Aviation museum looks to change

When Bob Briggs takes a look around the North Atlantic Aviation Museum in Gander, he sees a place in need of a new look.

But the president of the museum's board of directors is optimistic about its future after sharing the details of an initial report outlining possible changes to be made at the museum.

That information, along with details about how the museum faired in 2009, was divulged during its annual general meeting, held last Wednesday.

Tract Consulting was hired by the museum through funding provided by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.

"I think they're on the right track - they're the experts," said Mr. Briggs, whose had decades of involvement in the aviation industry. "We feel the place needs to be upgraded. It has been stagnant for 10 years, and it needs a facelift."

The initial report contained many suggested improvements for the museum. It said sightlines and signage could be revamped to help guide visitors through the museum.

The report also suggested the museum should look to move beyond standard text and graphic displays, reduce clutter, and make unexpected use of the interior.

As an example, the report recommended stripping the carpet from the museum to highlight the museum's industrial feel - it is housed in an airplane hanger. A runway line design could be added, along with air travel-related signage.

It said the gift shop should be made accessible as an entity separate from a museum visit, allowing for people to buy goods there without paying for admission.

The consultants also suggested sharpening the museum's interpretive focus to heighten Gander's aviation history, with historical events of a larger context told through a local perspective.

Good year

It was a relatively good year for the museum in 2009. Speaking at last year's AGM, Mr. Briggs said he anticipated a further decline in visitors, following a 2008 that saw museum visits drop 14 per cent, from 7,889 bodies in 2007 to 6,790.

However, visits were up five per cent in 2009 to 7,113. Revenue was up 13 per cent to $21,392, and gift shop sales witnessed a slight increase.

"Visitors were up, revenues was up a bit, and I guess more people stayed on the rock instead of leaving," he said. "We're hoping we'll at least maintain last year's (visits)."

To help ensure that's the case, the museum will look to take a more aggressive approach to marketing itself. Derm Chafe, director of economic development for the Town of Gander, is looking to help kick-start the museum's marketing committee, which has been inactive for some time.

He said the committee, which also includes Capt. Paul Hamlyn from 9 Wing Gander, has set a modest goal of increasing visitors by 10 per cent. Essential to that will be an effort to utilize the museum's website and brochures more fully.

"They haven't been well utilized in the past," he said.

The museum will also be getting some help from local destination marketing organization Destination Gander. Debby Yannakidis, the group's marketing manager, became a new board member at the AGM.

Another important step for the museum will be to find the funds to help execute the changes recommended by Tract Consulting, which is still working with the museum to offer suggestions on improvements to its layout.

"We're trying to raise some seed money," said Mr. Briggs. "We don't ever expect we could handle it all. We're going to lean hard on the funding people."

The museum once again benefited substantially from a Heritage grant of almost $20,400 - down from the previous year's $29,000 grant, but still up significantly from the 2005 grant of $820.

Mr. Chafe said the museum is considering holding a prize draw involving a trip to an international space show.

Mr. Briggs said the museum also needs to activate a membership committee to help drum-up local interest and support. 2009 memberships jumped slightly to 42 paid members versus 38 in 2008. In 2005, the museum had 65 paid members.

info@ganderbeacon.ca