

Cultural organisations can play a key role in creating thriving places for people to live, work and visit, but only if they reach out to creative partners beyond the local ‘culture club’. Penny Mills, Anne Torreggiani and Patrick Towell explain how.

The Audience Agency shares its experience of the pains and gains of collaboration and partnership working.

Covid-19 has proved that what worked back then won’t work now. Patrick Towell says true innovation requires attention, collaboration, and a sense for ideas that can be scaled up for success.

In a constantly changing landscape, the ability to understand and respond to audiences’ changing preferences and behaviours is vital. Anne Torreggiani shares findings from the first wave of The Audience Agency’s COVID-19 Monitor.

Research into the relationship between culture, health and wellbeing could unlock an understanding of how the mental health of young people can be supported by cultural activity. Dr Robyn Dowlen talks to Anne Torreggiani about progress so far.

Cultural democracy is not in the gift of most cultural institutions, but that doesn’t mean there’s no role for them, says Anne Torreggiani.

Having flexed our innovation muscles in response to the pandemic, now’s the time to assess what we’ve done and use this knowledge to develop new ways of working on a larger, longer-term scale. The Audience Agency team looks to the future of festivals online.

Competition in the ‘experience economy’ combined with the circumstances of the pandemic mean it’s time for the cultural sector to think harder about the experiences that audiences would like to have – and are prepared to pay for, says Patrick Towell.

Define. Diversify. Develop. This 3-D approach to working with volunteers will ensure that your volunteer programme adds value for everyone involved, says Lucie Fitton.

Technocratic, old-school approaches to building audiences have only worked among privileged groups. The sector needs to think harder about what people actually want, says Anne Torreggiani.