The Visitor Studies Group

Business plan: tell us what you think...
We are finalising our ideas for the business plan and are looking to hear your views. Tell us what you think so we can make sure the VSG continues to meet your needs and meet the needs of future members. You can download the report here and tell us what you think here.

Business Planner needed
At the AGM (4 February, 2011) the VSG membership agreed to recruit an external agent to develop a business plan for the group. The commission can be downloaded from here.

Alison James Professional Development Bursary
Many of you will remember Alison James with great fondness. She was well respected in our field and an active member of the VSG. When we heard about her untimely death we felt it was appropriate to recognise her contributions. To do this we have renamed our Professional Development Bursary, to the Alison James Professional Development Bursary. Not only that, we've also increased the amount available to £1000 for 2011 only. To find out more about the Alison James Professional Development Bursary and for details of how to apply please go here. 

AGM reports available
Our annual AGM will be on 4 February and we very much hope to see you there. These are exciting times for the VSG and there are important things to consider for the year ahead. Please read the various reports which are available from here.  

Committee membership elections
Want to support the work of the VSG? We are looking for four new committee members for 2011. Details about how to apply can be found here.

VSG goes to Munich
We're delighted to announce that we've been invited to partner with the Museums Academy for their workshop: 

The Much Sought-After Guest

. Taking place in Munich, 27/28 January 2011  Helen Featherstone and Sofie Davies will be discussing VSG, visitor studies at the Science Museum and running a workshop on qualitative tools for visitor studies.

VSG supporting its members - a strategic review
We've been giving a lot of thought to the future of the Visitor Studies Group. We're entering our 13th year of existence and it's not an easy time for groups like ours. Come to a free discussion day on 25 November to help shape the future of the VSG.

AGM Conference 2011 - Audience Research in an age of austerity
We are looking forward to our AGM and conference next year. Put the date in your diary: February 4 2011. Our keynote speaker will be Alan Friedman who will be speaking about his experiences at the New York Hall of Science. David Fleming from Liverpool Museums will also be contributing with a UK perspective.

A Visitor By Any Other Name: Understanding Audience Segmentation
Please note that this seminar, originally due to take place on 2 July, has been postponed and will be rescheduled for 2011, Edinburgh. Apologies for any inconvenience. Thank you.

VSG Bursary - Revised Criteria
The selection criteria for the annual VSG Bursary have been revised. These will be effective as of 2011.