Historical Commission Agenda and Packet 2016 05 04

Home Browse Search

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDED GOALS The Business Plan recommends that the Louisville Historical Museum undertake pre - facility capacity development to achieve a level of "best practices" in historical museums, providing Louisville's archival home and curatorial expertise to care for and interpret the City's heritage and history, while also providing enhanced public value by: o Serving as Louisville's heritage visitor center, the official first stop for visitors seeking to understand the community and its rich history. o Becoming a life -long educational center for learning about Louisville's history and Colorado history, for children and adults; on -site and in Louisville schools and through community outreach. o Being a sought -after visitor destination, especially during peak tourism months, attracting visitors to Louisville with diverse exhibits, living history demonstrations and programs, thus enhancing the downtown economy. These three complementary functions, added to the existing archival and curatorial functions, will contribute to Louisville economically and in quality of life. Based on benchmarks (see Addendum E), the consultant estimates the Museum will attract 15,000 visitors a year to downtowns; of these, an estimated 10,000 will be out of town or regional visitors. This assumes longer hours and operation of a visitor center at the Museum. Given that heritage and history visitors stay in a community longer than a typical visitor and expend significantly more off -site than within a museum, their impact on downtown will be immediately noticeable2. s See comparisons analysis addendum. Visitors include rentals, school groups and camps, and programs, including participation in community events in which the Museum offers visitor programming; as well as visitor center functions. 2 According to the National Trust for Historic Preservation, heritage /history tourists spend 26% for admissions; 24% on food and drink, 18% on retail; 11% on entertainment (only if included /available); 17% on lodging; and 15% on transportation and other spending. loa Page 1 2 Louisville Historical Museum Business Plan Recommendations