1. Lincolnshire Heritage Forum Museum Development in 2013 Professor David Sleight, Dean of Public Engagement & Chair of Heritage Trust for Lincolnshire Copyright 2013 All Rights Reserved

2. Lincolnshire Museum Development: from a judge’s perspective Introduction Context First Impressions The Dreaded Paperwork! The Visit The Judging Feedback & Follow-up Thoughts on the Future of Museums? “Museums for changing lives”

3. Lincolnshire Museum Development: from a judge’s perspective Context: well done!

4. Lincolnshire Museum Development: from a judge’s perspective Context: what does this mean? - Constant gradual growth -Sustainable -Despite demand for people’s time in 2012 Olympic year – visits still grew -Cultural engagement causes yet more greater cultural engagement

5. Lincolnshire Museum Development: from a judge’s perspective % UK Adult Visits by venue-type Source: DCMS

6. Lincolnshire Museum Development: from a judge’s perspective Museum Awards: “ … you don’t get a second chance to make a first impression…” Every detail counts Precision, clarity & efficiency of communication Visually stimulating: “rich media” Use online/internet resources

7. Lincolnshire Museum Development: from a judge’s perspective Museum Awards: “Why bother… I never win competitions…”

8. Lincolnshire Museum Development: from a judge’s perspective Museum Awards: “Why bother… I never win competitions…” UK Marketing Manager for Omo Washing Powder, ran competition in 1980’s with 10 x washing machines as prizes… Guess how many entries they had?

9. Lincolnshire Museum Development: from a judge’s perspective Museum Awards: “Why bother… I never win competitions…” UK Marketing Manager for Omo Washing Powder, ran competition in 1980’s with 10 x washing machines as prizes… Guess how many entries they had? =4

10. Lincolnshire Museum Development: from a judge’s perspective Museum Awards: Paperwork… Have your team consulted with each other, stakeholders, visitors & volunteers? Have you captured the best examples? Can you connect your work to development aspects in the sector? Written in a direct and engaging style? (no jargon, accessible “Plain English”, use of tense?) Checked text: grammar, punctuation, used your spoll cheeker?

11. Lincolnshire Museum Development: from a judge’s perspective Museum Awards: Paperwork 2… Use criteria closely: How was the event/exhibition funded? (remember in-kind value) The aims, including target audience, and how these were predicted & met? Where you received support from Educational benefits of your project (link to wider agendas?) Access considerations Publicity & Marketing Challenges faced, solutions devised, new discoveries

12. Lincolnshire Museum Development: from a judge’s perspective Museum Awards: Paperwork 3… Supporting information: Photographs Press releases & publicity Feedback from users/visitors Digital, online materials & “rich media” “A picture tells a thousand stories…”

13. Lincolnshire Museum Development: from a judge’s perspective Museum Awards: Media… “A picture tells a thousand stories…”

14. Lincolnshire Museum Development: from a judge’s perspective Museum Awards: The Visit 8 Venues across Lincolnshire in 2 days - judge’s logistics! Welcome and Meet the Team Efficiency in communication (multiple judges, multiple guides?) – on specific activity applications avoid “mission creep”! Balance of voices, views – who is taking leadership now, who is showing leadership potential for the future – is the team being developed? Passion, enthusiasm, commitment Sustainable, enduring, achievable Ambition – future plans

15. Lincolnshire Museum Development: from a judge’s perspective Museum Awards: The Judging! Rigorous criteria applied Paperwork is so valuable to shortlist and reinforce at judging Personal perceptions of the visit count: some examples (e.g. civic welcome at Chain Bridge Forge, Spalding) Is the event or initiative appropriately slanted – e.g. Halloween Night at Louth Museum, why do it? Where on the continuum of museum development the museum is

16. Lincolnshire Museum Development: from a judge’s perspective Museum Awards: Feedback & Follow-up Come to the Awards Event, hear what other venues are achieving and feedback they are receiving Contact the judges (after the awards are completed!): offer of feedback and further development support where possible Use outcomes to publicise and project your achievements (don’t necessarily have to win!) Contact each other and share best practice (e.g. digital devices) And as Obi-Wan might have said “Use the Forum, Luke!”

17. Lincolnshire Museum Development: from a judge’s perspective Museum Awards: Feedback & Follow-up Come to the Awards Event, hear what other venues are achieving and feedback they are receiving Contact the judges (after the awards are completed!): offer of feedback and further development support where possible Use outcomes to publicise and project your achievements (don’t necessarily have to win!) Contact each other and share best practice (e.g. digital devices)

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22. Thoughts on the future of museums: Arts & Cultural activities are becoming increasingly mobile, portable, accessed in site-specific locations (increases impact, engagement and generates wider inclusion of society) Arts & Cultural funding continues to support innovation and experimentation – but increasingly funders require it to be set in continuum of history, links to the past, community engaged Museums have the potential to be venues for wider cultural activities – where infrastructure permits, and hubs of community activity Communities are empowered to take responsibility – where does your expertise exist? “Resilient Communities”

23. Lincolnshire Museum Development: from a judge’s perspective Thoughts on the future of museums: “Resilient Communities” Funding will increasingly flow to publicly engaged activities Funders increasingly require a public engagement statement Beyond regarding the public as visitors through the turnstiles or “bums on seats” Engagement takes many forms: real, physical, virtual, remote – it’s all about how does your work have impact with and for people? How does it bring people together, on the experiential- knowledge-cultural continuum?

24. Lincolnshire Museum Development: from a judge’s perspective ArchivesMuseumsLibraries Community Venues Arts Centres & Theatres Developing a seamless continuum

25. Lincolnshire Museum Development: from a judge’s perspective Contact details: Professor David Sleight FRSA FHEA Dean of Public Engagement University of Lincoln dsleight@lincoln.ac.uk