There are many ways to keep your expenses down for the site visit phase of your assessment. Funds allocated for your Surveyor(s) are meant to cover travel, food, and lodging costs. It is VERY important that you not minimize the amount of money that you spend in this area at the expense of your Surveyor's safety and comfort. Your Surveyor is volunteering an extraordinary amount of time to this project. It is estimated that a typical Surveyor will spend over 40 hours of his/her time completing an assessment.
That being said, there are still ways to minimize the costs associated with your Surveyor's travel, food, and lodging.
Travel Travel costs are at an all-time low. There are a number of internet sites that you can use to make your travel arrangements cheaply. Any of the following are good candidates, because they have flight, car rental, and hotel reservation information at reasonable prices:
Plan your site visit well in advance. The further in advance you make the arrangements, the cheaper flights will be. Encourage your Surveyor to be flexible on their visit date in order to find cheaper tickets. Remember, however, that your Surveyor has a very busy schedule and it is important that you work together to determine the date.
Food Most museums participating in an assessment take their Surveyor out to lunch and dinner. Choose a restaurant that is relaxing, tasty, and reasonably priced. Contact the restaurant ahead of time and explain the assessment process to them. Ask for a complimentary meal or a discount and offer to suggest the restaurant to your visitors if you find the meal satisfactory.
If you choose to send your Surveyor out on his/her own for dinner, feel free to suggest a restaurant that fits your budget. Surveyors understand the financial limits of their hosts and will usually accommodate them.
Lodging Contact your local Convention and Visitor's Bureau or a local hotel and request a complimentary room for the Surveyor. Explain the assessment process and how your work to improve your museum will benefit the community and draw larger numbers of visitors to the area for a visit. Demonstrate how the assessment process for your museum can financially benefit your region's economy. Offer a one-year complimentary membership and/or thank them in your upcoming newsletter.
Ask one of your governing authority members to fund the Surveyor's stay at a local hotel. Explain the assessment process to the governing authority member and how the process will improve the museum's overall performance.
Do not offer to have your Surveyor stay in your home or another staff or governing authority member's home. Although this would save you money, it places the Surveyor in a difficult position. Most Surveyors need some "down-time" in the evening after dinner and a very grueling day. You want your Surveyor refreshed and ready to hit the ground running the next day.
