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Glasgow Grows Audiences Conference 2009 Delegate

Benchmarking

Step 4

Decide what data to collect

You'll probably find it best to meet with your group and spend some time ‘brainstorming’ a list of data that you might want to look at. The ADUK study found it useful to divide performance indicators into the following key areas:

Financial
Programming
Marketing and Audiences

Using a grid like the one below will help you decide what to collect, where to find it and – vitally – what issues you may come across:

Objective	Data/Performance Indicator	How to collect	Potential Issues
…	…	…	…

Here are some examples:

Objective	Data/Performance Indicator	How to collect	Potential Issues
To compare operational information, in particular costs, in order to achieve efficiencies.	Marketing budget/ spend.	End of year financial report.	Need to define exactly what's included. Staff costs? Photocopying? Postage?
To see how much actual ‘product’ we deliver with our budgets.	Number of shows.	Annual report/ end of year financial report.	Shows or performances? Include ‘hires’ or not?
To compare our success in gaining new audiences.	Number of new attenders.	Box office report.	Should be straightforward but need to agree timeframe.

You will also need to decide on a timeframe for the data you're collecting. For example, are you looking at financial years or calendar years? It won't matter as long as you’re consistent between the group.