Providing advice and support for
The Cultural Sector
Work areas: audience research, strategic marketing
We have recently completed a project with the Quilt Museum and Gallery in York to research their audiences and review the visitor offer. This work involved a large scale visitor survey, focus groups, internal and external peer reviews and consultation with current users and non-users. The work will inform the museum's strategic marketing plan and future developments.
Work areas: strategic planning, research
In 2010 we worked with L&R Consulting on a project with the Greater Manchester Museums Forum to develop a sustainability strategy for the museums. The project is concerned with developing new approaches, models and advocacy for collaboration and service delivery. This has involved consultation with all of the museum services in the area, the collection of data from the museum service, the preparation of an advocacy document and the running of a workshop with all the museum managers.
Work areas: business planning, interpretation planning, audience development
The Ken Hawley Collection Trust (in partnership with Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust) recently launched its new gallery and storage facilities in what was a derelict building. The £700,000 project was funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund.
DBA Consulting helped manage the HLF application process and prepared an options appraisal, an audience development plan and a business plan. We wrote the exhibition plan for the new gallery and we understand that Roy Clare, Chief Executive of the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council, was impressed with the concepts during a recent visit.
Work areas: business planning, project management, audience research
We have been working with the Royal Albert Memorial Museum in Exeter since 2002. As lead advisor we helped them to develop a major redevelopment programme for the museum and win around £10 million of funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund.
We prepared many of the supporting documents for the funding application including the business plan and audience development plan. We also commissioned qualitative and quantitative research into the museum's audiences which were used as an evidence base for the audience development plan.
We are currently working on an evaluation of the museum's outreach programme during the closure of the main museum building and will be undertaking visitor research and evaluation of the new galleries on the reopening of the museum.
Work areas: transfer to trust, organisational structure, governance
In 2008 we worked on the transfer of the Herbert from Coventry Council. This followed an earlier piece of work to assess the options for the future management of the museum.
We worked with the Council and their legal advisors on the transfer and we were involved in Trustee recruitment, recruitment of a new Chief Executive and Finance Officer for the Trust and setting up new financial systems. We also prepared a business plan for the transfer which took into account the change to Trust status, the opening of a significant extension to the existing museum and the costs of a more ambitious programme.
Work areas: business planning, exhibitions, interpretation planning, audience research
We have worked with Sheffield Industrial Museums Trust for a number of years and have prepared four successful Heritage Lottery Fund bids for them.
DBA Consulting were responsible for developing all aspects of the main gallery redisplay project including the audience research, consultation, developing the interpretation plan, content creation, selection of and liaison with designers and project managing the installation.
The new main galleries and the Hawley Gallery at Kelham Island Museum have been highly commended by museum visitors, leading members of the HLF, the Chief Executive of the MLA, and by leading museum professionals.
Work areas: business planning, marketing planning, programming, audience development
Chatham Historic Dockyard is a rare example of a complete dockyard from the age of sail. The National Museums at Chatham project brings together the maritime model collections of Chatham, the Imperial War Museum and the National Maritime Museum onto one site. DBA Consulting acted as project advisor for the £5 million HLF application. We prepared the options appraisal, business plan, audience development plan and economic appraisal for the project, which is now in progress. We also prepared a marketing plan and an additional business plan for a new temporary exhibition space at Chatham. This included a five year business model with an illustrative programme of events, founded on a model which considers the costs and income of different exhibition types and different hire arrangements.