Blog

23Aug2022

Tips of the Trade to Maximize Earned Income from Food Services, Catering, Event Rental and Retail Stores

JGL Consultants interviewed several aquarium and zoo professionals across the country to learn what practices allow them to best manage and maximize earned income from food services, catering, event rental and retail stores. The institutions we interviewed each had a unique perspective and different approach, yet universally addressed the importance of incorporating their mission into […]

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15Jun2022

Thinking about moving to contract operation? Tips for a successful RFP process.

The selection process for a food service vendor in a higher education environment more closely resembles an important hiring decision than a procurement process. After all, the vendor and their employees will be interacting daily with your students, faculty and staff and likely have more touchpoints in an average semester than most of your institutional […]

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15Jun2022

Use your Summer Wisely

Those of you who work in a higher education environment probably just breathed a sigh of relief. The academic year is over, students have (mostly) departed campus, the main dining hall is closed, and the start of the next academic year seems a long way off. Think again. As any good business coach will tell […]

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24May2022

Showcase Showdown

What is a showcase? It is when you throw a party, but in your own honor! It’s when you say to the event world – “Helloooo! We are here, we are hoppin’, and we are the place to be!” Showcases are parties planned by venues to “show off” their venues to potential clients, allowing them […]

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24May2022

Retail Merchandise Consulting: What We’ve Learned from our Clients

It’s hard to believe it has almost been one year since JGL started offering retail merchandise consulting services! With our dedicated Senior Retail Consultant, John Franzini, we have worked with both past and new clients spanning the museum, zoo, and aquarium worlds. We knew that our experience with food and beverage consulting would be beneficial […]

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13Apr2022

MCASD Celebrated it’s Opening on April 8, 2022! Congratulations to the MCASD Team!

On Friday, April 8th, JGL had the great privilege of attending the member’s preview and opening reception for the stunning new Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego in La Jolla, California. JGL worked on several aspects of the MCASD project including development of the vendor business structure and a dual track RFP focused on selecting […]

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13Apr2022

4 Tips for a Self-Operated Shop: Finding and Creating Unique Items to Sell in Your Museum Shop!

Museums that operate their own shops have the freedom to show off their personalities! Whether the products sold are logo branded, locally made or reminiscent of the exhibitions, they should effectively reflect the museum’s brand. Here are 4 tips to finding and creating unique items to sell in your museum shop. Don’t Recreate, Innovate! Innovation […]

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01Apr2022

Two Truths and a Lie

It’s April Fool’s Day, friends!  JGL is known to go above and beyond for our clients. To that end, we have found ourselves in some scary, funny and downright embarrassing situations! Two out of three of these stories really happened. Which one do you think is a lie?! Story #1: About seven years ago I […]

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10Mar2022

Museum of Contemporary Arts San Diego will Celebrate their Grand Re-Opening in April

JGL was retained by the Museum of Contemporary Arts San Diego to assist with a feasibility study, food service vendor selection process and rental program development. JGL worked with the client to mitigate operational challenges, develop a feasible operating model, and secure a fabulous café operator along with a short list of caterers. MCASD has […]

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11Feb2022

Smaller Groups, Larger Returns

For cultural institutions that earn commissions on catered events, there has definitely been a change in earned income due to the pandemic. Many organizations have seen a dramatic uptick in weddings, especially if they have large, outdoor spaces to offer. If weddings were never the bulk of your business or you don’t have ample outdoor […]

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