Changing Times - Audiences UK Summit 2011

This programme may be subject to unforeseen or unavoidable last minute changes. 

Changing Times - Conversations

Our Summit is never a passive event. As well as being stimulated by top quality speakers, we allocate a significant time to let our delegates in debate amongst themselves.

This year there will be four slots in the programme for ‘Conversations’. On the first day there are three sessions, and you need to decide in advance which of the three different topics you’d like to discuss at each session. At the beginning of Day 2 you will be able to vote for which of the nine conversations you would like to have repeated in the fourth and final slot. You will be able to continue and develop a conversation that you were already involved in or join a new conversation.

Here are the choices:

1. Four UK Nations. One Audiences UK
With cultural policy devolved to the UK nations, what should the priorities be for Audiences UK and in serving the needs of the entire country? Is there potential for greater co-operative working between the non-English nations? Do Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland potentially have greater synergy with other smaller European nations? 

2. Audience Development: The Next Generation
Will we need to re-invent audience development practice for a generation reared on smart phones and social networking? Is the cultural gap between the management of arts institutions and young people greater now than it has ever been? Could many of our cultural institutions become irrelevant for the majority of the population in the coming decades? What must be done to maintain relevance and what is our role? 

3. User Development = Visitor Development = Market Development = Audience Development?
In Scotland, the main cultural funding body now looks across arts, film and the creative industries. In England the Arts Council is about to take on a role for museums and libraries. Many Audience Development Agencies have not confided themselves to the arts in the past, but what can we do to maximise the impact of taking a broader view of who could benefit from our services? And what are the potential pitfalls?

4. Cultural Mapping & Planning – a thing of the past or a greater need for the future?
With an end to top-down targets for housing growth, has the opportunity and need to plan and fund new cultural provision also diminished? Does the reduction in public funding for cultural provision actually offer opportunities for greater use of data and evidence in planning of reduced levels of provision?

5. Localism, Local Authorities and the Big Society – Opportunities and threats
Local Authorities look set to have new responsibilities but less cash. Communities will be empowered to take over and run ‘assets‘. Planning will be revolutionised, giving communities the right to grant permission to infrastructure they want. Is this a huge opportunity to support the voice of the audience? What skills and support will cultural organisations need to respond to the new agenda?

6. Less public funding means smaller audiences?
With less public funding, how can we work to ensure audiences and arts participants continue to grow and broaden over the next five years? Who do we need to influence? What is the role of the ‘amateur’ sector? Who should be our allies in championing a renewed emphasis on focusing on audiences and growing the market?

7. Audiences UK - potential changes to Governance
Audiences UK is considering changes to its governance to involve more stakeholders, resolve perceived conflicts of interest and diversify the skills of Directors. Are the plans sensible? What are the potential opportunities and risks of this approach?

8. Audiences UK - potential move to a model based on Quality
Audiences UK is considering moving away from being a closed community of non-for-profit bodies inviting any relevant body or individual that is prepared to commit minimum standards of good practice and increasing quality. Are the plans sensible? What are the potential opportunities and risks of this approach?

9. More together?
There’s been much talk of mergers and shared services in the cultural sector, but not a lot of evidence of this happening on the ground. Is there really a potential for major savings by efficiences? What are the barriers? What could be the role for Audience Development Agencies as a catalyst? What more could we be doing ourselves?

It’s not for everyone