Kathleena Morgan of Great Mills Part of Frostburg State University Team to Create Marketing Plan for Allegany Museum

2015 Jun 4

The Allegany Museum in Cumberland could see more visitors and dollars come through its doors thanks to a study from Frostburg State University marketing students.

As part of a capstone course, MKTG 469 Marketing Plans Development, undergraduate marketing majors team up to take on clients from the community that receive free research and advice after a semester's worth of work.

Kathleena Morgan of Great Mills was a member of the team that presented its plan focusing on the Allegany Museum, which is housed in the Gov. William Donald Schaefer Building at 3 Pershing St. in Cumberland. They were one of several teams who presented plans to businesses in the spring semester, which had students solve real-world challenges while helping community businesses.

Among the highlighted suggestions the students presented were to:

• Increase awareness of its third-floor ballroom by booking after-hour events with the Chamber of Commerce for free to entice business owners to rent the space during the week.
• Create special events, including a Night in the Museum sleepover or team with local appraisers for a local version of "Antiques Roadshow."
• Engage the public more on social media.
• Educate the public more that the museum has a $2 million endowment campaign to pay for operational costs.

Dr. Julianne Ferris, chair of the museum's endowment campaign and museum advisory board member, appreciated the students' efforts and partnership to help boost heritage tourism.

"We're very pleased the University and its students worked with us on that," Ferris said. "We think this kind of work has potential to be successful for both Frostburg State University and Allegany Museum. I think some of the suggestions they made can be incorporated."

The museum's executive board will receive the report and summary and decide whether to implement any of the findings, Ferris said.

Dr. Carol Gaumer, professor of marketing, said students act as consultants in the capstone course.

"They really have to pull everything they learned in marketing together, go out and meet the clients and have professional interactions," Gaumer said. "They also have to learn how to treat somebody's business very carefully."