The blockbusters continue to roll through the museum field-- in Indy at the Childrens Museum of Indiannapolis is Tutankhamun: The Golden King and the Great Pharaohs. Chihuly exhibits continue to draw big crowds at art and childrens museums as well as at botanic gardens. The Franklin Institute has the amazing exhibit on Galileo (including the original telescope from Italy) that is drawing strong crowds.
Beyond the initial exciting media coverage and increased attendance and membership sales is the opportunity to learn more about your new visitors. No matter how small your organization, you can use these techniques; figure out their interests and motivators to keep them returning by:
1) Have your admissions and/or advanced sales staff track who is coming -- ask for their zip code, "have you been here before?", and "how did you hear about us?"
2) Compare the characteristics of new visitors and new members to those of your repeat visitors and current members. What are the commonalities and differences?
3) Experiment with lectures and programs as spinoffs of the temporary exhibit's themes. Use this as a way to introduce those new visitors and members to the excitement of your institution.
Not only will you to leverage the exhibit's rental costs and any advertising expenditures, but you will understand who is coming and why. This information will help you bring some of those new visitors back a second and third time and retain those new members.....without relying on expensive temporary exhibits.