Overview

This Standard is about devising and implementing an audience development strategy for a cultural heritage organisation. This could involve reviewing the organisation's current audience development strategy and updating it as appropriate or writing a new strategy.

It includes reviewing the objectives and benefits, establishing accurate information about audiences and their current and future requirements, setting parameters for audience research, agreeing strategies and their implementation with appropriate people and evaluating success of strategies and their implementation.

This standard is for anyone who is responsible for devising and implementing an audience development strategy for a creative or cultural organisation.

Performance criteria

You must be able to:

  1. review the objectives and benefits of audience development strategies and why, when and how you want to engage different audiences
  2. identify and establish the validity of current information about audiences and their requirements
  3. set parameters for any research that needs to be carried out about audiences and strategies, deciding whether this should be done internally or externally
  4. explore ideas for new audience experiences, researching similar organisations’ strategies and activities as well as current thinking in the wider sector
  5. carry out an informed assessment of the potential benefits of different strategies to different audiences
  6. identify the requirements of current and potential audiences in line with relevant organisational policies
  7. ensure audience development strategies are inclusive and appropriate to intended audience and all user needs
  8. identify the physical, intellectual and economic obstacles to, and opportunities for, meeting audience requirements
  9. assess the current and potential use of available resources and their implications for audience development
  10. agree the strategy for audience development with all relevant people
  11. identify realistic timescales for the implementation of strategies and agree them with all those involved
  12. identify the effect of the implementation of strategies on other activities and people, and take appropriate steps to co-ordinate activities
  13. work with appropriate staff to market audience development opportunities
  14. evaluate the success of audience development strategies before, during and after their implementation, using findings to inform future strategies and activities

Knowledge and understanding

You need to know and understand:                       

  1. the organisation's current strategy for audience development and the policies and objectives that impact audience development
  2. how the cultural and political context can affect the audience strategies
  3. the needs of current and potential audiences
  4. how to identify different audience groups, and target markets for your organisation
  5. how to assess information about current and potential audiences and their requirements
  6. the potential problems encountered by visitors with mobility, hearing, sight impairment, autism spectrum disorder or specific learning difficulties
  7. the different strategies available to enable access to exhibitions or displays for visitors with special needs
  8. how to generate new ideas and research audience development activities across the sector
  9. how to access new and current developments in audience development
  10. the benefits, uses and disadvantages of technology in community engagement, including alternative approaches for those who don’t have access to it
  11. who the relevant people are that need to be consulted on strategies and their implementation
  12. how to identify current use and potential resources and people to deliver strategies
  13. the types of risks and benefits that need to be assessed
  14. how to consult with stakeholders about audience development strategies
  15. how to present information on strategies to different users
  16. what other activities and people will be affected by the implementation of strategies
  17. how to evaluate the success of strategies and implementation activities