february 2017 Museletter IGNITE your curiosity. DISCOVER your story. 2016: A Record Breaking Year By: Matt Mayberry, CSPM Director Before we get too far into 2017, let’s take one more look back at last year. 2016 turned out to be a record setting year with a total visitor count of 76,327. This shattered the Colorado Springs Pioneers Museum’s (CSPM) previous totals dating back to at least 1990. Prior to 1990, the museum’s attendance statistics are incomplete. The increases are reflected in nearly every category we track. Much of this across-the-board increase is a result of CSPM’s ambitious exhibition and program calendar. Fantastic new exhibits, such as the City of Sunshine and The Art and Facts of Business, along with their related programs drove attendance higher. The largest single percentage increase came in visits by school groups, which is due in large part to the continued roll-out of newly designed school programs. Use of the museum for special events, meetings and facility rental continued to grow thanks in large part to the Colorado Farm and Art Market, which moved to our grounds last June. We look forward to having them on the grounds on Wednesdays again this year. Our walk-in visitation rose, which reflects an overall greater awareness of the museum. It may also be due in part to new marketing banners around the perimeter of Alamo Square Park installed last spring. Since 2010 the museum has seen a 62% increase in annual attendance. I am confident there are few museums across the country that can boast of such significant, consistent increases. Many institutions are reporting flat or declining number of visitors. CSPM’s success is due to the commitment and hard work of our board members, volunteers and great staff. We appreciate the community for supporting our ambitious efforts! 2015-2016 Visitation Comparison Year 2015 2016 % +/Children's Programs No. 139 153 People 4589 5815 Adult Programs People No. 182 202 2139 2383 Off-Site Programs People No. 36 24 3011 2460 Facility Use No. 189 214 People 20624 25615 10.1% 26.7% 11.0% 11.4% -33.3% -18.3% 13.2% 24.2% Walk In No. 34463 40054 Total 64826 76327 16.2% 17.7% pg. 2
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