2. Competitors
Shopping Entertainment Recreational
Activities
On any given day a visitor has many choices for an outing
Ask 3 basic questions about what your Science Center does:
-“So What?”
-“Who Cares?”
-“What does it mean to my visitor?”
3. Data Analytics
Get hold of historical data and analyze
•Most profit generating events/exhibits/programs
•Increase in overall footfall and footfall/program YOY
•% Increase in footfall during promotions/events
•Which customer segment is growing and which is lacking
•What % of OP cost is supported by earned income
• Organize a new event
How? • Give discount coupons
• 5% from school
From Where? programs,10% from
events
• 20% increase in
Set a target revenue- say 5% QOQ
Plan Annually, Validate Quarterly
4. Market Research
Refer to Journals and annual reports to understand trends in consumer spending
and attendance and benchmark comparisons
Talk to Science Center across the country
Analyze offering versus visitor attraction of different age groups and popular pricing
and seasons.
Get on to the field!
Develop Questionnaire
Interview – small groups, visitor exit interview, mailer, website etc
Provide incentive to respondents- free ticket to special show, science center pen etc
Administer survey over a period of time
Compile data
Discuss
“We need to know why people who aren’t coming to the
Science Center aren’t coming; or what visitors like about it”
5. Sample Questionnaire
1. Is this your first visit?
– How did you hear about science center
– How many times do you come in a year
2. Can you tell me how many adults and children came with you today?
– Ages of children
3. What were your interest in coming to science center
– Interest in Science and technology
– Entertainment
– Educational
– Holiday/Sightseeing
– Bring Children
– Bring friends
– Recommended by friends
4. What were your favourites today- list
5. Did you buy specia show tickets- list
Did you buy food snacks
Did you buy souvenirs at the gift shop
6. Did you talk with or ask for help of any staff while you were here?
– Which staff? Were staff helpful, in what way
7. Did you experience any inconvenience in your visit today?
8. What parts of your visit today did you like the best?
9. Which part of the city are you coming from?
Act on what data tells you
6. Segmentation
School • What kind of school-
Groups Private/Government
Target Customer
• Demographics (age,
Parents gender, education,
with pre- income etc)
teenage
• Decision maker (Eg: A
children
30 year old father)
7. Brand Positioning
What makes you unique?
• Science is for everyone
– Under privileged
– Senior citizens
– Differently abled
– Homemakers
• Learning through Fun
– Website
– Social Media
– Games
• Explore, Learn , Create
– Learning programs
Decide what you want to be and REINFORCE!
8. Promotion
• “Every Customer Leaves Satisfied”
• Making people’s experience unique and personal
Positive WOM • Make our customers our brand ambassadors
• Referral Program
• Frequent Buyer Program
Increase Repeat
Customer • Email Updates
• Technology Access Program for Senior Citizens
• Sky Watch at a Beach
Special Offers • See Science Center @ $5 on New Year
9. Social Media
• Don’t Shy Away
– You tube channel
– Flicker
– Google+
• Create the links to Social Media on the home page
10. Fund raising
• Develop in kind sponsorship from local media. They
design ads for you and run them when space is available.
In return, offer them credit as a sponsor of whatever
event/exhibit you are running.
• Some movie theaters will provide free on screen
advertising in return for free discount coupons for their
customer- focus on children movies
• Ask transportation companies to display your posters in
return for offering discounts to their passengers
• Conducting special events in collaboration with Ministry
of Health for educating teenagers about harms of
smoking
11. Ideas!
• Special Needs Days- Liberty Science Center ,NJ
– Join us for a day of learning about the world through science for those with special needs, and the
family and caregivers who love them.
• Live From Surgery- Liberty Science Center ,NJ
– Students Watch Real-Time Surgery While Conversing with the Medical Team
• Celebrating special days- Earth day- Earth week
– Discount on Earth Exhibit Classes
– Organize quiz and competition on earth related subject
• Event venue and rentals- Science Center, Miami
– Movie screening, Birthday bash, Corporate events, Fundraisers, Meetings
• Portal to Public- Pacific Science Center ,Seattle, WA
– Portal to the Public is a proven, scalable guiding framework for Informal Science Educators to engage
scientists and public audiences in face-to-face interactions that promote appreciation and
understanding of current scientific research and its application.
• Summer camps, Spring Camps, Winter Camps
• Family outings- Parents' Night Out
• Night Out- Many Science Centres across the world
– At Camp-In you'll enjoy a private, after hours experience where you can explore everything Pacific
Science Center has to offer
