News

Oliver Mantell responds to a recent debate on the use of AI in poetry and suggests that there may be more to read into it than meets the eye...

The Audience Agency embark on major new research project for the touring sector

A fundamental truth about change is that it’s rarely technology that’s the challenge, it’s the people. Here, Anra Kennedy talks about the value of peer learning and action research.

Including... "Let's Get Real Conference" tickets are now available, Newly launched The Living Museum and Migration of Sketchfab to Fab

Announcing the kick-off of our new project with Centre for Cultural Value and MyCake

This month for TEA Time News ☕, we take a look at how party sizes for bookings have changed, current audience attitudes and engagement levels as well as some tips for navigating AI.

As chief technology officer for The Audience Agency, Stephen Miller is often asked questions about technology and AI. Here are the most common AI ones – and his responses to them.

Including... Insightful update focusing on a long tail SEO strategy by Trish Thomas, News about the Internet becoming the UK's most popular news source, and The first person to reach one billion social media followers. 

Including... A look at the National Gallery's digital strategy, Article by Rob Cawston on how National Library of Scotland are approaching AI and How the Bluesky is replacing X, since it's ban in Brazil.

TEA Time News ☕ August, we take a look at how the profile of audiences has changed and how AI can benefit the arts and cultural sector.

This month for TEA Time News ☕, we take a look at the election through the lens of Audience Spectrum, and insights from our Cultural Participation Monitor show us how the use of social media and digital varies between Spectrum segments.

All parties seem to agree that devolution is a good thing but the details about how culture will feature are scant. Anne Torreggiani and Patrick Towell discuss why and how we need to build the evidence base.

Including... Latest video of our TEA Break event, An interesting look at the future of Google and search and The Guardian article on How the general election played out on TikTok. 

The impact on organisations

Including... Google's experimentation with AI within search, The Museums in the Metaverse project, where visitors able to explore cultural assets in virtual XR worlds, and in-depth discussion on QR code usage.

This month insights from our Cultural Participation Monitor looked at interest in and attitudes towards history and heritage. 

Welcome to Creative Places, our new quarterly newsletter bringing you all the latest placed based news, inspiration, tips and guidance for arts, culture, museums and heritage.

Including...  Microsoft programme called AI for Cultural Heritage, TikTok benchmark report for 2024 by RivalIQ, and 'Nature's Confetti', a new immersive experience at Outernet London. 

Including... UK Trial of Search Answers with AI conducted by Google, Interesting interview with Martin Poulter and the Return of the Neopets.

Cara Pickering and Sarie Mairs Slee examine how place-based collaboration can support innovative, creative-led regeneration of our towns and cities.

Why our Let's Get Real cohort programme offers a vital moment for reflection and learning.

The Audience Agency and Praxis & Culture to Evaluate British Council Spotlight on Culture 2024

Including... The Overview of the Royal Institution's social media platform achievement, Charity Digital Skills Report 2024 and Interesting look at Temu's marketing approach 

ACE publish new report by DHA and The Audience Agency

Including... Recently released Global Digital Report 2024, Photos from the Wildlife Photographer of the Year and Launch of a platform that could potentially replace Twitter. 

New services for local and combined authorities, built environment professionals, creative and cultural leaders and place-based compacts, consortia and partnerships.

Our CEO Anne Torreggiani and team members here at the Audience Agency share our predictions and top tips for success for 2024.

Anra Kennedy considers the role digital culture and technologies play in wellbeing

Including... The Role Digital Culture and Technologies play in Wellbeing by Anra Kennedy, Bloomberg Philanthropies' Digital Accelerator programme and 3D tour of the Roman cellar dig site at Leicester Cathedral.  

Last week, We have announced a merger with fellow sector support charity, Culture24. Here, CEO Anne Torreggiani explains why we have joined forces and how our work together will support a more future-focused sector.

Including... Let's Get Real project, Usage of AI tools in a workplace and V&A’s new Mused platform for a young audience. 

Joining forces to support a future-focused sector.

How our consultants are engaging with capital projects and the heritage sector from end to end - establishing baseline insights, through the development phase and consultation to delivery and evaluation.

Generative AI is here to stay and the arts and culture sector should be helping to shape it, says Richard Leeming.

The Audience Agency's essay for the British Council’s Cultural Heritage for Inclusive Growth pilot programme has been published.

A new resource is now available to help arts and cultural organisations understand and support everyday creativity.

To explore some of the benefits of partnership work from a teacher’s perspective we spoke to Liz Philips, a former Head of Creative and Performing Arts.

£200m of funding has been announced by the National Lottery Heritage Fund following work done by The Audience Agency and MyCake.

The value of panel and omnibus surveys exploring the whole population regardless of cultural engagement.

Culture is not the ‘cherry on the cake’ but something more fundamental and vital to society.

Oliver Mantell examines the many benefits of working in close collaboration with university partners on developing skills in the arts sector.

Read our extensive and action-focused evaluation of the UK/Australia Season, led by the British Council and the Australian Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT), which aimed to reframe, refresh and re-energise the relationship between Australia and the UK through cultural exchange.

Including...Ofcom's report on adults' media use, Wallace's Uber game and the 'unhinged social media manager'.

Taking a stance on climate change and social justice will be increasingly important for arts and cultural audiences, as people’s attitudes towards and expectations of the arts evolve in response to societal challenges.

Colleagues from all different departments of The Audience Agency reflect on a conference that very much focussed on taking the pulse of the sector’s changing approach to, and understanding of, its future audiences...

The government has announced nearly £11m of funding to help grow the creative economy in England, but there are only a few days to apply for the cash...

Following a competitive tender process, The Audience Agency has been appointed to deliver the evaluation for Kala Sangam's Capital and Arts & Heritage Project.

Including...Twitter's rebrand, Barbie movie marketing and the continuing conversation around AI.

Including...a spotlight on Threads, the upcoming AMA Conference and a game about making paperclips.

Audience Spectrum 'tagging' is now fully automated for Spektrix users.

Including...social media pixels, protests on Reddit and Royal Armouries video game collaborations.

Including...Apple's new mixed reality headset, AHRC's latest funding opportunities and an immersive experience of early medieval Wessex.

Young evaluators of South Asian heritage who have been working with us on the 'Our Shared Cultural Heritage' project discuss the unique perspectives and learnings they have brought to and taken from the experience.

We've added a few fresh faces to the Co-creation and Participation team since last we all spoke, so let's get to the Who, What, Where, Why and How of them all...

Since June 2022, we've been evaluating the NLHF-funded Digital Dig project, which engages new audiences with the RHS through participatory video.

Co-creation and Participation Consultant, Natelle Morgan-Brown, reflects on the AMA's Inclusivity and Audiences Day, which is now in its 5th year of championing Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) best practice from across the arts and cultural sector.

CEO Anne Torreggiani discusses how our recent research into everyday creativity reveals new ways cultural organisations could serve wider communities. But making the most might need a radical rethink.

Including...Montana's TikTok ban, how to write good microcopy and a breakdown of dark patterns.

Our Director of Evidence and Insights recounts some of the provocations offered by a recent trip to Tixly's Client Conference in Iceland, where talks spanned from the evolution of ticketing over the millennia to the technology that is shaping its future.

Including...the release of the Arts Marketing Association 2023 conference programme, Bluesky and how museums use tone of voice.

Head of Product Growth and Customer Success, Chris France, shares a few moments from the Ticketing Professionals Conference that particularly piqued his interest.

Most people in the sector don’t need to be analysts but they do need the insight to make changes that speak to audiences. Here, Anne Torregiani shares how this thinking has shaped The Audience Agency’s next-generation suite of audience insight tools. 

Re-designed for and with cultural organisations, Audience Answers builds on the 10-year development and success of Audience Finder Data Tools in the field to focus more than ever on putting insights into action, responding to individual user needs, and facilitating peer-to-peer collaboration.

Including...Twitter's verification drama, the Collections Trust's new toolkit and cool Ordnance Survey maps.

Including new Substack features, Barbie Movie memes and an open letter calling on AI labs to pause development.

CEO Anne Torreggiani sows the seeds for our newly launching suite of Audience Answers data and insight services, designed with and for arts, culture and heritage organisations.

Latest data from our nationwide survey warn of compounding threats to arts and culture as cost-of-living arrests Covid-19 recovery.

Including...the Digital Culture Awards 2023, Google Trends and lofi girl.

We have seen international collaboration working at its best, as evaluators of projects with true cooperation at their heart.

Cultural variance matters when it comes to international research and evaluation.

Including...the Museum of Forward Planning's new book, Twitter outages and 2.5D animation explained.

Including...what's going on in the world of AI, and the 2023 Digital Culture Network Awards longlist.

Including...Twitter charging for access to its API and where Gen Z are spending their time online.

Including...Culture24's Let's Get Real programme, the London Underground quiz and Indie Interesting Websites.

The relationship between a place’s local government and its creative economy is an entirely (and rightly) symbiotic one, argues cultural sector consultant and Southwark Councillor, Richard Leeming.

Including...the Digital Culture Network Awards, Twitter's new verification ticks and Brünnhilde.

As the year winds down under a blanket of snow, we're taking a look back at some of the more important messages that emerged from the comeback year gone by, and ahead to how we can address them in the new.

Including...the top iphone app of 2022, Apollo Magazine Awards and looking ahead to 2023.

Research rings warning bells about the potential effects of the cost-of-living clouds rolling in across all four nations. Anne Torreggiani asks how we can brace for impact and support communities?

Including...the latest Twitter news, ONS Census Data and the release of Wayfinder.

Our Head of Digital asks: What exactly is happening? What is likely to happen? How we might we fill the void Twitter’s destruction leaves... And do we even need to?

Including...a Twitter Special, David Hockney's immersive exhibition and the publication of the 2022 Consumer Digital Index.

Anne Torreggiani offers commiserations and support to fellow organisations who will not be in ACE's funded Portfolio from next year, but reflects on how the shift frees The Audience Agency up to focus more on what really matters to our community.

We all need to work harder to ensure that culture is fully accessible to disabled audiences. When we do, there are positive spinoffs for everyone, argues Richard Leeming.

Including...Museums Computer Group Conference programme, OneFurther's Content Report, and analysing the architecture of Disney films.

ACE is taking forward the findings from our feasibility study into a national access scheme for disabled audiences and testing them with the ticketed arts sector.

Including...the metaverse, Neeva and the importance of digital skills.

On what felt like a very strange first day of the working week, it was great to head along the Eccles line to the Lowry for the Ticketing Professionals Conference TPC2022½, with Louisa Hardinge & Rimi Solloway.

Including...the Museums+Tech 2022 conference, how the Government Digital Service are preparing for Google Analytics 4 and Trombone Champ.

Including...Twitter testing their Edit button, AI-generated art and some memorable museum rebrands.

Including...Oracle auditing TikTok, Amazon's 7 rules for writing memos and Seb Chan's published keynote from ICOM 2022.

Including...the NHLF Strategy Survey, ArtUK's launch of Tagger and an episodic story of the alphabet.

Colleagues from all different departments of The Audience Agency reflect on the common themes of curiosity, connectedness and embracing change that particularly struck them during this year's big return to AMA.

Including...weird medieval guys, Instagram trying to be more like TikTok and Culture24's upcoming workshops.

The Heritage Innovation Fund is a pilot initiative for experimenters, collaborators and learners from across all parts of heritage, across the UK. They're looking for people who want to play a leading role in pioneering solutions for making the heritage workforce fit for the future.

Including...the release of the Charity Digital Skills report, a new game based on the census and NASA's masterclass use of alt text.

The Audience Agency recently completed a piece of research for Towards a National Collection to understand what users might want and need from a future national collection digital infrastructure.

The simple answer is: yes. The internet has already defined and continues to redefine cultural participation, and in a lot of cases that is happening without arts and cultural organisations.

Richard Leeming reflects on a wide range of fascinating and impactful speakers' real world examples of how they’re delivering transformative schemes in their local areas.

We need to hone our skills in human-centred design, over and above those in tech or data, to make the most of post-pandemic digital/live appetites, argues Anne Torreggiani.

Historic England recently commissioned The Audience Agency and our partners MyCake to start establishing the size of the sector using publicly available data sets.

New data shows that arts and cultural engagement has greatly increased, but some groups remain cautious about live events, whilst the cost-of-living crisis will impact attendance, and the preference for home working makes local events more popular.

12 new policy recommendations, devised to support the creative and cultural sector recover and rebuild in the wake of the Covid-19 pandemic, presented to senior government and sector policy makers.

Nancy Sheterline and Chris France reflect on the resilience and optimism on display at Cardiff's first large in-person gathering of Welsh cultural sector professionals in 2 years.

The pandemic highlighted an urgent need for better data to describe the cultural sector – Now the government has published solutions identified by The Audience Agency and financial benchmarking specialists MyCake.

As both patterns of engagement and cultural organisations’ needs are changing, Audience Spectrum is evolving to meet them.

Including... moving over to Google Analytics 4, Pokemon Go, and One Further's Cultural Content Survey 2022.

The Audience Agency, in partnership with the University of Sheffield, is advertising two funded PhDs as part of the university's Centre for Doctoral Training on Data Analytics and Society.

Centre for Cultural Value report shows crisis-hit UK cultural sector at a crossroads, as new research reveals profound impact of Covid-19 on workforce, audiences and organisations.

The Audience Agency research shows that weaker panto sales threaten this festive season (and beyond) for theatres

The Audience Agency and Culture24 commissioned to carry out user research for the Towards a National Collection programme

Research suggests that organisations are feeling an increased urgency to deepen connections with the communities they serve, but how can they make the most of this momentum?

While anxiety about attending events remains high amongst disabled people, the COVID online content boom has given rise to revolutionary opportunities that could improve access for good.

Each project will be awarded a grant, training and mentoring as they form the centrepiece of The Audience Agency’s Digitally Democratising Archives project thanks to funding from DCMS and the National Lottery, as part of The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s, Digital Skills for Heritage initiative.

Including Twitter's new $uper Follows, the Barbican's use of Shorthand for digital storytelling and art history on TikTok.

Bringing communities and archives together using digital technology

The Audience Agency launches the Build Back Creatively toolkit, a new and free resource to guide local councils through how to harness the creative industries to drive local, social and economic post-pandemic recovery.

Lucie and Ashleigh shares some useful resources and good reads for learning, engagement and participation professionals.

From diversifying the workforce, to co-creating programming and content. A case study from the Museum of London

How to become a community-led organisation. Interview with Liz Power, Director of London Museum of Water and Steam.

We have recently begun work with an external reference group to create a set of Anti-Racist Research Guidelines for use in the cultural sector.

The Audience Agency has been appointed to research and write a report entitled 'The future of cross border cooperation in the Arts' by the ARINS project.

Ashleigh Hibbins, Learning & Participation Consultant, shares some useful resources and good reads.

Key insights for learning and participation practitioners.

We talk to Bradley Hemmings about the Greenwich Dockland International Festival's reimagining of their participation and engagement programme through the pandemic.

The Audience Agency has been appointed by the British Council to undertake evaluation of its Digital Collaboration Fund, which supports UK and overseas cultural partnerships to develop digitally innovative ways of working together.

We’re still in a storm but the flowers continue to grow. Here we outline some of the initiatives we are involved in that are carrying on through adaptation and resilience.

Different parts of the world exhibit different biases and levels of trust when it comes to accepting what the data tells us... and trusting who is delivering it.

The first wave of findings from our nationwide survey of changing views about participating in creative and cultural activities through the pandemic.

The COVID-19 virus is the same wherever you are in the world. In fact its lack of variation (so far) is something that makes a vaccine likely to work. However, the response to the pandemic varies from place to place.

The International Agent reflects on the many cultural perspectives, views and types of practice that enriched the Adeste+ Conference and Summer School.

Sallyanne Flemons, North East Family Arts Network Ambassador, talks bridging the deepening divide in the North East’s culture offerings for families.

The Audience Agency has been awarded £324,000 as part of the Government’s £1.57bn Culture Recovery Fund (CRF) to help face the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.

What value does culture have to society? Take part in 10 days of free events this November, hosted online by @valuingculture

Recently, Learning & Participation Consultant Ashleigh caught up (virtually) with Lucy Turner, Early Years Producer at The Whitworth Art Gallery.

Researchers from The Audience Agency embark on a new COVID-19 Cultural Engagement Population Study as part of a wider research project in collaboration with the Centre for Cultural Value and Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre.

One of the interesting aspects of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis has been the way that data has moved centre stage.

The Audience Agency’s unique Audience Finder system is attracting interest around the world and is now being used in Norway and Canada.

Amidst the difficulties of the last few months, The Audience Agency has been able to continue most of its international work, albeit in different ways and with changed perspectives.

The Adeste+ conference series will continue online this summer, taking place every Monday from August 31st...

We've gathered a short summary of some of the key things we've learned through the first few months of our Bounce Forwards programme.

This new project aims to discover new ways to gather audience data for non-ticketed visual arts organisations.

A roundup of interesting insights and useful resources, beyond The Audience Agency's own work, from Learning and Participation lead Lucie Fitton.

Our second blog on how to increase your audience engagement with babies and their families

This month we are delighted to share a blog written by one of our Young Evaluators, Rumaisa.

Our experience of using this tool as part of evaluating a performing arts programme with children and young people.

Including... updates to Twitter threads, 2020 Digital Attitudes report and a party over Google Docs.

The Audience Agency is delighted to be a leading partner in the growing WeWillRecover initiative designed to help organisations get back on track during these unprecedented times.

Define. Diversify. Develop. This 3-D approach to working with volunteers will ensure that your volunteer programme adds value for everyone involved, says Lucie Fitton.

ACE announces its emergency response package, including advanced funding for NPOs.

The Audience Agency remains open for business and fully operational.

Learning more about the RSA Evidence Champions Network: a Q&A with Aidan Daly, Creative Learning and Development Coordinator

Working with the Barbican to gather insights into what young people want from their membership in future.

Ashleigh discusses, from first-hand experience, how ‘family friendly’ and ‘baby friendly’ venues aren’t always the same thing.

Golant Innovation and The Audience Agency are overjoyed to see the Digital Culture Compass launch this week.

Several participants from the Connecting Audiences Twin Track Programme in the UK took part in the Bilbao Winter School in November 2019.

Asset is researching theatre audiences in five European cities: Zagreb, Vienna, Sofia, Prague and Helsinki. The project will result in a world-first segmentation of those audiences.

The International Agents have been working on a variety of project since the last bulletin. Here are a few news updates.

A roundup of news and opportunities from our international partners.

One of the factors that The Audience Agency needs to assess as part of its brief to evaluate Galway 2020 European Capital of Culture is ‘Europeanness’. That is, how far does G2020 have an effect on the way that participants and audiences think about Europe?

Call for participation in the ADESTE+ Summer School and European Conference in Rijeka, Croatia, is now open.

The Audience Agency (TAA), BBC, The Space, Nesta and others have joined forces over the past 18 months, exploring ways to help improve understanding of digital metrics.

A quarterly roundup of interesting insights and useful resources, beyond The Audience Agency's own work, from Learning and Participation lead Lucie Fitton.

The Audience Agency, with partners Social Value UK and Mandy Barnett Associates, brought together representatives from over 40 cultural organisations to discuss how to measure social impact.

How you can support more young people from working class backgrounds into the cultural workforce.

Penny Mills (Chief Consultancy Officer) led a recent project with BIFA (British Independent Film Awards) to learn about under 30s' relationship with independent film.

Reflections of Beatfreeks Brum Youth Trends 2019, a report that aims to bust myths about young people and their attitude to culture.

Maya Sharma, Diversity Lead, discusses viewing our local engagement work through an international lens.

The Audience Agency has been participating in a number of engagements around the world; meeting, contributing and learning as they go.

Artist Founder Director of ArtsGene, one of the local organisations supporting Barra' Culture, reflects on what becoming a CPP will mean for the local community.

The first Adeste Plus Summer School and Conference took place in Lisbon Portugal during September 2019 with over 300 participants debating new approaches to audience development.

Congratulations to Mercury Theatre in Colchester for winning the 'Excellence in Inclusivity' award

Including... 3D selfies, practical guidance for Mailchimp users and marketing data benchmarks.

Maya Sharma shares her learning about how arts, culture and creativity can boost science capital and increase STEM participation for under-represented groups.

Reflections on practice and evaluation from poet and writer Louisa Adjoa Parker.

In practice reflections about collective community memory and stakeholder balancing, from a community consultation for Hornsey Town Hall Arts Centre.

Anya reflects on her recent work evaluating CELL – a STEM learning and dance project with Key Stage 2 pupils.

Whilst it is crucial to be able to report successes and failures back to funders, the value of evaluation goes far beyond demonstrating money well spent.

Jonathan Goodacre discusses some of the core arts funding streams to emerge from Europe and their role in driving forward recent innovations in our field.

The Audience Agency embarks on a new partnership with Activity Stream, bringing together two organisations with a mission to help arts organisations implement better decision-making using data.

The place in which a cultural organisation finds itself can determine how it thrives, survives or even dies, but many organisations are now taking the lead in helping places reinvent themselves. Anne Torreggiani explores the rise of place-shaping.

Research Assistant, Sophie Hobson, reflects on the particularities and similarities of creating participatory research experiences that are accessible for people with autism.

Would you value an easy-to-understand report that presents a clear view of the schools you are engaging?

Maya Sharma, Consultant, Diversity and Inclusion, discusses new guidance from the Forestry England on how to engage families and communities with wild spaces through arts.

Our agents talk full-family approaches to engaging kids with disabilities and the value of intergenerational learning.

Our newest Junior Consultant, Kerry, talks toolkits and tips for best engagement practice with Deaf and disabled audiences.

A tick list of top tips for making sure you’re getting the most for your money when putting together a brief.

How organisations are rethinking their assumptions about disability.

A spotlight on Great Place Lakes and Dales.

A practical positive action recruitment resource from the British Museum.

The Audience Agency is working as part of an EU Commission funded project to enable small and medium scale organisations to get as much out of their data as big businesses.

We've pulled together some key observations about how arts organisations can best engage and serve school audiences.

Ashleigh reflects on Beatfreeks' 2018 Youth Trends Report and Summit and what she learnt from young people from Birmingham

Maya Sharma shares her experience of evaluating an engagement project with blind and visually impaired audiences

Be part of a fully funded, innovative Audience Development Training Programme, the first of its kind and open to arts professionals across the UK.

The Audience Agency CEO, Anne Torreggiani, lays out her plans for bigger better sector support and invites collaboration with fellow Sector Support Organisations.

The Audience Agency and Family Arts Campaign are joining forces to help understand, embrace and engage family audiences.

Culture 24, Collections Trust and The Audience Agency are working together to support the museums sector with a united front.

Inspired by her recent work with the Wellcome Collection's youth teams, Ashleigh Hibbins walks us through her tried and tested tips to engaging young people with evaluation.

“Experiencing culture that is live and unique to a specific public space reminds us of the value of enjoying something together.”

The process of decision-making should include hard evidence, so why do some arts workers seem determined to avoid the data that provides it, asks Patrick Towell.

Ashleigh Hibbins and Maya Sharma share their recent learning around disabled access, audiences, artists and art.

Lucie Fitton and Gabrielle Young discuss great ideas that were generated at the recent Young people in the Arts event

An interview by Lucie Fitton, Head of Learning and Participation, with Lilian Cooper.

Maya discusses the recent evaluation of Cheshire East Council's SHIFT programme, where creative and digital activities were used to bring about inter-generational learning.

Maya reflects on a recent workshop hosted by the Centre for Critical Studies in Museums, Galleries and Heritage at Leeds University

Katie Windsor discusses recent audience research work that she has undertaken with The Mosaic Rooms

Our agents predict what may be in store for our sector in 2018...

Our top takeaways from the ENGAGE 2017 conference…

Lucie Fitton writes about her experience as Course Leader for the British Council’s Cultural Skills International Museums Academy in Greece.

Engaging young people with libraries and spoken word...

Thoughts and advice on how we can engage better with young people.

Katie Windsor takes a look back at 2016 through pictures...

Top Tips for delivering international cultural learning projects...

Read our advice on how to make your survey collection easier

Supporting participants to become independent attenders...

Tips for effective ways to engage visually impaired audiences with theatre...

How can a more inclusive leadership style increase diversity in our audiences?

How to create and increase diverse audiences for disability arts...

Top tips for engaging participants and volunteers in getting audience feedback...

Dispelling some of the obscurity around engaging school audiences

How much do arts in unusual spaces enhance young people's engagement?

How much do visitors engage with co-produced content?

How collaborating with artists can add value to research and evaluation...

Top tips for engaging with families...

Highlights from the Our Museum, Communities at the Core event...

Tips for venues to provide access information for Deaf and disabled people.