Cultivate Success By Maintaining A High Quality Museum.
Cultivate success by maintaining a high quality Museum.
Objective
Provide An Intellectually Rich, Historically Accurate Experience For Museum Visitors.
The Museum staff will provide high-quality programming to supporters, visitors, and tourists to the Sam Houston Memorial Museum by utilizing both first and third person interpretive techniques, historical re-enactors, and costumed living-history interpreters.
Indicator
Satisfaction Feedback On Site Visits / Tours
On-site work and play program and standard tours will be provided to grades four and seven as well as individuals on a scheduled and drop-in basis. Evaluation materials are collected from these visitors. Teachers are provided paper surveys prior to their visit as well as links to an online post-visit survey, which scale satisfaction with experience. In addition, a wealth of informal feedback is collected in the form of thank you notes containing specific comments.
Criterion
Survey Satisfaction With Site Visits/ Tours
The surveys and anecdotal feedback responses indicate high satisfaction.
Finding
Customer Service Satisfaction
Surveys indicate over 95% satisfaction with Tour Programs and Site Visits, but we have identified an area of the programming that needs to be improved. In the past we haven't begun taking tour reservations until September, meaning that a school couldn't call in May to secure a fall tour date, they would have to wait until September 1 to call and book their fall tour. Consequently, we missed out on a great deal of business by not making our reservation policy simple, easy, and convenient for educators to schedule at their convenience.
Action
Provide Evaluation Material
Rather than waiting until September 1, to begin taking school and tour reservations, this year we plan to change our policy of accepting reservations at any time during the year; in an effort to completely fill the calendar and maximize the available times for schools to visit the Museum.
Goal
Enhance The Image Of SHSU Through Museum Sanctioned Events
Enhance the Image of the University
Objective
Museum Events & Promotional Materials
The Museum will hold events with high public profile and that will cultivate greater interest in the Museum as well as SHSU through our improved programming of event and activities involving the Huntsville community. The Marketing and Events Departments will specifically work to build a wider audience, including, but not limited to, college students, young adults, and younger families.
Indicator
Number/Quality Of Events & Material Distribution Number/Quality
The Museum staff monitors the number of events such as exhibit openings, exhibit receptions, film showings, Friends of the Museum events, rentals of Museum facilities and more, that will be conducted annually to support this objective. Many events such as seminars and conferences are also evaluated by attendees. The number of materials that are distributed is monitored. The Museum staff also informally rates the venues where promotional materials are available to the public.
Criterion
Numbers/Quality Of Events & Materials
The Museum staff expected 4 receptions, 3 Friends-of-the-Museum events; 3 lectures/symposium or conferences in 2010-2011.
Finding
Numbers / Quality Of Events
While our efforts to host several events were met, most patrons attending these events fall into a 50+age bracket. We will develop marketing efforts and events that will appeal to a younger demographic, while at the same time maintaining our current type of events as to not lose the interest of older patrons.
Action
Museum Hosted Events
We will consider additional events that appeal to a younger set; things like social mixers and "after five" type events that would involve the SHSU student body and young working adults. Free events, music, and free food are popular types of events that we will plan into the Museum schedule.