Measuring the performance of interactive centres

Tim Caulton

There is so much public money being invested in new interactive centres that there has never been more urgency to implement good management practice, and to appraise performance. Is the public receiving value for money? By what standards should performance be measured, and how is value for money measured anyway? Much of the debate surrounding interactive centres quite rightly focuses on educational effectiveness. Whilst exhibit evaluation is one way of measuring performance, other measures can help in the formulation and implementation of policy, assisting managers to plan, monitor and control the use of resources.

Performance measures can typically be placed in one of five categories: -

• Economy - minimising costs
• Efficiency -  maximising return on expenditure
• Effectiveness - maximising outputs to meet organisational objectives
• Excellence - maximising quality, reliability and consistency
• Equity - maximising benefits for all sections of community
  

The evidence here is based on the published financial accounts of the three largest independent hands-on centres in the UK, the Exploratory in Bristol (1993-5), Techniquest in Wales (1994-6), and Eureka! The Museum for Children in Halifax (1993-5), together with data derived from a variety of other sources.

The operating costs per m² per annum ranged from £382-£662, and averaged £480. There is no obvious connection between the size of the centres and the operating costs per m², although all three centres reduced their costs over the period, with a difference of less than £100 per m² separating the centres in the last year.

The operating costs per exhibit per annum ranged from £3,387-£6,623, with an average of £4,418. This variation may reflect variations in the nature (and definition) of exhibits between the centres. Each centre reduced operating costs per exhibit over the three year period.

The average cost of staff per annum ranged from £5,558-£12,181, with an average of £8,225. This indicator needs to be treated with caution, as the number of full-time equivalent posts stated in the financial accounts may be inaccurate. Based on this data, in the last year the average cost per staff was £7,912 (with the difference between centres reduced to less than £3,000 per person). Staff as a percentage of total expenditure per annum is a more reliable indicator ranging from 43%-70%, and averaging 54%. Only one centre reduced its percentage spend on staff, and the other two increased it significantly.

The percentage expenditure on marketing per annum ranged from 6%-11%, with an average expenditure of 8%. The average marketing expenditure per visitor per annum ranged from £0.21-£0.44, with an average of £0.32. All sites increased their marketing expenditure as they reached a more mature phase of their life cycle (although Techniquest reduced expenditure in 1996, probably reflecting the fact that it enjoyed media attention around its re-launch in 1995).

The operating cost per visitor per annum ranged from £3.24-£5.51, with an average of £3.93. As with many other indicators, over the three year period there was a reduction in the difference between the centres (less than £0.50 per head in the most recent year, with a most recent average of £3.81).

The earned income per visitor per annum (from admissions, retailing and catering) ranged from £1.90-£3.28, with an average of £2.70. All three centres demonstrated a consistent improvement over the three year period, with less than £0.80 per visitor separating the three sites. In 1995, 79% of earned income came from admissions at Techniquest, and 85% at the Exploratory in 1994.

The recovery rate per annum measures the income from trading activities divided by operating costs. This ranged from 39%-92%, with an average of 72%, revealing a huge disparity between the centres. Whilst the Exploratory earned more than 80% of its income from trading activities, Techniquest gained more than 50% of its income from sponsorship and grants. Eureka! earned over 50% of its income from trading activities, although in total money terms it earned more than Techniquest from sponsorship and grants.

The number of visitors per m² ranged from 108-146, with an average of 129. This was consistent across all three centres, and shows far greater density than in the 1987 ASTC survey in the USA. The number of visitors per exhibit per annum was also a fairly consistent indicator, ranging from 957-1,565, with an average of 1,173.

The use of performance indicators is an aid to good judgement not a substitute for it. It is a means to an end, not an end it itself. It is essential that managers ask the right questions at the right time, to ensure public money is spent efficiently and effectively, and with maximum benefit to the visitor.  My research aims to identify some indicators which might help managers to measure the performance of their centres, and future research will aim to identify performance measures used by a wider range of hands-on centres throughout Europe. The aim is not to produce comparative league tables, because they simply produce a snapshot of performance comparing organisations at different stages of their life cycle. However, with so much public money being diverted to hands-on learning, it is in the public’s interest if this information is in the public domain, and it is in management’s interest if wider research assists in managers in their own planning and target-setting.

If you would like a to receive a longer (fully referenced) version of this paper, please e-mail the author at t.caulton@shef.ac.uk. Contributions to future editions of Research Matters are also welcome.

Newsletter Spring 1998 Contents

Centres > Satrosphere News | What is happening to Light on Science? | Inspire News | Herstmonceux News

Exhibits > BIG working group on exhibit development | What is Design? | Exhibit Aphorisms | "Here's Looking at Euclid" - exhibit idea | Roald Dahl and the Children's Gallery | Are hybrids best? - viewpoint

Demonstrations and shows > Shows at the Exploratory | Exploding Can Demonstration | Water to wine Demonstration | Nitrogen story - urban myth?

Millennium News > More Millennium Grants | Pantechniques rewarded | Millennium awards scheme | A listing of interactive projects funded by lottery grants

Research > Measuring the performance of interactive centres

Resources and conferences > Conferences and Future Events | Indian Science Congress Report | Managing Science Centres Book Review | Children's Museums Book information

BIG > BIG Moves - From the Chair | BIG AGM Report | BIG Annual Report 1997