Independent museums cater for the largest proportion of museums by type and make up more than 60 per cent of the museum sector’s 2,700 museums. According to the Arts Council’s Economic Impact of Museums report (2015) independents, together with their trading companies, generate £1.7bn of income and employ 20,000.
Day One – New Visitors
The onus of AIM therefore is to ensure independents can succeed and prosper and the focus of Day One will be attracting new visitors. The organisations say this is a priority for most museums and has been the subject of a new project initiated by AIM, which launched recently Open Up: Museums for Everyone.
Organisers say gaining and retaining new audiences can ‘turbocharge’ a museums income and help direct your business planning and Day One will draw on important new research exploring how museums can attract more diverse audiences for the benefit of everyone.
Talks will include: Why diversifying audiences is good for everyone by Hannah Fox, Project Director, The Silk Mill, and Tony Butler, Executive Director, Derby Museums. There will also be a keynote speech from Kate Bellamy, director of museums for the Arts Council.
Day Two – Finance
Day Two’s focus will be Finance and will include the latest updates on the Museums and Galleries Tax Relief, ideas on alternative income generation and inspirational ideas on financial leadership. AIM will also launch our new and exciting partnership with Charity Finance Group (CFG) and introduce the range of benefits for AIM members that this new partnership will provide.
“Conference highlights will no doubt range from hearing great speakers such as Kate Bellamy, and Dr Adele Patrick of Glasgow Women’s Library, picking up practical tips and flashes of inspirations from museums across the UK to enjoying behind the scenes walking tours at the British Motor Museum and what promises to be a spectacular conference dinner at Compton Verney,” says AIM director, Emma Chaplin. “I can promise that there will be news on the fantastic new benefits for members that we have secured with the Charity Finance Partnership and the launch of a new Prospering Boards programme which will offer funding, advice and resources around the evergreen topic of governance.”
AIM National Conference will be held at the British Motor Museum in Gaydon, Warwickshire from 21 – 23 June. There are limited tickets available to the AIM Conference through Eventbrite.
