The Visitor Studies Group

Evaluation - why bother?
Using Evaluation as a strategic tool

VSG Summer School
National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh
21st & 22nd June 2007

Presentations and workshops highlighted in bold in the programme are available as downloads at the bottom of this page.

Programme - Day 1

10:00 Registration

10:30 Welcome & introduction to event

10:45 'Visitor Studies – a strategic approach. How evaluation has helped develop Glasgow Museums service.' (Mark O’Neill, Culture and Sport Glasgow)

11:30 'Evaluation of the effectiveness of interpretation at six visitor centres.' (Julie Forrest, Scottish Natural Heritage )

12:15 Lunch

13:15 Concurrent Sessions

• Workshop: 'Evaluating a website based project' (Nicky Boyd & Yvonne Harris, independent consultants)
• Workshop: 'Using Generic Learning Outcomes in exhibition planning' (Stephen Allen, National Museums Scotland)
• Workshop: 'Prototyping ICT Interactives' (Vicky Mair & Sam Groves, Glasgow Museums)
• Opportunity to explore the venue

14:45 Tea break

15:15 Concurrent Sessions

• Workshop: 'Evaluating a website based project' (Nicky Boyd & Yvonne Harris, independent consultants)
• Workshop: 'Evaluating social ‘outcomes’, or some thoughts on how to thinkabout the social and community benefits of visiting...' (Richard Naylor, Burns Owens Partnership)
• Workshop: 'Browser, follower, searcher method' (Andrew McIntyre, Morris, Hargreaves, McIntyre)
• Opportunity to explore the venue

16:45 'Evaluation – why bother? We need to save the planet! Evaluation and consultation in the zoo sector.' (Stephen Woollard, Edinburgh Zoo)

17:30 Cheese & wine reception and launch of new website

18:00 Debate panel: 'How brief should your brief be?!'
(Juliette Fritsch, V&A; Paulette McManus, Museum & Heritage Consultantt; Alexandra Miller, National Library of Scotland; Sheena Muncie, Scotinform Ltd; Richard Naylor, Burns Owens Partnership; Stephen Woollard, Edinburgh Zoo; chaired by Nicky Boyd, VSG Chair)

Programme - Day 2

10:00 Delegates welcome back, tea & coffee

10:30 'The Connect gallery – using prototype evaluation as a strategic tool in the design process of interactives.' (Jenni Fuchs, National Museums Scotland)

11:15 VSG Bursary Report: 'Feedback on the Ecsite 2006 conference' (Avril Edmond, Glasgow Science Centre)

11:30 Marketplace of Ideas:

• 'Archives in Action - evaluating outreach programmes from the Sir Basil Spence Archive Project' (Laura Baxter de Gutierrez, RCAHMS)
• 'Talking to alienated groups: Building community relationships through evaluation' (Katey Boal, Inverness Museum and Art Gallery)
• 'Redeveloping Launch Pad: A testing story' (Rachel Church, London Science Museum )
• 'Hot or not? What can visitor tracking reveal about your gallery?' (Avril Edmond, Glasgow Science Centre)
• 'Visitor Segmentation' (Andrew McIntyre, Morris, Hargreaves, McIntyre)
• 'Exploring language registers in exhibition texts' (Paulette McManus, Museum & Heritage Consultant)
• 'Evaluating education and outreach projects with different audiences' (Helen Watson, National Galleries of Scotland)

12:30 Lunch

13:15 'Making the most of audience research and evaluation – an international comparative study.' (Eva Reussner, Knowledge Media Centre, Germany)

14:00 'Making sense of the bigger picture: Visitor research as a driver for change.' (Francoise McClafferty, National Museums Liverpool )

14:45 Concurrent Sessions

• Workshop: 'Using Generic Learning Outcomes in exhibition planning' (Stephen Allen, National Museums Scotland)
• Workshop: 'Evaluating social ‘outcomes’, or some thoughts on how to think about the social and community benefits of visiting...' (Richard Naylor, Burns Owens Partnership)
• Workshop: 'Browser, follower, searcher method' (Andrew McIntyre, Morris, Hargreaves, McIntyre)
• Opportunity to explore the venue

16:15 Event wind-up

16:30 Event ends