New Dome boss Pierre-Yves Gerbeau has several options for making the beleaguered attraction the "hottest ticket in town" - and experts have plenty of advice for him.

Original creative director Stephen Bayley, who quit in 1998, says the most urgent problem is the Dome's lack of focus - too boring to compete with theme parks, but too lightweight to compete with museums.

"What we've got is muddle and a lot of bad school projects," he said.

Others suggest Mr Gerbeau should install Disney-style rides in the grounds to make the Dome more fun.

However, Mr Gerbeau said on Monday that he was unlikely to make substantial changes to the content.

"We already have a tremendous project. Changing the contents would be a big mistake," he said.

Best of British

PR guru Max Clifford says there are plenty of things which can be done to make the Dome more appealing, without making major structural changes.

"The message you've got to get out is value for money," he said. "You need the kind of things people will enjoy and will appeal to them".

He said celebrity launches, and occasions such as a penalty shoot-out competition ahead of a major football game, could get the crowds in.

Such events could also tie in with one focused theme, such as Best of British, he suggested.

The Dome could stage a fashion show parading the latest UK designers, or there could be a marketplace, showcasing the most successful British innovations of recent years.

"These could be offered for sale to Dome visitors at a millennial discount", said Mr Clifford. "We're a nation which loves a bargain."

PR mountain to climb

Mr Gerbeau agreed that his biggest challenge was "get people excited about the Dome".

He is widely expected to sack the current PR team and install one of his own.

Mike Smith, lecturer in PR and marketing at Cardiff University, says Mr Gerbeau faces an uphill battle whatever his tactics.

"The Dome's got such an appalling reputation, people are even sceptical about those exit polls which show high levels of visitor satisfaction," he said.

He suggested a few quiet weeks to let "water go under the bridge", and then an Easter relaunch focusing on the Dome as a fun day out.

The fact that Mr Gerbeau comes from Disney, he said, is a good early signal that the Dome will head "downmarket" - and that is the way it should go.

Spice Girls and Naomi Campbell

One of the problems Mr Gerbeau faces is that he is answerable to the Millennium Commission, which has already signalled that it will brook no "trivialisation" of the attraction.

Mr Smith says it is time the government began distancing itself from the project.

"Prince Charles and the intellectual types should stay well away from it," he said. "Who we need going down there are the Spice Girls and Naomi Campbell."

John Lee, chairman of the Association of Leading Visitor Attractions, agrees the new chief executive must be given more freedom.

"Politicians, bureaucrats and sponsors need to stand back and let him get on with the job now," he said.

Pricing

Mr Lee also argues for a significant reduction in the price of tickets.

"Many, many potential visitors from the regions would be quite interested in coming and could be attracted, but the overall package of transport and entrance fee is just too great for many of them," he said.

Joanne Hall, editor of Park World, the monthly amusement park magazine, agrees that cheaper prices could lead to more visitors from across the country.

However, at £57.70, a ticket for a family of five is actually a little cheaper than family tickets to several other popular attractions, such as Alton Towers of Chessington World of Adventures.

And with no more extra money coming from the government, Mr Gerbeau could be reluctant to risk upsetting the Dome's delicate business plan with a substantial changes in prices.

Transport

Mr Smith says another huge stumbling block is transport. At the moment visitors have to arrive by train, which means an expensive and difficult journey, especially for those who live a long way from London.

Geoffrey Thompson OBE, managing director of Blackpool Pleasure Beach - Britain's biggest tourist attraction - agrees that is one of the Dome's biggest problems.

"People should be allowed to get there easily and that means going by car," he said.

He also argued for a dose of jollity.

"At the moment it's a bit like going round the departure lounge at an airport," he said. "I would like to say that the star-dust is a little rusty but I don't even think it was there in the first place.

"Put banners and pennants up and give us a bigger dose of street entertainers. Try and get the kids excited, tugging at daddy's jacket."



Patrick Green, director of the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, suggests the answer could be even more mundane.

"We know from our experience if the number of exhibits not working rises above 5%, then the visitors really notice, and they complain," he said.

And he even believes scrapping some exhibits to reap rewards.

"Some of them I think they ought to pull - because there's nothing worse than an exhibit which doesn't work or half works."

If he is right, then Mr Gerbeau's experience of sorting out the rides and the queues at Disneyland Paris could be his most valuable asset.