Designing interactive conducting exhibits for public spaces poses unique challenges, primarily because the conceptual model of conducting music varies amongst users. In a user study, we compared how conductors and non-conductors place their beats when conducting to a fixed orchestral recording of Radetzky March, and found significant differences between these two groups. Conductors lead the actual music beat with their gestures by an average of 150 ms, compared to 50 ms for non-conductors; non-conductors also vary their placement of the beat 50% more than conductors. Furthermore, we found differences in how users conceptually mapped their gestures to the music, such as conducting to the musical rhythm rather than to the beat. We are incorporating these results into an upcoming conducting system for public spaces to increase its usability; we believe they also apply to a more general class of musical gestures such as dance.