Museums + Heritage Show 2016 announces extensive programme of free talks and one-to-one expert advice

Taking place at Olympia West in London, on 18-19 May, the Museums + Heritage Show combines two great days of free-to-attend talks with the sector’s largest trade exhibition of more than 150 suppliers.  The event is designed to offer increased support and information for key decision makers in museums, galleries, heritage and cultural attractions.

With more than 40 sessions and 70 expert speakers, the programme is neatly divided into four different streams across each of the two days, helping visitors to make the most of their time at the Show.

Museums + Heritage Show Event Director, Anna Preedy, said: “We are delighted to be able to continue to deliver the sector’s most comprehensive programme of free-to-attend sessions, specifically designed to provide practical solutions and advice to the issues identified as being most critical to our visitors’ needs and hosted by some of the sector’s most significant players.”

The talks will scrutinise the very latest thinking, trends and insights to inspire those working in the cultural sector and will include the latest updates from HLF on where their funding will be invested in future years as well the latest information from ACE on funding and grant giving opportunities.

Some of the must do sessions include:

Your visitors are not just for you – Working Collaboratively with York Theatre Royal & the National Railway Museum. Part of the Engaging New Visitors sessions sponsored by The Audience Agency, Abbigail Ollive, Marketing Manager, York Theatre Royal discuss how cultural organisations can work together for mutual benefit?

Touching the past – visitors’ views on the ‘authentic’ with Aileen Peirce, Creative Programming & Interpretation Manager, Historic Royal Palaces and Jo Hargreaves, Director, Morris Hargreaves McIntyre, who will be throwing the spotlight on what visitors mean by authenticity and how it influences their experience. They will be sharing the results of a wide-ranging research project which investigated how visitors understand authenticity in the Understanding Your Visitors strand of talks.

In the Exhibition Design + Interpretation talks on Wednesday, Redefining the Whitworth. In February 2015 the Whitworth Art Gallery part of University of Manchester completed a redevelopment that transformed its physical space. The past year has seen increasingly high visitor numbers and numerous awards, including Art Fund Museum of the Year. Amy George, Curator (Textiles & Wallpapers), will explore the lessons learnt and how the Whitworth became the organisation it is today by focusing on its visitors.

The talks will be complimented by a rolling programme of product demonstrations and masterclasses enabling visitors to tap into the wealth of expertise that Museums + Heritage exhibitors have.

Continuing on from its success at the 2015 Show there will be an expanded Ask the Expert area hub with leading figures from ACE, AIM, NMDC and the opportunity to meet your regional development officer from the Museum Development Network. Attendees will be able to access one-to-one expert advice on a range of specialist subjects.

Also for 2016 the M+H Fund is back. Find out how you could be in with a chance to win £1k for your organisation. What would you spend it on?

The Museums + Heritage Show is open to everyone working in museums, galleries, heritage and cultural attractions and is entirely free to attend.  It takes place on 18-19 May at Olympia West, London.  The Show opening times: Wednesday 18 May 9.30am – 5.30pm, Thursday 19 May 9.30am – 5pm. Register for FREE ENTRY at Museums + Heritage Show website.