Open Forum

Hello,

Currently here at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH, we have extended hours until 8:00 PM (seven days a week) from Memorial Day to Labor Day (Summer). Several times during the summer very few visitors arrive after 5:00 PM. Due to the additional staffing and energy costs needed to remain open in the evening, when we do have few visitors in an evening we naturally operate at a loss. As with most national halls of fame, many of our visitors are traveling from long distances. 

I was tasked to see how other museums have faced this issue. Has anyone found a more effective alternative than just extending evening hours throughout the summer? I know some institutions stay open later one day a week throughout the year. Perhaps, this is a more effective alternative to just extending hours throughout the summer? 
I would love to hear from anyone who has studied this issue and if they have found an effective way to serve their audience by being open in the evenings but at the same time not lose revenue due to the expenses incurred by extending hours. 

All the best, 

Jason Aikens

Curator of Collections

Hey Jason,

I think the answer depends upon the audience you're trying to serve. Many organizations remain open for extended hours in order to reach young professionals otherwise not very available during the work week. In my experience, this is why/when a museum will have a night or two open that often is specifically marketed to young professionals or with public programs geared toward them.

Extended hours can also be helpful for working parents, if they're looking for things to do locally after work hours. However, if the majority of your audience is non-local folks on vacation, then extended hours may not benefit that audience as much. If you're looking to target a new or local audience, then perhaps this would be the right approach, in combination with marking and programs geared toward those audiences.

Do you have a sense of who you're trying to reach with the extended hours?

Hello,

Currently here at the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, OH, we have extended hours until 8:00 PM (seven days a week) from Memorial Day to Labor Day (Summer). Several times during the summer very few visitors arrive after 5:00 PM. Due to the additional staffing and energy costs needed to remain open in the evening, when we do have few visitors in an evening we naturally operate at a loss. As with most national halls of fame, many of our visitors are traveling from long distances. 

I was tasked to see how other museums have faced this issue. Has anyone found a more effective alternative than just extending evening hours throughout the summer? I know some institutions stay open later one day a week throughout the year. Perhaps, this is a more effective alternative to just extending hours throughout the summer? 
I would love to hear from anyone who has studied this issue and if they have found an effective way to serve their audience by being open in the evenings but at the same time not lose revenue due to the expenses incurred by extending hours. 

All the best, 

Jason Aikens

Curator of Collections