by Pete Salmon
A bat fell to the ground and was quickly snatched up by a weasel. The bat pleaded for his life. The weasel was having none of it, stating, “I am a natural enemy of all birds, therefore I must eat you!” The bat, thinking quickly, replied, “But I am not a bird, I am a mouse.” Somehow the weasel was convinced, and he set the bat free.
Later that same day, the clumsy bat fell to the ground once again. The bat was quickly snatched up by another weasel. The bat pleaded for his life. The weasel was having none of it, stating, “I am a natural enemy of all mice, therefore I must eat you!” The bat, in a practiced fashion replied, “But I am not a mouse at all, I am a bird.” Somehow, this convinced the weasel and the bat escaped a second time.
The moral of “The Bat and the Weasels” fable: It is wise to make the best of your current circumstances.
Could a timeless classic like Aesop’s Fables still inform us today? Could it possibly guide us in our current economic climate? I consulted Aesop’s Fables when debating the wisdom of investing in exhibits in our prevailing economic atmosphere. I was surprised at the common sense direction the fables provided.
Below are five suggestions for those contemplating exhibit expenditures, all pulled from the morals of Aesop’s Fables.
The Lion and the Three Bulls
Union is strength.
Exhibit design and fabrication employs teamwork. Every exhibit team (composed of clients, stakeholders, and consultants) incorporates the skills of numerous specialists. A cost-savings practice for contractees is to evaluate their team members and utilize their abilities to complete tasks normally reserved for exhibit designers and builders. For instance, a site’s stakeholders might have aptitude for research, photography, text writing, prepping the exhibit room, or building basic exhibit furniture. Each task performed by stakeholders is one less task accounted for in your exhibit consultant’s budget.
The Hare and the Tortoise
Slow but steady wins the race.
“We have been waiting for 12 years to start this project.” Sound familiar? A site’s stakeholders, waiting patiently for upgrades, are usually anxious to move ahead. However, there is another perspective to waiting so long for progress—if project progress has taken so long, what is the harm in waiting a bit longer? If there is little to no harm, perhaps phasing a project is a viable option. Exhibit plans can be segmented or phased into stages for development. Not all exhibits allow for this option; however, many do. Phasing a project allows immediate implementation of priority exhibits, while placing the remainder of the exhibits on hold. One downside of phasing is that it may be more expensive over the life of the project—phasing assumes more than one installation phase.
The Lioness
The value is in the worth, not in the number.
When budgeting an exhibit design and fabrication project, a substantial number of dollars is allocated to administrative costs, namely installation, shipping, project management, and travel. Of all these costs, the most variable is likely travel costs. Plane tickets, car rental, gas, and lodging are all budgeted expenses included in a contract price. These costs accumulate rapidly.
Every project needs quality face-to-face visits. However, it is a cost savings to choose these site visits wisely. Be certain to determine the most productive and beneficial points in the exhibit process for face-to-face meetings. Other considerations include: Can comparable progress be made through a conference call? Is there a low-cost technology application that allows team members to video conference? Can the exhibit firm post progress on a website? How can the exhibit firm enhance communication and involvement?
The Man and the Lion
One story is good, until another is told.
We all have been impressed by excellent exhibits that we see at someone else’s site. How often have coworkers insisted that this same “excellent exhibit” should be incorporated somewhere in your own facility? This is an example of a predetermined, preordained exhibit media choice. Predetermined media choices often hinder creativity and can often increase a budget. A variety of exhibit media choices can be considered (including the “excellent exhibit”) only after the exhibit themes are determined. Set media choices dampen the opportunity to devise equally effective and perhaps less expensive choices.
The Thirsty Pigeon
Zeal should not outrun discretion.
Today, it is vital to determine a realistic exhibit budget and hold to it. In order to do so, each project team should compile a list of exhibits, prioritizing each exhibit as a must-have or as a would-love-to-have. The goal here is to create a lean, prioritized, “point-on” exhibit with as little pork as possible. Initially, realistic budgeting can be uncomfortable. However, dream exhibits are even more fulfilling when they are designed and built well within the available budget.
In conclusion, I reference one last fable, one that occasionally and mistakenly is attributed to Aesop—Chicken Little. When acorns fell on Chicken Little’s head during her walk in the forest, she concluded the sky was falling. Chicken Little decides to use an umbrella on all her future forest walks. Chicken Little, in essence, makes the best of her circumstances. She uses an umbrella as protection from her environment. Discretion, planning, budgeting, and teamwork work as your umbrella, allowing you to see your exhibits through to the end…in any economy.
Pete Salmon, CIP, is an interpretive planner with NAI commercial member Taylor Studios, Inc. Reach him at psalmon@taylorstudios.com.
