The Wall Street Journal – May 24, 2016
by Jennifer Smith
Two years after it opened and lacking government funding, the National September 11 Memorial Museum is making a push to persuade reluctant New Yorkers to have a look. “People are hesitant to visit because it’s a heavy topic, but once they do, they realize what is here,” said Carl F. Cricco, vice president of marketing for the National September 11 Memorial & Museum.
Located in a cavernous expanse beneath the memorial plaza where the Twin Towers once stood, the museum features physical remnants from the attacks—twisted steel, a battered fire helmet—as well as multimedia and interactive displays. Some 5.7 million people have visited since it opened in May 2014.
Yet only 20% of them come from New York, New Jersey or Connecticut, according to the museum. In contrast, residents from the same region accounted for 41% of attendance at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in fiscal 2015.
The 9/11 museum is in the midst of a marketing campaign to increase its local audience. It includes before-and-after videos with city residents who were coaxed into visiting, as well as advertising in the subway and on local cable television.
Operating costs for the museum and the memorial now run about $72 million a year, paid primarily through ticket sales, tours and memberships. Private contributions bridge the roughly 10% gap between what the museum takes in and the operating expenses, said Joe Daniels, the organization’s president and chief executive.
Its chairman is former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who personally provided the organization with a $15 million low-interest line of credit before the museum opened its doors. The current balance is $7.5 million. Mr. Daniels said the credit line functions as a sort of insurance policy should the organization need liquidity in the future.
Last year the museum commissioned a survey to examine what might be keeping locals away. The poll included 450 respondents, all tri-state residents who said they visit at least one museum a year.
Only 16% said they had been to the 9/11 museum, though more than half said they intend to. Nearly a third said they didn’t plan to visit, because they didn’t want to relive that day or because the subject matter was too emotional.
Such feelings are a common hurdle for institutions that memorialize harrowing events such as the Holocaust or the attack on Pearl Harbor.
“These are not easy stories,” said Kari Watkins, executive director of the Oklahoma City National Memorial & Museum. “It’s very hard to get people to understand that it’s OK to come and deal with this story and relive those emotions. It’s OK to relive bad days in your life, because that’s what makes you stronger.” Another hurdle: turning New Yorkers into repeat visitors. About 15% of 9/11 museum visitors from the tri-state area have gone more than once, according to venue surveys.
“The challenge is how to make it not just a point in history,” said Julie Cucchi, owner of the branding firm 98pt6, which worked with the Intrepid Sea, Air & Space Museum on its branding campaign after the Sept. 11 attacks.
To augment the historical and memorial exhibitions, the 9/11 museum developed programming intended to connect what happened that day with current events. Visitors are asked to share stories of how Sept. 11 affected them, some of which are featured in a periodically updated media installation called “Reflecting on 9/11.”
Aboveground, the museum holds talks on the Middle East, terrorism and cybersecurity with such guests as Henry Kissinger and Tony Blair.
“People come here because of the power of place, but we’re also able to have a forum to discuss the ramifications from 9/11, which are still very relevant today,” Mr. Daniels said.
The museum generated about $40 million in ticket sales and tours in 2014, a figure that rose in 2015 to “somewhere just south of $60 million,” according to Mr. Daniels.
General admission is $24, though some groups, such as seniors, youths and veterans, pay less. Victims’ family members and 9/11 first responders and recovery workers get in free, as do members.
State and federal agencies contributed millions to help design and build the museum, but it has had less luck securing governmental money for ongoing operational support.
Mr. Daniels said the government should provide support for security costs at the site. Visitors pass through airport-type screening before entering the museum.
A federal bill that would create a competitive grant for outdoor security on the memorial plaza passed the House this year and has been referred to the Senate’s energy committee.
The city and the Port Authority of New York & New Jersey provide security for the entire 16-acre World Trade Center site, which includes the museum and memorial.
The museum does get a discounted utility rate, and the Lower Manhattan Development Corp. supports “Tribute in Light,” the Twin Towers-shaped beams projected into the sky on the anniversary of the attacks.
While the city doesn’t fund the museum, a spokeswoman for Mayor Bill de Blasio said it “has engaged in numerous positive conversations with the museum and the federal government regarding funding for the 9/11 museum, and we are working on next steps.”
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