Presentation Information
[O1-04]It was the Best of Times and the Worst of Times…How US Planetariums Suffered, Endured, and Thrived after a World Pandemic
*Philip R Groce1 (1. Mark Smith Planetarium -Helping Planetariums Succeed, LLC (USA))
Keywords:
Pandemic,attendance,success
Prior to the Covid-19 Pandemic, more US planetariums being built that being closed. In the period of from 2020 to 2021, however, almost all planetariums were closed for several months, if not an entire year at the direction of health experts. After it was deemed safe to gather in our star theaters, many host institutions used the pandemic as an opportunity to permanently close their planetariums. Most of the planetarium theaters that did re-open, however, found themselves facing reduced attendance and financial support. They were also facing a new threat of technological obsolescence. This presentation examines the current state of planetariums in America and attempts to show a pathway for planetariums to not only survive, but thrive in a post-pandemic world.