-$25,000 each)
4. Outside trails
5. Entry feature
6. Programs – staffing expense
7. Selling guided tour - $10,000-$15,000
8. Theatre – movie type
9. Demonstrations – fly-tying, basket making
10. Sculptures
11. Special events
12. A mobile unit
Space Considerations
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Restrooms – 500 sq ft
Office space (2 people) – 200 sq ft
Storage – 250 sq ft
gift shop – 500 sq ft
Resting spot – 100 sq ft
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Classroom (multiuse room) – 1,000 sq ft
Lobby/info – 250 sq ft
Archival space – 150 sq ft
Exhibits – 1,000 sq ft
Mechanical/circulation space (hallways, utility room, etc.) –
1,000 sq ft
Estimated total of 5,000 sq feet for the Center
Capital Needed
5,000 sq ft x $200 (fairly high-end)
= $1,000,000
1,000 sq ft exhibits costs @ $300 =
300,000
Planning costs 25%-30% of project
(planning and design, architect,
landscape, exhibits)
=
400,000
Parking landscaping
=
300,000
$2,000,000 needed on the front end
$
100,000 operational $ – see
below
$1,800,000 endowment at 6% per year
$3,900,000
While they are at it, some groups raise endowment money to help
create a revenue stream for future operational funding.
Operations
$37,000 – one full-time person
$27,000 – 3 seasonal people ($12 per hour)
$ 6,000 – utility, maintenance costs, supplies
$ 3,000 – insurance
$10,000 – for 2 or 3 color pamphlets
$ 5,000 – over five years for vehicle, grounds maintenance
$ 3,000 – misc, supplies
$ 3,000 – annual audit
$ 2,000 – exhibit maintenance
$96,000 rounded up to $100,000 for the example
Force people through the gift shop to exit the Center. The
average person spends $2.00-$2.50. Estimate gift shop sales at
$35,000, which would equal approximately $10,000 to $12,000 in
profit (adjusted earlier estimate to 14,000 visitors per year).
Must Create 9 or 10 revenue streams but no less than 6
If you don’t have an endowment in place, this is the estimated
first year income needed per revenue source.
1. Endorsement – dividends
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2. Special events – 4-5 events per year, lucky if break even
the first year ($5-10K)
3. Fee for services – rental space ($5K)
4. Rentals – canoes, bikes, etc. ($2K)
5. Membership – ($3K)
6. Donations/gifts ($2K)
7. Special programs funded by grants – don’t use grant money
for operational costs
8. Sales – concessions ($5K)
9. Sponsorships – difficult to get. The companies need to see a
return on their investment
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Do you currently have any events that bring in a wide audience?
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Best bang for the buck are programs, special events, school
programs = personal touch
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Be mindful of the cost per visitor contact and quality of the
message.
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There are creative ways to get your word out without creating
your own infrastructure.
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FYI – University of Maine and Unity College have interpretive
programs
Who’s Going to Run the Center?
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If you are going to have many partners, you should have a
multi-year agreement.
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Need organizational chart.
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Write up a space assessment – two paragraphs and how it ties
back to the goals.
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Since shopping is so high on the list of things to do, let
people know you have a gift shop at the center.
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Interpretive piece is another layer that can be added to a
business plan.
 Investigate complementary and competitive functions to
determine niche
 Identify owner/manager
 Refine goals/ objectives
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 Refine message
 Refine space programs and budget
 Develop a good promotional piece that sells the idea – if
includes a building show a beautiful elevation of the new
building.
Need Professional Help?
Do:
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Look for a professional planning firm that specializes in
interpretive projects.
Look for a firm with staff members experienced in
interpretive master planning.
Hire commercial members of NAI.
Ask if individual planner is NAI-certified.
Check references of all bidders (for the firm and for
individual team members).
Require a list of individuals who will work on your project.
Look for potential bidders in NAI’s Green Pages – online.
Call other site managers who have recently completed
planning projects.
Get everything in writing.
Know your rights and responsibilities.
Don’t:
 Hire architecture or landscape architecture firms without
specific interpretive expertise for interpretive planning
projects.
 Hire exhibit fabrication firms for interpretive planning
projects.
 Think things will be different for you if you’ve gotten word
that a particular firm or individual is difficult to work
with or inexperienced.
RFP (include)
 Description of the project- area, location of project,
challenges, what you are hiring them to do for you
 Include the name of a contact person
 List any known parameters – budget, limitations on location
of consultants (50 mile radius)
 Add evaluation criteria
 Street address
 Deadline
 Instructions for the proposal format – limited to 20 pages,
include staff list and recommendations
 Examples of previous work
 Give 30 days to respond
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Design a sustainable project – Interpretive Centers are a media
choice to deliver a message. Could another media choice work to
accomplish the same mission and goals?
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