Memorandum submitted by Heather Mayfield,
Deputy Head of the Science Museum
Which aspects of the Museum's building layout
are really successful with (a) children and (b) adults?
(a) With over 2,000 school children visiting
the Museum each school day it is important that we have a dedicated
entrance for pre-booked school groups. This gives the groups an
opportunity to orientate themselves, drop off bags and lunches,
use the lavatories and be briefed for their visits. It is important
to have friendly staff that can answer questions and get groups
moving off in the right direction.
(b) Adult visitors need to be broken down
into groups: adults alone or in groups and adults with their families.
Both groups need clarity and space as they enter the building.
We have created a new entrance hall that gives
visitors a breathing space before they hit the main part of the
Museum buildings. This gives an opportunity to take stock having
made the journey to South Kensington, visitors can see the offer
of the Museum clearly, they can purchase tickets easily and they
can move into their visit at their own space. Within this open
space are the cloakrooms, lavatories and the café—all
essential if visitors are to have a positive visit geared to their
needs.
What aspects are essential to the success of a
visit?
Clarity of the offer, space to calm down after
the journey, adequate lavatories and cloakroom facilities are
all essential aspects to ensure a successful visit.
What would we change if we re-designed the Museum?
We are changing a number of aspects of how we
receive visitors in the next five years:
— larger schools entrance with the
opportunity to separate different age ranges of children;
— more "back of house" facilities
for children;
— larger space to brief visitors at
the start of their visit, plus de-brief space for use with older
children at the end of visits;
— dedicated space for teachers in support
of professional development;
— better and more lavatories;
— larger area for eating;
— dedicated coach drop off point.
Which features had you thought would be important,
but turned out to be unnecessary or not as important as you thought
in particular how necessary are toilets and cafes?
We have abandoned all "classroom"
type spaces and activities. Schools come to us because we provide
that which cannot be achieved in the classroom. We do not want
to re-create schools in the Museum, we want the unique environment
of the Museum to inspire children to learn.
Toilets and cafés are absolutely essential
to the success of a visit. Everyone who travels to the Parliamentary
Visitor Centre is likely to have had quite a challenging journey,
they may have travelled for well over an hour, they may be accompanied
by children who are excited and overwhelmed. There can be few
more dispiriting experiences than to have travelled far to arrive
and find that the facilities do not meet the needs of the group.
Which activities have been particularly successful
with (a) children and (b) adults?
Both audiences respond well to immersive multi-media
environments as well as encounters with the "real thing".
First person interpretation through actors, guides and explainers
is popular with all audiences.
Children respond well to meaningful interactivity
and to all forms of "hands-on, minds-on" activity.
For both audiences it is important that the
experience is something that they cannot get from anywhere else.
Which activities have been a turn off?
The popularity of all activities is completely
dependent on the quality of the activity and the people who are
doing it. Good staff can animate difficult subject matters and
make it an enjoyable experience for a wide range of audiences.
Strong content, entertainingly presented resonates with audiences.
Our audiences are turned off by the "book
on the wall" approach. Sometimes the need to tell people
everything translates to large amounts of text that will not be
read and which is a barrier to many peoples' enjoyment of the
experience.
Is there a need or a market for a Visitor Centre
dedicated to Parliament alone?
I believe there is a market and a need for this
Centre. It will provide a unique opportunity to interact with
Parliamentary democracy and to see a world-class historical environment.
The subject matter will be popular for UK visitors and tourists
alike. It will provide great support for school children in terms
of the history and citizenship curricula.
Who should be the main target audience?
The target audience depends on the outcomes
you would like to get from the Parliamentary Visitor Centre. I
have assumed that you would like to reach a small number of targeted
audiences with a wide reach of people. You may wish to refine
down subject to the final decisions on the major roles for the
Centre.
The target audiences should include families
with children over the age of eight, lone adult visitors and young
people at key stage 3 and 4.
How should it aim to attract that audience?
The Parliamentary Visitor Centre has to provide
a high quality, unique environment that is educational, memorable
and entertaining. The content should link to relevant curricula
but should not be driven by it. Formative and summative evaluation
will be required to ensure that the audience needs are met.
What are the essential facilities?
It is essential that the Centre has:
— unique and high quality content that
is audience appropriate;
— good facilities for pre-booked groups;
— a fast response booking system;
— a strong Web presence that takes
the content outside London;
— opportunities to experience the "real
thing"; and
— easy and safe access to public transport
and coach drop off points.
6 June 2006
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