Board Meeting Notes 5/20/2014

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WesL
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Board Meeting Notes 5/20/2014

Post by WesL »

First I want to extend an invite to anyone who reads this, especially in the Huntsville area to come to these public meetings. I've been attending ASSEC meetings (off and on) for over 4 years now and I've seen some of you there but I think alumni need to be there especially when discussions like yesterday come up.

Yesterday the Business Committee met and discussed several subjects. First the financial picture at the center looks very good. They have almost $1.5 million in cash in the bank (as of yesterday) and the reservations continue to look strong for the remainder of the summer. Current projections show that this trend should continue for the rest of the season and the CFO seems to be on the ball. This makes me feel really good because he seems to be getting better at getting his projections nailed down which means if a financial crisis is looming he has a good chance of catching it before it happens.

The board discussed marketing efforts such as offering up endorsements. Recently the center has made Nikon the official camera of U.S. Space and Rocket Center and the board members seem to want to do more of that for trade or cash. This item was taken as an official item to explore and report back on.

Another item added to the research list is a paid alumni association/membership program. Much like universities they board wants research on offering an organization that campers are immediately invited to join upon graduation. During this whole discussion not single staff member in the room, including development leads, made NO mention of the work the AAB has been doing nor the fact that members of the AAB had brought forward a proposal in the past. After the meeting had ended I briefly escaped my minder and got to talk to a few board members and made mention of the fact some of the alumni had the same idea. I'm one person, who according for former board members the USSRC management have flagged me as someone who doesn't have the best interest of the center in mind, so this is where I ask other alumni to come forward and take an active role directly in the ASSEC meetings. Believe me when I say that the ASSEC members take note when people attend and while there is no public comment portion of the meeting the ASSEC board members often come by and talk to me and I'm sure they would love to speak to you guys and hear your ideas and frustrations (if any).

One other note that I heard during the meeting was that the center staff were looking at possibly modifying the camp costs in the future to a cost+plus structure. Where you would pay a base price for a camp and then pay for add-ons. Example given was Advanced Space Academy.

Camper would pay a base price (let's say $900) and then they would be given the opportunity to add on items like the UAT for an additional price. The rational behind this is that the center has a different cost basis for a camper that does not dive in the UAT versus a camper that doesn't. AND it came out yesterday that the center cannot give the board an actual break even point for each camp program because of various deltas between what each camper actually does. This could be good or bad. The good would be that it could reduce the actual base price of the programs which would help parents get over the sticker shock of the programs (especially if you are outside of the southeast and have to pay travel costs). The bad news is lots of parents hate the whole add-on structure because kids often feel they aren't getting the full experience. How would scholarships be handled? I look forward to hearing what the staff and board discuss in the coming months. This is yet another area where alumni need to be offering their experiences DIRECTLY to the board and not through the center's filters.

So when is the next meeting? FRIDAY is the quarterly meeting of ASSEC. Most of the 18 members of the commission will be there and it would be great to have any other alumni there. If you are interested let me know via PM or give me a call at 256-990-0033 and I'm happy to give the details and.. RULES for attending.

I'm also going to be at the Biergarten tonight (May 21) - would love to have dinner with anyone!!! Use the same phone info and let me know if you are going to be there.

<<Edited to reflect the committee name to Business Committee>>
Last edited by WesL on Fri May 22, 2015 12:07 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Hotdog
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Re: Board Meeting Notes 5/20/2014

Post by Hotdog »

Thanks for the update, Wes. I would come down for the Friday meeting if I weren't already going out-of-town. Keep us posted when the next meetings are in advance, and perhaps if one falls on a Friday again I can make the trip down.

So the paid alumni association was discussed as something separate from the AAB? Seems like they should be one in the same. I don't think you should have to pay to be an alumni, or to help out restoring aircraft, etc., but it wouldn't hurt to have an optional "Commander's Club" or something (for alumni only) where you do pay an annual membership or donation and get added perks. I think we had something like this in our original alumni association proposal from years ago.

Perhaps the cost+plus structured camps are their own separate type of "Build Your Own Adventure" camp. Ya might try it out first with the Advanced kids since they are most likely to want to customize their experience and also most likely to have the extra funds to make the most of such an option.
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WesL
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Re: Board Meeting Notes 5/20/2014

Post by WesL »

Hotdog wrote:Thanks for the update, Wes. I would come down for the Friday meeting if I weren't already going out-of-town. Keep us posted when the next meetings are in advance, and perhaps if one falls on a Friday again I can make the trip down.
You bet man. Would love to have you there for sure. Because ASSEC is a state agency they are required to post their meetings at https://www.openmeetings.alabama.gov/ge ... tices.aspx. Just search Space Science and you will see all the meetings scheduled. Don't rely on the e-mail feature because in the past the center will schedule a year worth of meetings and you will end up like me and forget about one. However, the feature will notify you if they change or cancel a meeting or call a special meeting.
Hotdog wrote:So the paid alumni association was discussed as something separate from the AAB? Seems like they should be one in the same. I don't think you should have to pay to be an alumni, or to help out restoring aircraft, etc., but it wouldn't hurt to have an optional "Commander's Club" or something (for alumni only) where you do pay an annual membership or donation and get added perks. I think we had something like this in our original alumni association proposal from years ago.
This was actually something I worked on in 2002 when I was running the membership department. The idea was to create a Camper level membership and give it to the camper on graduation so that their interest in space and science would remain on their mind after they left and they would have access to the museum and the other 200+ museums around the country. Naturally it also allowed us to send direct marketing material to the home and in the process kept Space Camp in their mind with a focus on marketing around birthday and pre-Christmas holiday periods. Never made it past the museum VP because at the time Camp and Museum weren't friends. I know sounds stupid doesn't it. I've heard the details that the alumni brought up and it sounds like a winner to me. AAB is doing a great job of making the fact of being a Space Camp alumni a good thing. While I'm proud of my involvement in the camp and programs most people don't even really think about it once they enter college. The events that AAB and the space center are working on are making it a very cool thing and the first thing that has to be done is to get the kids graduating today involved and hope they stay involved. With that effort will come some substantial rewards as those graduates enter the workforce and start families. The major problem I identified when I worked on the concept was the communication gap that occurs when the graduate goes to college. We lose a good mailing address and have to rely on e-mail which changes less often than physical mail addresses. Social Media platforms are great but they change as well (remember MySpace). So getting the word out and getting someone to join is hard at the moment but if they can get the kids involved from graduation date and get them to stay involved it will help down the road.

Hotdog wrote:Perhaps the cost+plus structured camps are their own separate type of "Build Your Own Adventure" camp. Ya might try it out first with the Advanced kids since they are most likely to want to customize their experience and also most likely to have the extra funds to make the most of such an option.
That is a great idea... because let me tell you there are always kids that would rather do 8 missions than build a rocket or something like that. Don't really know how I feel about all that part of me thinks that it could end up causing issues and more money if they don't have enough kids do one activity. Shall see....
majtom7
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Re: Board Meeting Notes 5/20/2014

Post by majtom7 »

Thank you for the update. I am not surprised that you've been painted with the broad brush of you must be against us if you're questioning or suggesting something different. It is a common occurrence when you're heading for the same destination yet feel that a different path might be better. I am surprised about the lack of program break evens, tho. You have fixed and variable costs for the center that need allocation, fixed and variable costs for Space Camp & Aviation Challenge, fixed and variable costs for each session, variable costs for each camper, how many campers does it take each session to cover all costs given x number of sessions at y price. Complex yet doable... Perhaps one program is supporting the other which could be a reason why there's no break evens available. Maybe the CFO needs more time and/or help... Just speculating as it's hard to say what's behind the curtain... Besides, how can you do cost+ if you are unable to figure out the above? (although I do understand the appeal of higher margin on add-ons)

Thanks again for the update. I enjoy reading them.
"I wanted to be humble, never arrogant, which is a trait astronauts despise." Mike Massimino
WesL
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Re: Board Meeting Notes 5/20/2014

Post by WesL »

majtom7 wrote: Maybe the CFO needs more time and/or help... Just speculating as it's hard to say what's behind the curtain... Besides, how can you do cost+ if you are unable to figure out the above? (although I do understand the appeal of higher margin on add-ons)
I have to say I really like the guy. I never get a chance to say hi to him but it is clear he has been doing this type of work for a while. Based on his comments at the last meeting and previous meetings it seems clear that he is entering new territory as to how the center has done business for many years. The fact that he is frank and doesn't always paint a sunny picture means he will gain trust with the board, especially those who are used to dealing with organizations with large moving parts (i.e. Intergraph and Redstone Federal Credit Union). There is one board member who I can always count on for doing the quick math and asks the right questions. The question I need him or other board members to ask is how much is ASSEC spending on these lawsuits and how much money are we spending on travel and other special programs?

I don't see the U.S. Space and Rocket Center as a traditional business. It serves a very important function in that it gives one of kind experiences to children (and adults) that often flicks that switch that leads them to bigger and better things. It did for me and I'm willing to bet it did the same thing for many of you. With that in mind I don't the center should make a profit. Every dollar made should be re-invested with the question of does this dollar spent make a better place to learn and inspire? I love the traveling exhibits that the center works with around the world. These exhibits have been everywhere from Azerbaijan, France, Israel and China and does a great job of getting space content in areas that might not have a lot of space content. However, do I really think the CEO needs to be at all those locations? Nope. For every $1000 dollars spent equals a possible kid at camp. And when it comes to selling the idea of camp and families nothing does the job better than a kid who just got back talking about their EVA, MMU and MAT. I love hearing kids using NASA acronyms at graduation. The bottom line is the financial situation looks better, I just want the commission to tell the management to focus on the facility and focus on getting as many kids in the door as possible. That means making the most use of ALL money and ensuring that funds aren't spent on travel that really isn't going to open the doors of HAB 1 to a child.

I would like to take a moment to brag on something that has been changed over the past few years. Back when I worked at the center I would dread the fall months. It was a mood killer to go from thousands of people a day to 100 people (if we were lucky). One of the things that Dr. Barnhart and staff worked hard on was bring traveling exhibits with a big focus on STEAM during these traditionally slow times. They then used relationships with the State Board of Education to reach out to schools around the state to promote the exhibits for Field Trips and even overnight field trips for schools at extreme distances. This was an excellent use of resources during a slow time including the camp facilities that would normally be mostly empty during this time. I love stories like that because I actually know a student that came to see Math Alive on an overnight trip and ended up applying for and receiving a scholarship to Space Camp just because of that one field trip.

Anyways I'll be quiet now. Getting ready to go the quarterly board meeting. Hoping maybe that some of you will be there.
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