The Visitor Studies Group

Keeping in Touch-
Learning from sustained relationships with audiences

VSG AGM and Conference
Museum in Docklands, London
Thursday 5th February 2009
10am - 4pm

We all strive to build ongoing relationships with our users and stakeholders, but how can we draw on these relationships to create more successful visitor experiences? The 2009 Visitor Studies Group one day conference and AGM will explore the potential benefits and pitfalls of consulting and evaluating in this way through case studies and debate.

During the course of the day the conference will address the following:

• How can sustained relationships with community groups, schools, volunteers, families and others be used to inform the development of visitor experiences?
• What are the pros and cons of using sustained relationships in developing exhibitions and programmes?
• What can we learn from different types of sustained relationships?
• How can building and maintaining relationships lead to long-term benefits for organisations?

Who is it for?

Museum, cultural, and natural heritage professionals, audience researchers, students, and all those with an interest in how visitor research can inform interpretation and foster decision-making to the benefit of their institutions.

Benefits for attendees:

• Opportunities for learning to increase confidence in achieving sustained relationships in their organisations
• Practical guidelines for conducting research in the area of sustained relationships
• Improving practices through learning from others
• Expertise and examples through case-studies
• A forum for discussion in order to share ideas, thoughts, experiences and concerns
• Networking opportunities
• A post-event online discussion forum through the VSG website

Programme

10:00 Registration & Coffee

10:30 Welcome

10:45 Lucie Fitton, Inclusion Officer, Museum of London

11:15 Sandra Bicknell, Director, BUnlimited

11:45 Denise Foster, Visitor Service Volunteers Project Manager and Jess Monaghan, Community Learning Officer, National Trust

12:15 Bursary Feedback - Sofie Davis, Senior Audience Researcher, Science Museum

12:30 AGM

12:45 Lunch

14:15 Steve Griggs, Director, Creative Research

14:45 Emma Dunn, Education Officer: Schools and Formal Learning, Geffrye Museum

15:15 Panel discussion

16:00 End of event

Downloads of presentations from this event are available to fully subscribed VSG members in the members resources section of this site.