Photo by Melissa Stockton Box City set up in the Gallery Foyer in April.
Often, these days, I come across information and opinions that just make me wonder. Nobel laureate Bertrand Russell said, “The fact that an opinion has been widely held is no evidence whatever that it is not utterly absurd.” The source of the information we use to form our opinions is important. Whether provided by news outlets, social media, neighbours or the company database, when forming opinions, we need to know that the source of our information is reliable.
Russell also said, “In all affairs it’s a healthy thing now and then to hang a question mark on the things you have long taken for granted.” I spent a lot of time working with Esplanade event statistics recently because a report showed numbers that I knew were too low to be correct. If a report has accessed the right information in the database and if the numbers were entered into the correct fields, the statistics tally in the year-end report should be accurate. “Should” being the operative word. Anyone responsible for tracking stats knows that exact data is critical to useful reporting and when something doesn’t add up, one must go back to the beginning and confirm the facts.
An estimate based on personal experience alone can be inaccurate because there may not be enough comparable information. As an example, last April the Esplanade Art Gallery jointly hosted with Community Connections & Support staff a project called Box City. It’s a wonderful annual exhibit created by schoolchildren. At the end of the exhibition, a small reception was held for the students, their parents and the public. Our regular practice is to take an attendance count at all events but this time it was inadvertently missed so three staff members who had been present were asked how many people each thought had attended. One person estimated 50 people, another 75, and a third said 100. There are many reasons why those estimates seemed right to the people making them but it shows clearly that we do not all reach the same conclusion even with a similar experience. In this particular case, we had to use an average of the three estimates instead of an actual count.
Just as important as providing accurate information is making it accessible. To face the challenge of getting news to those who need or want it, we provide updates in many different avenues. Esplanade and Veiner Centre information may be accessed through the newspaper, email, social media, newsletters, television, radio, bulletin boards, billboards, websites and invitations. These are all good ways for you to find valuable information.
It is of the utmost importance to the City of Medicine Hat as an organization that information shared with the public is accurate. It also matters that people can find answers to their questions. An individual city employee may not have all the answers, especially about other departments, but they do have access to a handy little address book they can use to point you in the right direction. If you can’t find what you need on the city’s website, http://www.medicinehat.ca, don’t be afraid to ask a city employee. After all, a conversation is still a great way to share information.
Sandi Reimer is event services coordinator at the Esplanade.
