Audiences Central Symposium 2011 Thursday 20 October 2011 mac birmingham UK Asking challenging questions about the future of Audience Engagement in the UK and Europe
Confirmed Speakers include:
Dorothy Wilson MBE Artistic Director and Chief Executive, mac birmingham
Nestor Yanes Diaz
Audiences Central Symposium Thursday 20 October 2011 mac birmingham UK With the major changes happening in the world of cultural development, the sands shift beneath our feet on what feels like a daily basis. JOLT: Shake Up Your Thinking is designed to enable high quality debate around some of the key issues of the day, including engaging with new technology, faith groups, tourism channels, and making the most of large-scale public initiatives.
How DO we engage with our local communities?
Should we be focussing on using volunteers to such an extent?
What will changes in funding and income mean to our commitment to widening access to our cultural offer?
You are invited to join this debate, and discuss with other UK and European leaders the challenges we all face in our working lives.
Can you offer any new solutions?
What are the tools you’re using to engage with hard to reach groups?
What DOES the future hold for us all?
A full-day event, JOLT is aimed at industry specialists including directors, managers, curators, producers, specialists in education, research, strategy, marketing, communications and audience development. This event is part of Audiences Central’s rolling programme of organisational support and contributes to Audiences Europe Network’s exciting international project, Extending The Margins.
Director of Communications & Marketing Museos del Cabildo de Tenerife, Spain
David Brownlee Chief Executive, Audiences UK
Paul Kaynes West Midlands Creative Programmer for London 2012
Abid Hussain Relationship Manager, Diversity In Arts Practice Arts Council England
Lynn Blackadder Freelance Organisational Development Specialist
Peta Murphy-Burke Relationship Manager, Digital and Creative Economy Arts Council England
Sarah Chambers Deputy Director Marketing & Audience Strategy National Theatre
Emma Keith Producer, NTLive/ National Theatre
Sajida Aslam Audience Development Manager, National Trust Chaired by Ivan Wadeson Chief Executive, All About Audiences More speakers and guests to be announced! Attending organisations include: CultuurNet Vlaanderen - Rotterdam Philharmonic Orchestra - Audiences Norway - NEC Group - Town Hall Symphony Hall - Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) - Warwick Arts Centre - New Art Gallery Walsall - Birmingham Hippodrome - Craftspace Motionhouse - Wolverhampton Arts+Heritage - Demos
DAY ONE Thursday 20 October 2011 mac birmingham Symposium Programme 9.30am 10.00am 10:30am
Start the debate now by asking your questions via Twitter using these simple #hashtags
Delegate Registration Welcome & Introduction Breakout Session 1
1. Tapping into Tourism Nestor Yanes, Museos del Cabildo de Tenerife, Spain Tenerife has been a popular tourist destination for many years and continues to attract visitors with its golden beaches, warm weather and luxury hotels from all over the world. Nestor introduces just some of the challenges associated with engaging tourists with the island’s rich arts and cultural heritage. The session will then continue with a wider debate exploring the challenges of engaging a transitory potential audience base. How does an organisation reach out to a visitor primarily interested in sun, sea and sangria? Are cultural tourists only interested in heritage? How much of a barrier is a ‘foreign’ language? Does programming activities for tourists alienate the local population? 2. Know Your Neighbours Dorothy Wilson, mac birmingham Dorothy talks about mac birmingham’s experience, including the challenges and successes associated with engaging local communities. The wider strategic debate will take a closer look at the relationships and value of arts and cultural venues within the local community. How financially important is it to engage communities on your doorstep? Did work inspired by ideas relating to community cohesion and social deprivation achieve their objectives? How do venues identify and successfully engage local communities? How do venues maintain deep and lasting relationships with local audiences? Does a venue need to reinvent itself regularly to remain exciting to the local population? 11.30am 12:00am
Refreshment Break Breakout Session 2
3. Cultural Identity and Audience Engagement Can arts and cultural organisations help diffuse political and cultural tensions?
the good of the community. This will give us more say in decisions that shape our communities; however, critics have highlighted concerns over the quality and sustainability of services managed by unpaid staff. This session will explore the positives and negatives of volunteering within the sector. Are volunteers being used to replace paid staff? What changes are we likely to see as a result of fewer paid posts? What support do volunteers really need? 1.00pm 2.00pm
Lunch Breakout Session 3
6. The Cultural Olympiad: A Happy Marriage of Sport and the Arts, or a Shotgun Wedding? Paul Kaynes, London 2012 An introduction to some of the work taking place, and a closer look at the impact of large-scale public engagement campaigns. The London 2012 Cultural Olympiad is the largest cultural celebration in the history of the modern Olympic and Paralympic Movements. Spread over four years, it is designed to give everyone in the UK a chance to be part of London 2012 and inspire creativity across all forms of culture. Paul Kaynes, West Midlands Creative Programmer for the Cultural Olympiad will explain the approach taken in the West Midlands, talk about what’s been achieved so far and will open up a wider debate that will take a closer look at the impact of large-scale initiatives. In the light of the cut backs in arts funding, will we see the end of large-scale campaigns? How do large-scale campaigns with clear objectives successfully engage with potential participating organisations whose o wn aims may be substantially different? Are large-scale campaigns cash cows, or are arts organisations pressured into taking part in this type of work to keep funders happy? 7. The Value of Community Engagement A panel of community engagement specialists, including Sajida Aslam (National Trust), Francis Nielsen (Wolverhampton Arts+ Heritage) and Bart Rogé (Demos) discuss the value of community engagement work and its wider impact on their organisations. The session aims to explore the various practical approaches that arts and cultural organisations are using to engage with their communities as well as the challenges associated with this type of activity. Is it just about outreach activity? How can the learning from community engagement work help shape your organisation? Have financial cuts had an impact on the tools and approaches used to engage local communities? 8. Have Faith Abid Hussain, Arts Council England Abid Hussain introduces recent successful initiatives where audiences have been engaged through making work relevant within a faith context. This approach has been particularly successful within the Muslim, Sikh, Jewish communities in the West Midlands and beyond. Abid will then open the session up to a wider debate on this theme. Is a fear of offence a barrier to engaging faith communities? How important is a religious element in an engagement activity? Are there any specific challenges associated with engaging faith groups?
4. Click For More Peta Murphy-Burke, Arts Council England; Sarah Chambers and Emma Keith, NTLive/ National Theatre; Steve Manthorpe, consultant. A discussion about how technology, and specifically the Internet, can support and improve the way that we engage and develop audiences and strengthen relationships with new and existing audiences. Peta Murphy-Burke introduces just some of the groundbreaking digital projects that are taking place across the West Midlands with the National Theatre providing an insight in to one of their new projects. In an increasingly digital world, should we still place more value on physical attendance and participation? More people are spending a greater amount of time on arts and cultural websites; does this have an impact on physical attendance? Do digital elements of projects better inform audiences prior to their visit and automatically improve the quality of their experience? 5. The Cost of Volunteering Lynn Blackadder - Freelance Organisational Development Specialist The British Government’s Big Society initiative puts the emphasis on volunteering for
For the latest updates on speakers, panel guests, questions to be asked and presentations, see the dedicated JOLT pages at www.audiencescentral.co.uk
3.10pm
Plenary and Questions With Richard Hadley, Audiences Europe, David Brownlee, Audiences UK and guests.
4.00pm
Networking and drinks (to 5pm)
7.00pm
Balti Experience (Optional/ additional activity) see over for details, including cost.
DAY TWO (optional) Friday 21 October 2011 RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon Symposium Programme A day visit to the world-renowned Royal Shakespeare Company (RSC) in picturesque Stratford-upon-Avon, birthplace of William Shakespeare.
About RSC Our job is to connect and help others connect with Shakespeare and produce bold, ambitious work with living writers, actors and artists. Our commitment to audiences extended to almost every medium. We are an ensemble company so everyone here, from directors, writers and actors to production, technical and administrative staff, has a part to play in creating distinctive theatre. We believe in taking risks and pushing creative boundaries - finding new ways of doing things and learning through action. Our audiences are at the heart of all we do and we want to challenge, inspire and involve them. Our home is in Stratford-upon-Avon, where we have just reopened the Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres after a £112.8m transformation to bring actors and audiences closer together. We play regularly in London, Newcastle upon Tyne and on tour across the UK and the world. As well as the plays of Shakespeare and his contemporaries, we produce new work from living artists and develop creative links with theatre-makers from around the world. We work with teachers to inspire a life-long love of Shakespeare in people, and run events for everyone to explore and participate in our work. We celebrate our 50th birthday in 2011 and will lead the World Shakespeare Festival as part of the Cultural Olympiad in 2012. The Transformation Project The RSC’s three-and-a-half year construction project to transform its Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres
reached its completion on time and on budget and the doors opened to the public in November 2010. The RSC was founded on principles of collaboration and it still aims to connect people with Shakespeare, engage with the world and make bold, progressive work. The Transformation project for the Company’s Stratford home was designed to embody these principles and to bring actors and audiences closer together. At its heart is the transformed Royal Shakespeare Theatre (RST), with a new thrust stage and a 1040+ seat auditorium. Shakespeare wrote for a theatre in which actors and audiences shared the same space and the new thrust stage with the audience seated on three sides makes this possible, almost halving the distance of the furthest seat from the stage and significantly improving the experience. The brief to the design team also sought to make the rest of the building feel much more welcoming – a place people could enjoy throughout the day and which is accessible to all. New spaces include the Rooftop Restaurant with a double height ceiling and views over the River Avon; a Riverside Cafe and Terrace; a Colonnade linking the Royal Shakespeare and Swan Theatres for the first time; the PACCAR Room exhibition space; a 36m high Tower which provides much needed circulation and outstanding views from its viewing platform; and a new public outdoor space, Weston Square, to connect the theatre with the old medieval town to the west. www.rsc.org.uk
About mac birmingham Opened in 1962, mac birmingham is a hub of creativity and learning in the Midlands. With four performance auditoria, rehearsal and media studios, a cinema, and a visual art gallery, The venue presents a broad range of contemporary work from both emerging and established artists across genres. mac birmingham is the most visited arts centre in the Midlands and is renowned for its family friendly and inclusive approach. Originally intended for children, the centre now caters for audiences young and old, from the local community and beyond. Re-opened in May 2010 after extensive multi-million pound refurbishment, the arts centre boasts stunning architecture and a high level of accessibility. Over 850,000 visits were made to the arts centre in its first year of reopening. For more information see: www.macarts.co.uk
Extending The Margins Partners Symposium and additional events (see below for details of additional events and Day Two activities) JOLT: Shake Up Your Thinking - Audiences Central Symposium 2011
Book before 12 noon, 23 Sept 2011
Book after 12 noon, 23 Sept 2011
Day One only
FREE *
FREE *
Day Two
£99 +VAT
£99 +VAT
.
Date: Thursday 20 October 2011 Venue: mac Birmingham, Cannon Hill Park, Birmingham B12 9QH Time: Registration 9.30am; start 10am (to 4.30pm, approx). To book your place(s), visit our website: www.audiencescentral.co.uk For more information, please email: info@audiencescentral.co.uk
Additional activities (optional). Please select when booking symposium.
Telephone: +44 (0) 121 685 2600 Follow on Twitter @AudiencesCntral
Standard Rate Book before 12 noon, 23 Sept 2011
Book after 12 noon, 23 Sept 2011
Day One only
£75+VAT
£95+VAT
Day Two
£99+VAT
£99+VAT
.
Audiences Central Members Symposium only
DAY ONE: Post-Symposium Evening Meal: Balti Experience. Thursday 20 October 2011, 7pm. Enjoy one of Birmingham’s most famous cultural exports, the balti, in the heart of the city’s internationally famed Balti Triangle, Sparkbrook. A balti is a curry invented in Birmingham and now popular the world over. The city is home to many of the UK’s best Asian restaurants. Cost: £30 per person, including meal, drinks and transport from mac birmingham to restaurant, and return to city centre. DAY TWO: RSC Visit Friday 21 October 2011 An opportunity for delegates to see Royal Shakespeare Company's acclaimed new building, hear about how they are using it to better engage with audiences, and then an opportunity to explore the historic town of Stratford-upon-Avon, one of the UK’s most popular tourist destinations.
Book before 12 noon, 23 Sept 2011
Book after 12 noon, 23 Sept 2011
£60+VAT
£76+VAT
Insight
One FREE place. Additional places £75+VAT
£95+VAT
9am Transport leaves Birmingham City Centre 10am Arrive at the RSC, Stratford-upon-Avon 10.15am Presentation by David Collins, Head of Marketing, RSC 11am Tour of the RSC’s new building 12noon Lunch 1pm Free afternoon to explore Stratford-upon-Avon 4pm Coach pick-up to return to Birmingham City Centre Cost: £99 per person (includes tour, presentation, coach transport , refreshments and lunch)
Momentum
Two FREE places. Additional places £60+VAT
£76+VAT
International delegates: please contact us if you require any help planning your return journey to the airport on this day.
£99+VAT
£99+VAT
. Enhance
Day Two
If you are not an international Extending The Margins delegate and you are interested in joining this visit to the RSC, please contact us on +44 (0)121 685 2600 or email info@audiencescentral.co.uk
About Birmingham Curiosity breeds change and innovation, and with one of the youngest populations in the world and a track record of bringing together great minds to develop ideas, share inspiration and drive change, Birmingham questions everything and always looks for new ways of doing things. A creative energy pulses through the city, which is at the centre of the UK’s industrial heartlands. Yet despite its intellectual and cultural heritage and youthful, innovative spirit, Birmingham remains a city with a self effacing and down-to-earth charm – never boastful, never arrogant but curious, enthusiastic and focused on making things happen. Mirroring the modest nature of its people, it is a city that gets on with it. The diversity of the city’s residents brings a rich cultural mix to Birmingham. 30% of Birmingham’s residents are of minority ethnic origin and it is home to Europe’s first arts centre dedicated to developing and promoting African, Caribbean and Asian arts and culture.
Birmingham Culture The city’s people have an enthusiasm for expressing themselves – from film to dance, art to architecture – Birmingham’s independent arts scene thrives on its diversity. The city is not afraid to take on a challenge. Major retail, leisure and business hubs such as the NEC, Brindleyplace, The Mailbox and Bullring are just a few recent examples of the gutsy urban regeneration the city has become famed for. With over 8,000 acres of parks and open space, Birmingham is one of the greenest cities in the UK, and thanks to its innovative 18th century Industrialists building a canal network to aid trading networks, the city has more canals than Venice. Most of the city’s 56 kilometres of waterways are navigable too.
Although it’s famed for its industrial past, Birmingham’s contribution to the UK’s and world’s cultural landscape should not be underestimated. Birmingham is home to such acclaimed and internationally respected organisations as Birmingham Royal Ballet (BRB), City Of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) and Ikon Gallery. The award-winning independent publishing house, Tindal Street Press, is also based here. During the 1960s and 1970s, the city gave birth to a style of rock music called ‘heavy metal’. Key exponents include Ozzy Osborne and Black Sabbath, and Judas Priest, while Led Zeppelin also have strong connections with the area. In addition to being the ‘home of metal’, the city is also key in the development of bhangra, an energetic form of Punjabi folk/ dance music. Other internationally respected music acts who hail from the city include The Moody Blues, Duran Duran, ELO, reggae groups UB40 and Steel
Pulse, and rap act The Streets. Edward Burne-Jones, the 19th century painter, was key to the development of Pre-Raphaelite painting, a style which ran in parallel with the European Symbolism movement. Peter Philips, a leading exponent of Pop Art, and Turner Prize-winning contemporary artist Gillian Wearing also hail from Birmingham. Today, the city is home to an array of well-known authors, critics, playwrights, choreographers, curators, artists, designers, crafts workers, filmmakers, directors, photographers, composers, musicians, comedians, actors, games developers and publishers, as well as a dizzying number of arts festivals covering everything from jazz and folk music to comedy and contemporary art. For more information on the city, see: www.visitbirmingham.com For more information on the surround area, see: www.visitheartofengland.com
Travel Resting in the centre of the UK, Birmingham is easily accessible from all major UK and European cities. A popular destination for international businesses, it has strong links with countries around the world. Getting here couldn’t be easier...
By Air
About Audiences Central Based in Birmingham’s historic Jewellery Quarter, Audiences Central is the audience development agency for the West Midlands area. The agency works across arts, cultural and heritage sectors, and across county boundaries: the greater West Midlands (Birmingham, Wolverhampton, Dudley, Walsall and Sandwell), Staffordshire, Shropshire, Worcestershire, Herefordshire and Warwickshire. Consisting of a small team of audience development, audience engagement, marketing, communications and research specialists, all the staff have direct prior experience of working for leading theatres, venues, galleries, festivals and arts organisations. Members of the team also continue to practice outside of Audience Central, as photographers, fine artists, writers, board members and artistic directors. Audience Central has a core membership base of small and large arts organisations, for whom it organises regular region-wide networking meetings around specific
topics - from commercial radio and outdoor media to using free online audience development tools. It also provides a series of Support Sessions which look at ticketing, quantitative research. Members include UNESCO World Heritage Sites, small touring companies, orchestras, dance companies, theatres and art galleries. The agency presently run two highly successful regional networks in Shropshire and Warwickshire, and are currently working on a large programme of organisational support in the Black Country (Dudley, Wolverhampton, Walsall and Sandwell). It also runs a listings website, Scene Central. Funded by Arts Council England, previous projects and programmes have included Birmingham Means Everyone, ArtsFest (the UK’s largest free urban arts festival), and The Big Picture, a ground-breaking photography-based audience development campaign which culminated in a successful World Record for the World’s largest Photographic Mosaic.
Birmingham Airport is one of the most accessible airports in Europe. Over 50 airlines operate scheduled and charter services to more than 150 destinations worldwide. The airport is just 8 miles/13km from the city centre and offers an Airlink Shuttle which ensures a smooth transit to Birmingham International Railway Station, from where, with up to 9 trains an hour, you can be in the city centre in just 10 minutes. For more information, visit www.birminghamairport.co.uk
Snow Hill stations (which are both in Birmingham city centre). Travel time from London is 90 minutes to 2 hours. For more information, visit www.nationalrail.co.uk or telephone +44 (0)8457 48 49 50.
By Road The M6, M42, M54 and M5 motorways service the city from all directions, with many of the junctions just a few minutes from the city centre. For coach information, call +44 (0) 871 781 8181 or see www.nationalexpress.com
Getting around Birmingham 'Black cab' (TOA) taxis service the airport, rail and coach stations and there are taxi ranks across the city centre. Birmingham also has an excellent bus network.
Note: For delegates arriving at Heathrow Airport - Birmingham is over two hours by coach or train, but is easily accessible.
For public transport timetables, see: www.networkwestmidlands.com
By Rail
For further detailed information including travel and hotels, see the JOLT pages on our website, or contact us.
Birmingham is serviced by all of the UK’s leading rail network operators. Birmingham New Street Station lies in the heart of the city and is the hub of the UK rail network, serving over 25 million passengers per year. Trains from London Euston travel to New Street Station regularly, or you can travel from London Marylebone to Birmingham Moor Street and
www.audiencescentral.co.uk info@audiencescentral.co.uk