1st Anniversary

Below is the message I sent to Dome-L, the international planetarium mailing list, on the day of our anniversary. Unfortunately my good news was eclipsed the following day by the Columbia disaster

From: Mario Di Maggio
Sent: Friday, January 31, 2003 6:20 PM
To: Dome-L
Subject: Our First Anniversary

Hello everyone

I'm happy to announce that today is the first anniversary of the ScottishPower Space Theatre, and we have ended our first year with a total of 95 464 visitors enjoying 1569 shows.

Our visitor total agrees with the average projected figures for the other 110-or-so similar-sized (15-18 meter dome) planetariums around the world (ie. with a combined tally of 10.5 million visitors per annum, ref: www.lochness.com/pltref/attend.html ).

Yet what is refreshingly unique about our theatre is that of the 1569 shows we delivered in our first year, 1022 were LIVE presentations delivered by eloquent and enthusiastic presenters - a whopping 65% of our shows! To offer such a high number of live performances is very rare today, as most modern-day planetariums offer primarily video and other traditional automated shows.

The first year is always the most difficult - and indeed we not only had to contend with unavoidable technical teething problems, but we also had to prepare a full programme of new shows, train staff, learn how to best operate the Space Theatre within the Mall environment, as well as meet the high expectations of the public and the media - and I'm proud to say that we not only managed all of that, but did it with style!

I particularly want to thank science communicators Robert Hughes and Jon Davies for their unfailing dedication to the Space Theatre. The unique contribution of Steve Owens needs to be praised, as well as the hard work of Derek Shanks, Frances MacKee and Samantha Moir. I honestly have to say that I've never before worked with a team as motivated and committed as this.

Today has certainly given me cause to reflect on why I am a passionate supporter of planetariums, not only as unparalleled places of enchantment and wonder, but also as the perfect indoor setting for successful science education. The words of the astronomer Elis Stromgren in 1923 (commenting on the world's first planetarium projector) are as true today as they were back then:

"Never before was an instrument created which is so instructive as this; never before, one so bewitching; and never before did an instrument speak so directly to the beholder. The machine itself is precious and aristocratic. The Planetarium is school, theater, and cinema in one classroom under the eternal dome of the sky"

Glasgow, and indeed Scotland, is certainly fortunate to possess a world-class planetarium like the ScottishPower Space Theatre.

Regards

Mario Di Maggio
Staff Scientist: Planetarium
Glasgow Science Centre
50 Pacific Quay
Glasgow
G51 1EA
0141-420 5010 x310
mario.dimaggio@gsc.org.uk
 

Following is a summary of the show delivery statistics for the year,
which I shared with my staff the A-Team:

Hello A-Team

As you know, our first year is up, and I've been having fun looking through the Space Theatre statistics. I've summarised them below in terms of live and non-live shows delivered.

As I mentioned in my all-staff/astronomy list e-mail, the Space Theatre's success has only been possible due to your reliability and hard work (and patience - remember the fun and games of the first four months? ;-)

Thank you, and well done to all of you!

Mario
 

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