Frank Bennett, CEO of the National Quilt Museum, spoke to the Paducah Rotary Club on Thursday, telling some of his life story and how he came to Paducah in 2011. He also shared some statistics about the museum's visitors.
In 2011, over 22,000 people paid to visit the museum, and except for a slight decline in 2016, there has been growth every year. In 2017, almost 34,000 people paid admission to see the quilt exhibits.
Bennett shared data showing that the average museum visitor travels 180 miles, stays in Paducah about 30 hours, and spends $300-400 in the community.
He also said between July and October, there are visitors from at least fifteen states every day. People from over 35 states visit the exhibits every month, and in at least eight months, more than 40 states are represented.
Bennett told West Kentucky Star that he believes many people have two misconceptions about the museum. First of all, it is not affiliated with AQS in any way, and second, the annual Quilt Week events only account for fifteen percent of the museum's business each year.
"The show is important and it's great for the city and I'm glad it's happening, but it's just part of our year for us. We have visitors to the museum all year long," Bennett said. "I think people lose track of the fact that what you ultimately have is a fantastic annual event, and separately, a fantastic global destination museum."
He said they're an established enterprise with consistent history of growth, and it's a continued opportunity for economic impact in Paducah.
Bennett said, "We're a growing organization that can still be much, much bigger than we are, and the only thing holding us back is just funding. The more we can promote, the more people will come to the museum."
He said funding for the museum comes in a variety of ways, from admission and gift shop sales to grants and corporate gifts. While there is now much more competition for grant money, Bennett said more private donations could really allow them to boost their outreach, and ultimately, their continued economic impact.
Click the link below for more information on various ways to support the museum.
On the Net:
National Quilt Museum fundraising webpage
