AIM Conference – Guest Post

As I am writing this blog post, I realise that it is now just over a month since I had the great pleasure to attend the annual AIM National Conference for the very first time, courtesy of a sponsored place from Museums Development North West.

I was very grateful for the opportunity to attend this conference, I really wanted to go as soon as I learned of the 2019 theme – ‘How to be a great destination’. Working for a Local Authority Museum Service, I was very interested to learn more about the Independent Museum Sector approaches and achievements in this area, as I feel that we have a lot to learn from each other.

This small conference was not a disappointment. From the selection of keynote speakers, to the breakout sessions and indeed the networking opportunities, it really was invaluable to be able to catch up with colleagues in the sector. The conference provided a refreshing opportunity to have a break from the day-to-day grind of the office, take stock, learn from others and consider some of my organisations’ approach in the process.

A month on, I am still thinking about some of the particularly thought provoking messages delivered by a few of the keynote speakers.

The first one was by the passionate, honest and energetic Carl Bell from the Whitaker Museum, who gave the most inspiring presentation. Carl charted the remarkable growth of a community museum. He spoke about choosing to think beyond the historic perceptions of museum behaviour and expectations, to ensure that the ongoing journey of the Whitaker is one that is shared with all who visit. He spoke of access to heritage and culture as a right that everyone should have – and how central he felt this view was to understanding of place and identity. He described the Whitaker and the team there as an integral part of the community ‘we are the community’ as opposed to ‘we have to attract the community’. This subtle change in language, alters the position of the museum in the local community. Passion apart, an integrated approach to programming, quirky exhibition style and award-winning catering experience has also helped with the Whitaker’s positioning as a distinct and popular destination.

The second presentation that really stood out was that by Sarah Matthews from the Melton Carnegie Museum. Sarah shared how a number of small changes have made a massive difference and helped to reposition the museum in a local community that had become disengaged. As an example, visitors were invited to have their McDonald’s lunch (restaurant next door) on the gallery floor. Once people were through the door, they were encouraged to engage with the museum. Sarah said ‘we just had to get over ourselves’– This statement has won Sarah a prize for the most memorable conference quote!

I was inspired by Quonya Huff from the National Mining Museum for Scotland and her down to earth approach to creating a five star visitor experience on a budget. She shared her methods on how to energise, empower and develop the visitor services team to provide the very best visitor experience. She clearly demonstrated that you do not necessarily have to spend a lot of money to get the best out of your team.

From the breakout sessions, I particularly learned a lot from Katherine Lynch from Port Sunlight Museum Trust. She shared their approach to improve Port Sunlight’s position as a group tour destination. Katherine explained how they have begun to grow group tour visits through a more co-ordinated approach, brokering strategic partnerships and cross selling packages, including local and regional products. I became convinced of the benefits of having a CRM system to support engagement with this market and this is something that I will be looking into securing for my own service.

I attended a session entitled Capital Development in a Small Museum – transforming your destination delivered by a panel of speakers. What I took away from this was a wonderful example of partnership working between two independent museum, one local authority and one community. The ‘Renaissance Conway’ project highlighted what can be achieved when organisations and the community work with a shared vision for a local area, supporting and strengthening one another by sharing resources and expertise between projects.

In addition to the conference highlights above, I attended a number of highly informative and engaging presentations on subjects such as place making, volunteering, immersive visitor experiences and some very encouraging practical advice from the National Heritage Lottery Fund.

To briefly summarise my key learnings from this conference in terms of you how you create a ‘great destination’, it would be:- Put your visitors at the centre of everything that you do, position your organisation at the heart of the local community, broker and build strong partnerships and ensure that your products and stories are relevant!

I would like to compliment the AIM team for a well-organised conference, from the warm welcome, excellent catering and of course the engaging programme.

The National Civil War Centre was a lovely venue and there were some nice little touches, like the pots of ice cream served mid-afternoon to ensure that conference fatigue was kept at bay.

It was also a pleasure to visit the small market town of Newark and learn more about its tumultuous role in Civil War history.

After two very inspirational days, I have also added a number of museums to my ‘must visit’ list: The Whitaker, The Melton Carnegie Museum and The Coffin Works!

Linn Robinson
Museums Officer, Stockport Museums