|
|
||||||
|
Journal Archives > Roots > Interpretive Master Planning – Keep Your Garden Growing
Interpretive Master Planning – Keep Your Garden GrowingVolume 2 Number 2 - October 2005
John Veverka
SummaryIt’s not just botanical gardens that need the care and feeding provided by Interpretive Master Plans –all heritage attractions do. From parks and zoos to other heritage areas – they all need interpretive master planning to keep them growing. By growing I mean that interpretive programmes, services and media can be created that:
Thus interpretation keeps your garden growing in visitation numbers, through support by visitors and increased membership numbers. Planning also drives the physical growth of interpretive programmes, services and outreach activities. The benefits help you focus on the short and long term accomplishment of your mission, help you make long term cost effective interpretive programmes and media decisions and help develop your marketing strategy. What is Interpretation?Let’s start by taking a look at a definition of interpretation:
To be ‘interpretive’, I advocate that the communication process must follow or be based on Tilden’s interpretive principles (Tilden, 1954). That is, the interpretive communication process must:
When we develop an interpretive master plan, the job of this plan is to insure that the above principles are used across the whole site in every presentation – trails, outdoor displays, live programmes, visitor centre exhibits and other related media. What is an Interpretive Master Plan?Imagine your garden as a 500-piece puzzle. What visitors see as they move through the grounds may very well be these puzzle pieces in random order; not receiving a clear message of who you are, what you do, and why you do it (your mission). What an interpretive plan does is provide the picture on the cover of the puzzle box for both the visitors and for you. It helps you organise your main messages for visitors so they can clearly understand them throughout their visit. It also helps you create your strategy and deliver those messages at key interpretive sites and areas. Parts of an Interpretive Master PlanThe essential elements of an interpretative planning process are presented in the diagram below. Managerial RealitiesThe large box represents the managerial realities, the challenges you face with issues such as budget; available staffing, political support, time, existing policies or directives, mission, etc. I recommend identifying these at the start of the interpretive planning process so we can plan with these challenges in mind. The InterpreterThe box inside the managerial realities’ box is called ‘The Interpreter’. That’s you if you’re the interpretive planner, or your planning team. There’s always more than one right answer, and each interpreter or team brings their own unique values, ideas, creativity and knowledge to the project. Then within this box is the interpretive planning process, which I have divided into a series of tasks. Objectives and OutcomesAn interpretive plan must clearly identify the specific objectives, that need to be accomplished by the interpretation, to provide a total botanical garden experience for visitors. These will include learning, behavioral and emotional objectives. For example:
Resource Inventory and ThemeThis involves conducting a complete inventory of all the interpretive sites and resources that we want to interpret. From this inventory we are then able to develop our main interpretive theme, sub-theme and story line that we want to present and illustrate to visitors. I generally allocate a code (G = Geological, etc.) to each category as a way of grouping interpretive resources. For example, we may conduct an inventory of the following:
These codes appear on a standard interpretive planning form to help identify each unique interpretive site or feature within the property (see www.bgci.org/education for a sample of completed forms). So if we have seven different biological habitats within the garden, each will be coded as: B-1, B-2, B-3 and so on. Visitor and Market AnalysisWe also need to know as much about our visitors as possible - who they are, where they come from, age groups and related demographics, seasonal visitation patterns, and their main motivations for the Garden visit. What do THEY want to know, learn, or experience with you today? Site Media and Services SelectionHere we look at all the sites within the inventory, and consider the objectives we want to accomplish garden-wide, matching up the objectives with the locations. A standard interpretive planning form is used to record this. For each planning form for each individual site we include:
ImplementationI usually do a summary matrix of all the interpretive sites. On the vertical axis I put the recommended interpretive sites from the inventory. On the horizontal axis I put the recommended media, fiscal year, and costs. This way I can do a 3-5 year implementation strategy for implementation and budgeting of the total interpretive plan programmes, services and media. EvaluationOne of the most important parts of the interpretive plan is the EVALUATION section. It is critical that you provide a strategy for pre-post testing any new interpretive programmes, services and media to make sure they are accomplishing their objectives. If you paid $2000.00 for an interpretive exhibit – do you have proof that you are getting $2000.00 in benefits from that exhibit? ConclusionsAn Interpretive Master Plan can help you organise the way in which your Botanic Garden presents information and communicates its value to visitors, the community, and perhaps regionally or nationally. By enabling visitors to make sense of their visit and increasing their perception of the benefits they receive, interpretation can encourage repeat visits and support activities such as ecotourism. With careful planning, the interpretive plan will organise the garden's sites, trails, experiences and stories in a way that can help protect the resource while engaging and inspiring visitors. ReferencesTilden, Freeman (1954) Interpreting our Heritage. University of North Carolina Press, USA |
Managing Without Profit
 Managers from non-profit organizations can learn from this book: how to establish strong boards; strengthen strategic management; develop a mission; manage and inspire people; create a learning organization; and manage change.
Receive Roots Regularly
 Roots is a bi-annual international education review and essential reading for anyone working in the area of environmental education. Content is in English, French and Spanish. You can receive your own personal copy hot off the press, with the BGCI Education Pack. Click the pic to find out how...
Fundraising: Hands-On Tactics for Nonprofit Groups
 This hands-on operations manual shows employees of non-profit organizations and volunteers how to design and run successful fundraising campaigns for their organizations. Sample letters, budgets, grant proposals, press releases, and action checklists guide readers toward fundraising success.
Breakthrough Thinking for NonProfit Organizations
 This groundbreaking book will help nonprofit managers think in new and creative ways about how they define and meet the challenges they face - and how to rise above standard practices to lift their organizations to greater performance levels. |
||||||
