Upcoming presentation at German conference

Next month I’ll be presenting as part of a virtual international conference on audience development theory and practice, discussing Covid-19 and small museums’ audiences in the UK: challenges and opportunities.

Organised by the Leibniz Centre of Excellence for Museum Education in Germany, this year there’s a thematic focus on non-visitors and under-represented audiences.

The pandemic has caused enormous disruption for small museums across the UK. But alongside the challenges for their audience engagement, there have also been opportunities. Many museums have been forced to, or chosen to, try new ways of thinking and working. They have worked hard to remain relevant to their existing audiences, whilst reaching out to new ones. But who are these museums still not engaging?

I’ll highlight key research on the impact of Covid-19 on the UK’s small museums’ audiences, and opportunities that have emerged. I’ll also share examples of museums’ resourcefulness and creativity in their audience engagement work over the last 18 months. I will encourage museums to build on the experiences of this period, and end by suggesting some questions for museums to consider when planning their audience development over the coming months and years.

You can view the full programme and register to attend the conference for free now.