HME November PLC Call for Presentations

**CALL FOR PRESENTATIONS**

The Hamilton Area Museum Educators - Peer Learning Circle (HME/PLC) invite you to present at our upcoming Peer Learning Circle!

Topic:  Inside View/Outside View: A Return to Active Audiences in Museums and Galleries

Date:  Monday, November 12, 2012, 10:00am-3:00pm

Location:  Art Gallery of Hamilton

123 King Street West

Hamilton

905-527-6610

When we talk about making museums or performing arts organizations more participatory and dynamic, those changes are often seen as threatening to the traditional arts experience. Audience commentary, comfortable spaces for eating and talking, opportunities for amateurs to contribute to professional work: these are often considered intrusions into formal, classical settings for enjoyment of arts.

Sparked by this very interesting post on Museum 2.0, the topic for this year’s autumn PLC is active audiences in museums and galleries.

WE WANT TO KNOW what exciting and innovative ways you are changing your museum/gallery audience from passive visitors to active, empowered participators.

Do you:

-run an innovative program?

-participate in an interesting partnership?

-integrate active audiences in any way in your museum/gallery?

We invite you to share your approaches and ideas in a presentation that will engage others in conversation and offer learning in this informal peer learning environment.

We ask that presentations be a maximum of 15-20 minutes in length, followed by 10-15 minutes discussion period.  However, new approaches are welcome and creative presentations may be longer or shorter depending on what you want to share or get out of them.  All ideas related to the topic are welcome. Step up and share!

For more information about the HME Peer Learning Circle, please contact one of HME’s coordinators.

We look forward to hearing from you!

 

HME Coordinators

Teresa Gregorio gregort@mcmaster.ca

Sarah Hamilton SarahHamilton@brantford.ca

Nicole Knibb knibbn@mcmaster.ca

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Day Camp Trends

I've been asking around about day camp attendance trends.  A number of museums are reporting that day camp attendance has dropped over the last year.  What's going on?  Here are a few thoughts:

- demographics: not as many children in our target age groups means not as many attending
- economics: parents are looking for cheaper alternatives as the recession continues
- competition: many private businesses have entered the field of day camps

What's going on at your museum?  Does your day camp attendance remain steady? Has it dropped or increased?  What are parents and caregivers looking for in a day camp?

Let me know your thoughts!  Please contact me at sarahhamilton@brantford.ca. I'll share all the information on the blog.

Thanks!

Sarah Hamilton
HME Coordinator

Notes: Dissatisfied Visitors: amending your customer service style

We had a wonderful meeting this past Monday at Sarcoa.

Educators from a diverse range of museums and cultural institutions attended and shared their experiences with customer service and dissatisfied "visitors".

The Royal Museums of Greenwich have this list of their customer services.

The Museum Notes blog posted this interesting information about how we name our "visitors", and how that affects our view of these people.
A summary:
"In fact, what we call our museum’s public beneficiaries really does influence how we think of them, plan for them, serve them and our communities, and even assess our impact. “Visitor” might have the lead as a standard term, but with major shortcomings. It is not only impersonal, but it also lumps together millions of people into one undifferentiated mass. It implies a temporary relationship with someone who will be leaving soon. Finally, it ignores the vast number of people who may not physically come to the museum but who have an interest in and a relationship with it."

Click the link above if you're interested in reading more.
Soon to come: information about our next meeting, "Movie Night: Share your favourite intriguing films/documentaries/youtube videos".

Notes:
Customer Service
-survey, email comments
-be sure to engage with visitor comments
-offer incentives to unhappy customers
-team meetings to examine trends of certain complaints
-personal comfort, floor plans forms of customer service
-guestbook comments, contact cards for concerns for directors/curator
-in-person surveys for marketing, co-op student
-people should (or do) have perceived notions of what to expect when coming to your museum
-do you meet these expectations?
-important: meeting AODA requirements
-sensitivity to everyone’s needs
-try a “secret shopper” to examine your museum’s customer service
-volunteer training
-what do you get for admission? Offer a 2 day pass
-offer free parking with membership

Welcome!

September sees the beginning of HME's 2012-2013 schedule.

We have an exciting list of topics coming up; head on over to the Schedule page to read more about where and when we're meeting.