Strong National Museum of Play

The Strong National Museum of Play Increases Visitation and Revenue Using JCA Answers Analytics

“JCA Answers Analytics informed our decision to add a shuttle service between a parking garage and the museum, which resulted in increased visitation and revenue.”
-Earl F. Johnson, Vice President for Finance and Operations
Strong National Museum of Play

During February break week, the parking lot at the Strong National Museum of Play in Rochester, New York, is completely full by 11 a.m. The Strong suspected that most visitors in prior years have left rather than park in a garage and walk to the museum in the winter weather. As a pilot program to retain visitors who leave as a result of the parking situation, the Strong began directing guests to a parking garage and introduced a shuttle service to transport visitors between the parking garage and the museum. The shuttle transported 3,500 guests to the museum. In 2010, the year it first tried the shuttle program, the Strong had an attendance of nearly 23,000 during the five-day February break week, including the museum’s highest visitation on a Friday with 5,840 guests. Using JCA Answers Analytics they were able to track this against the previous year’s attendance, and within moments they could see that their hunch had paid off. The Strong estimates that the guests taking the shuttle resulted in net revenue of approximately $35,000, well above the shuttle cost of $4,500. JCA Answers Analytics supported Strong Museum’s hypothesis and played a crucial role in its decision to introduce an incredibly valuable and profitable shuttle service.

The Strong™ is a highly interactive, collections-based museum devoted to the study and exploration of play. Independent and not-for-profit, the Strong is located in Rochester, New York, where it houses the world’s most comprehensive collection of historical materials related to play.