European Audiences: "Celebrating 25 years of European Capitals of Cul- ture" - Summary of the European Commission conference
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European
Audiences:
2020 and beyond
ummary of the European Commission
nference
16 - 17 October 2012
Celebrating 25 years of
uropean Capitals of Cul-
ure”
Conference conclusions
Culture
European Audiences: 2020 and beyond
Introduction
Engaging a broader public with cultural Projects were presented from a wide range
works is a priority for the European Com- of sectors: live performing arts including
mission. This is the reason why “audience dance, opera and theatre; the visual arts;
development” is one of the priorities in film; literature; multimedia; heritage and
the proposal for “Creative Europe”, the interdisciplinary projects. The examples
future EU funding programme for the cul- included work performed in more tradi-
tural and creative sectors and why it was tional and formal settings such as muse-
the theme of conference “European Au- ums, theatres, cinemas and festivals, as
diences: 2020 and beyond” organised by well as projects in unconventional settings
the European Commission on 16-17 Octo- including old people’s homes, schools, of-
ber 20121. fices and some other very unusual public
space such as farms or trolleybuses.
Audience development is rapidly becom-
ing more wide-spread, but some cultural The conference began with a discussion
organisations have already developed an on what audience development is and
engaged relationship and dialogue with why one should consider it as a core part
their audiences for a long time. The con- of any organisation and event planning.
ference offered inspiration, experiences It then explored how audiences could be
and lessons learned from a range of Eu- empowered through involving them up-
ropean cultural projects with experience stream in programming, how audiences
in this field, most of them funded through can be engaged by sharing the experience
the EU Culture and MEDIA programmes. in dialogue or actively in the process, how
audiences can be further expanded and
Over a day and a half, some 800 confer- diversified, and challenges for cultural in-
ence participants from across Europe and stitutions in terms of hosting and manag-
diverse cultural sectors explored the con- ing the audience and their expectations.
cept of audience development from vari-
ous perspectives through 23 European It is not an easy task to summarize the
cultural projects presented in the plenary richness of the presentations and the en-
and in an exhibition. The event focused gaged debates during the conference.
on grassroots cultural operators, projects The aim of these conclusions is to seek to
and practice. capture some of the main elements which
emerged as perceived by the Commission.
The conference gave an insight into the These conclusions have no formal status.
large amount of fascinating, informed and
diverse work taking place across Europe.
1 http://ec.europa.eu/culture/index_en.htm
2 European Audiences: 2020 and beyond - Conference conclusions
European Audiences: 2020 and beyond
1) Audience development - Probing the concept of audience develop-
ment more deeply, it can be concluded
what is it? that it has several dimensions in relation
to target groups:
Audience development is a strategic and - developing or increasing audienc-
interactive process of making the arts es - essentially attracting new audiences
widely accessible by cultural organisa- with the same socio-demographic profile
tions. It aims at engaging individuals and as the current audience; this can include
communities in fully experiencing, enjoy- working with those who are hopefully the
ing, participating in and valuing the arts. audiences of the future, such as children
Its focus is on a two way exchange. and young people;
- deepening relationships with exist-
The appropriateness of the term “audi- ing audiences - enhancing their experi-
ence development” was discussed in or- ence of the cultural event and/or encour-
der to frame the subsequent discussions aging them to discover related or even
in the conference. It was generally con- non-related, more complex art forms,
sidered to be a more holistic term than, and fostering loyalty to the cultural insti-
for example, concepts such as “cultural tution and return visits;
education”, “arts marketing” or “cultural - diversifying audiences - attracting
inclusion”. “Access to culture” is a more people with a different socio-demograph-
rights based concept, while cultural edu- ic profile to the current audience, includ-
cation implies the implication of schools ing non-audiences, those with no previ-
and linkage with educational curricula. ous contact with the arts.
Arts marketing and cultural inclusion are
both more mono-dimensional focusing on Whilst some cultural institutions may
either economic or social aspects. work on all these dimensions, others may
focus on one or the other depending on
In contrast, audience development inte- their circumstances and strategic priori-
grates cultural, economic and social di- ties.
mensions and refers to a space in which
cultural organisations can act directly.
Whilst distinct, it is however closely re- 2) Why engage in audience
lated to these other concepts. For exam- development and why now?
ple, the recently published report of a
Member State expert group on Access to The debate on audience development is
Culture 2, confirms that audience devel- not new. The arts community has always
opment by cultural institutions, through been an engaged part of society, serving
long-term strategies, is an essential con- as an engaged critic of the world around
tributor to making access to culture a re- it, dealing with problematic issues, ques-
ality. Opinions on terminology in this field tioning our comfort zones and reflect-
are unlikely to ever be totally unanimous. ing on values and solutions. The will to
Audience development is nevertheless a engage in this dialogue has existed for
term that is widely understood by the a long time, but today audience develop-
sector. ment is increasingly a necessity, if broad-
er access to culture – a common priority
2 http://ec.europa.eu/culture/our-policy- for culture ministries across Europe as
expressed in various Council conclusions
development/policy-documents/omc-working-
- is to become a reality.
groups_en.htm
European Audiences: 2020 and beyond - Conference conclusions 3
European Audiences: 2020 and beyond
It is a necessity because the world is also desirable in itself. As well as bringing
changing rapidly. The digital shift, more enjoyment, inspiration and personal ful-
educated populations, greater competi- filment, cultural participation brings ben-
tion for leisure time, demographic change efits to individuals’ creativity, something
including declining and ageing audiences which is increasingly essential in a knowl-
for some art forms, and the squeeze on edge based society and has spill-overs
public funding means that most cultural for other spheres of life, including peo-
organisations face a more uncertain fu- ple’s working lives even if they are not
ture than in the past. They cannot afford employed in the cultural sector. For dis-
to stand still - there is immense pressure advantaged children and young people,
to innovate and adapt. Organisations it can help them re-connect to schooling
need to develop their audiences and di- and society.
versify their revenue streams, in some
cases literally as a matter of survival, It was also argued, with reference to the
in others due to the priorities of public work of the late Dragan Klaic, that there
funders. is a direct connection between active au-
diences and active citizenship, with re-
Furthermore, a paradigm shift is occur- search indicating that cultural participa-
ring. In the past, cultural institutions tion increases the likelihood of broader
were created to increase and reflect na- civic engagement, including voting in
tional pride and to share the dominant political elections. The arts give people
cultural values, and in practice acted as the opportunity to express themselves,
mediators between the artist and the au- it gives them a voice to tell their stories
dience, as gate-keepers to what the pub- and culture plays an essential role in any
lic would and could access or see. Now democracy, taking the political debate
we are moving to a more multi-dimen- from the political sphere and giving it
sional and interactive world, due largely back to citizens, with cultural organisa-
to technology which is changing the way tions thereby providing a space for poli-
we create, distribute, access and mon- tics, debate and reform. People are today
etise cultural content, offering the po- hungry for social engagement and con-
tential to transform audiences from pas- necting in communities. This is why so-
sive receivers into creators and/or active cial media and phenomena such as crowd
users of cultural content without need- funding which create a sense of commu-
ing to pass through intermediaries. It is nity and foster loyalty have become so
empowering the audience in ways never successful.
seen before, and phenomena such as so-
cial media are contributing to this para- From the European Commission’s per-
digm shift by changing people’s behav- spective, audience development brings
iour and expectations. Nowadays people cultural, social and economic benefits.
want greater interaction and dialogue in Cultural benefits in that it helps cultural
all walks of life, and they are no longer works and artists to reach larger audienc-
willing to be passive spectators anymore es, which has an intrinsic value in itself,
when it comes to the arts. There is an in- and exposes more people to the educa-
creasing hunger for dialogue, debate and tional benefits of the arts. It brings eco-
interaction. nomic benefits as new and increased au-
diences can mean new revenue streams.
In addition to the need in many cases to Finally, audience development brings so-
engage in audience development, it is cial benefits as artworks convey mean-
4 European Audiences: 2020 and beyond - Conference conclusions
European Audiences: 2020 and beyond
ings and values, they give insights into area in Rotterdam in the Netherlands
other peoples’ lives and realities thereby explained how it was trying to ensure it
broadening our horizons, fostering empa- connected with its contemporary reality
thy, mutual understanding and intercul- and local community. They contend that
tural dialogue. So by helping to reach the “the customer (the audience) is always
excluded, it contributes to social inclusion right”, not in a commercial sense, but in
and people’s engagement in society. a social sense, in their need to debate
through the arts on the topics that con-
cern them directly. To survive, the thea-
3) The different stages tre had to reinvent itself as the “people’s”
theatre, embedded in its community and
of audience development serving the city’s large population of peo-
throughout the visitor’s ple with low incomes and limited educa-
tion, whether of Dutch or foreign origin.
chain The theatre is a pioneering venture in
incorporating the growing diversity of its
Audience development can take place at
population in programming, marketing,
all stages of the artistic value chain: up-
financing and staffing. The social dimen-
stream (programming, creation, produc-
sion is paramount. The theatre has suc-
tion) and downstream through dialogue
ceeded in re-inventing itself and audience
with the artists and producers after the
numbers are up, but it admitted that it is
event. The next section of these conclu-
a continual process to remain relevant.
sions will look at how audiences are even
The future is still challenging and there is
becoming involved “mid-stream”, in the
no room for complacency, but the thea-
artistic process itself.
tre was optimistic and prepared to em-
brace the uncertainties and opportunities
Regarding upstream involvement, in
ahead of it.
a general sense, new audiences cannot
be gained by “selling them old experi-
Empowering audiences through upstream
ences in new packages”. There must be
participation is a long term process which
some serious re-thinking examining who
is valuable in itself. The context, the
actually currently is your audience, why
journey that artists, cultural organisa-
others are not your audience and who do
tions and audiences undertake together
you want to attract, as well as what is
is the most important element. It helps
engaging and relevant for them, involv-
audiences overcome an initial fear of the
ing them in programming by re-inventing
unknown (which is at the same time fas-
the repertory in collaboration with them
cinating), to remove the weight of (self-
to find narratives and produce works that
imposed) expectations, embracing sur-
are relevant to their lives and social real-
prise and stimulating engagement.
ity.
Engaging in a dialogue with audiences
The Zuidplein Theatre 3 in a deprived
from the very beginning of the creative
3 More information on the projects pre- process, co-creation, developing direct
sented at the conference can be found on the relations, where artists engage with the
following website: audiences to get their inspiration, is also
beneficial to artists, enabling them to re-
http://ec.europa.eu/culture/our-programmes-
main in contact with the reality of their
and-actions/doc/culture/20120904_eac_audi- time, and making sure their creativity re-
ences-for-culture.pdf mains relevant today.
European Audiences: 2020 and beyond - Conference conclusions 5
European Audiences: 2020 and beyond
Audience development may be some- pathetic audience and thereby also po-
thing that should be systematically incor- tential for crowd-funding.
porated into artists’ training.
The debate about “dumbing down” is pre-
The question of engaging audiences in sent also in the film sector, where there
programming repertoire triggered some are sometimes misconceptions about “au-
fears about the potential “dumbing dience design”. The term means choosing
down” of the artistic process. This issue among the existing threads imagined by
needs serious consideration, but many the film director to create interest from
considered that the real danger of dumb- future audiences with the help of social
ing down actually arises when cultural or- media, without changing content or the
ganisations under-estimate and patron- creative process itself. Experience shows
ise the tastes of the public or when they that audience design supports independ-
pander to mainstream channels. ent productions to get niche audiences,
therefore it supports artistic integrity and
Properly carried out audience develop- quality. For example, emerging film-mak-
ment in relation to involving audiences ers at TorinoFilmLab involve audience
in programming requires careful reflec- designers from the script development
tion and preparation and asking the right stage; they start building a community of
questions is critical in this process. The support, for example on Facebook, while
example was given of a Swedish thea- the film is being made. This does not
tre which had undertaken some audi- mean that films are made on demand or
ence research and asked first what they that artistic quality is at risk, but that en-
“wanted” to see performed, and then gagement and a true and open dialogue
what plays had “moved” them most in is created from a very early stage.
the recent past, with dramatically differ-
ent and telling answers, demonstrating Another fundamental part of the visitor’s
that audiences do not always know what chain is downstream engagement, in
they want until they are presented with other words engaging in dialogue with
it. Intelligent questioning and research, audiences after a cultural experience,
followed by careful interpretation of this either virtually through social media or
information is crucial. through physical opportunities to connect
audiences with the artists and producers.
The London Bubble Theatre Company New technologies and social media are
demonstrated how involving audiences introducing new ways for cultural organi-
in the creative process and maintaining sations (and any organisation in society
quality could go hand in hand. The thea- in general) to communicate and network
tre crowd sources creativity in develop- with their audiences and communities.
ing its plays, including co-creation with This places cultural organisations in the
local communities. Audiences could vote middle of the conversation, and not in the
on the choice of show and be involved in position of unique intermediary as in the
its development and the first play devel- past. Tools are already in place and be-
oped in this way was a huge success. The ing used in the cultural world. A cultural
theatre retained the right to take the final organisation cannot expect to be credible
artistic decisions, but it opened up to the if it does not react to this reality.
participation of audiences at all stages.
This model has the potential for generat- The Rec>ON project designs theatre pro-
ing engagement and an active and sym- jects with a strong emphasis on work-
6 European Audiences: 2020 and beyond - Conference conclusionsEuropean Audiences: 2020 and beyond
shops and debates with the audience on non-audiences of today, breaking down
the theme of reconciliation and an audi- the obstacles which prevent them from
ence with close experience of conflict. meaningful cultural participation. Availa-
Modul-dance runs community dance pro- ble data suggests that almost 60 per cent
grammes led by professional choreogra- of the public across Europe never attend
phers, ranging from family sessions for live performances or visit cultural herit-
children, to customised work with par- age sites, and in most countries, well be-
ticular groups such as older people, com- low 20 per cent of the population actively
munities at risk of exclusion, people with engage in artistic activities. Surveys also
disabilities. The audience is brought close suggest that there is still a strong corre-
to the creative process with possibilities lation between cultural participation and
for feedback and presentations, there higher education levels4.
are talks before and after the shows, and
promotions with the theme “Don’t be Indeed, some participants indicated (and
afraid of dance”. There are even dinners this is confirmed by research) that poli-
between dancers and local people. cies lowering the barriers to access in
cultural institutions, such as offering free
Other speakers gave original ideas on access, have had little impact on non-au-
how to engage directly with an audience diences, essentially attracting students,
during the visitor’s chain: give rather or the relatively highly educated who
than seek attention; use volunteers and would have attended the exhibitions/per-
ambassadors representative of the com- formances anyway.
munity you want to engage with; engage
audiences with art without them real- To reach the real non-audiences, it was
ising it is art as such and that they are clear from the projects that cultural in-
the audience; create events that people stitutions or operators must move out-
remember, because they feel they own side their walls – physically and mentally
them; create events that take people by - into the community, into public space,
surprise in their regular life and disrupt unconventional venues, creating innova-
their daily routines; work creatively with tive experiences, and developing partner-
partners; create ownership even before ships with other sectors, such as schools,
getting in contact with it, “get their hands hospitals, local authorities, supermar-
dirty”. kets, etc. A considerable number of the
projects were taking place outside tra-
ditional cultural venues, including some
4) Reaching non-audiences: very unusual public space. This kind of
from public space to art was also free of charge, removing
both financial and physical barriers to ac-
participatory art cess, and is not burdened by the public’s
interpretation of cultural institutions as
The conference also confirmed that it is
not for them.
important to gather information not only
about “who is coming”, but equally impor-
The Exchange Radical Moments! Live Art
tant to understand “who is NOT coming
Festival surprises people, creating spon-
and why”, and to put this into perspective
taneous interventions in public space,
when deciding on audience goals.
presenting them with “radical moments”
This leads on to another important chal-
lenge, namely the urgency of reaching the 4 Figures drawn from “Cultural statis-
tics”, Eurostat pocketbooks, 2011 edition
European Audiences: 2020 and beyond - Conference conclusions 7European Audiences: 2020 and beyond
so that in some events the audiences did tural participation among non-audiences
not even know they were part of an art and even potential audiences is most ef-
project. fective when the audience moves away
The Artichoke Trust takes giant mechani- from being a passive spectator to be-
cal elephants and spiders into the streets ing an active participant in the creative
of cities, or stages light shows drawing process or cultural experience. Indeed,
big crowds and the crowds become part the projects presented at the conference
of the spectacle. confirmed the growing phenomenon of
The Kaunas Biennial TEXTILE’ 11 festival participatory art, which recognises that
undertook a collaboration with industry, artworks become alive first when a visi-
turning the workers in a factory into the tor sees, experiences and interacts, and
audience during six months, with the ex- is therefore the most empowering. The
perience encouraging them to think about encounter between the audience and the
their daily work in a different way. artists can be considered as a magical,
Sanctuary takes art into nature, indus- radical moment that creates art in itself
trial wastelands, the countryside, villages and can change our perspective on life.
and small towns, taking art closer to peo- New affordable technology, which reduc-
ple’s lives outside of traditional cultural es production costs in some fields, new
venues and centres. platforms offering opportunities to self-
Similarly, and arguing that “art is inter- publish from literature, through to music,
national and audiences are local” the film and videos, are further offering ex-
Four CORNERS of Europe project took citing new possibilities for more people to
expeditions of artists into small towns, become “creators” and active “users” of
not typical cultural centres, in the outer cultural content.
regions of Europe, creating animations in
unconventional places, encountering new The projects showed examples of very
audiences and introducing their realities hands-on activities. In the “Opera J” pro-
to artists who all too often are isolated ject it was explained that “years ago, Ital-
from the citizens they target. ians used to sing opera at home – they
don’t anymore and a rich tradition is at
Totally removing the physical barriers risk”. The project commissioned an opera
to access by presenting work in public specifically for children and provides for
space is an important first step, but not their involvement. Similarly tackling the
always sufficient in itself. Whilst impres- challenge of ageing audiences in theatre,
sive works in public space may attract in “Young Europe 2”, the theatre reper-
hundreds of thousands of people, and it toire is designed for young people and
is clear that the experience moves and co-written by them. People were involved
unites people, often organisations do not in puppet-making in the Flut and iKEDI
know what happens afterwards to those projects. Robots and Avatars included
who experienced the event. The very na- workshops for children exploring art and
ture of work in public space, where visitor technology in combination.
data cannot be controlled and counted, Europa Cinemas, also in response to age-
means that it is not easy for the impact ing audiences, gives subsidies to cinemas
of these kinds of works to be evaluated. partly on whether they do some youth
However, what does emerge clearly from development work through a variety of
the projects and a growing body of re- different means – schools, universities,
search is that fostering long-term cul- youth events, family workshops – as long
8 European Audiences: 2020 and beyond - Conference conclusionsEuropean Audiences: 2020 and beyond
as it gets young people into the cinema. tural participation statistics mentioned
An intergenerational project, Fotorally above demonstrate the scope for consid-
Euro Slam, linked secondary school stu- erable growth in participation rates with
dents with senior citizens in retirement all the cultural, social and economic ben-
homes to compile a photography exhibi- efits this can bring. Cultural institutions
tion, with both generations learning dif- should be seeking to embed themselves
ferent things from each other. All of these in their local communities, becoming wel-
kind of projects can help to draw in the coming and stimulating places where lo-
participants’ families and friends to the cal residents want to return and spend
final performances or exhibitions, as well time, which in turn will encourage them
as stimulating their own awareness of the to become more actively engaged citi-
arts. zens. This local loyalty can translate into
international success.
Other projects in the conference were
targeting key professionals, such as Au- Technology offers many opportunities.
diences Europe Network, which is a plat- Institutions that could in the past only
form for debate, exploration of ideas, give physical access to a limited num-
linking culture professionals across coun- ber of people can now potentially reach
tries and sectors. Similarly, Theatron millions of people across the globe. Or-
brings together a dozen theatres across ganisations are still experimenting with
Europe to tackle the challenge of ageing this new technology, for example, how
audiences for theatre, whilst Reseo, deal- to use web-streaming (eg concerts, live
ing with similar problems, brings together performance) and how to use technology
the education departments of European to enhance the cultural experience, for
opera houses and helps create training example using technology to present cul-
programmes to help teachers to work tural works in new, educational ways (eg
with children and adolescents in and out works in museums). Some of these de-
of schools. velopments require experimentation by
the sector, as sometimes incorporating
new technology, such as web-streaming
5) The implications for or developing Apps entails certain invest-
cultural organisations ment costs, raising the question of wheth-
er they can actually generate revenue or
So what are the implications for cultural whether they will essentially have value
organisations? Technological change will as promotional and branding tools, as ap-
continue at a fast pace and the sector petisers to tempt people to witness the
will need to keep up with it, the competi- real experience, be it a concert, a theatre
tion for how people spend their leisure performance or a museum exhibition.
time and how they spend their income
will continue to be intense. There will be It is clear that there is no “one-size-fits-
changes in how people wish to access cul- all” approach. Solutions will vary from
tural works. All these developments have country to country, city to city and insti-
significant implications for cultural opera- tution to institution and probably even
tors who must transform themselves. project by project for any given institu-
tion. Experimentation is likely to be a
On the other hand there are immense permanent feature.
opportunities for cultural institutions
which are there to be seized. The cul-
European Audiences: 2020 and beyond - Conference conclusions 9European Audiences: 2020 and beyond
New skills spaces to audiences of different sizes and
needs, and to permit interactivity be-
Developing new audience development tween the artists and audience.
techniques, engaging in new repertory
development methods, new production Opening the book explained how they
processes and new spaces, and mak- had taken inspiration from the world of
ing the most of new technology requires retailing, with libraries transforming their
cultural institutions to re-think the skills relationship with audiences, including
they need, addressing questions such as through rethinking their furniture and
do they retrain existing staff, do they re- displays, as well as the staff becoming
cruit new staff or work in strategic part- more pro-active in stimulating readers.
nerships with other sectors, such as ICT, Similarly, the Ashmolean Museum in Ox-
retail, media and publishing, or a combi- ford, the oldest museum in Britain, ex-
nation of approaches. plained how its major refurbishment in
2009 enabled it to profoundly transform
Indeed, inter-disciplinary strategic its display strategies and to introduce
partnerships and collaboration with new approaches to education activi-
other institutions either in the same sec- ties and audience development. Visitor
tor or across sectors are likely to be an numbers tripled and the museum has in-
important feature in the future. We can creased its income.
expect to see more and more local mu-
seums, bookstores, libraries, performing In an ideal world, even primarily non cul-
arts venues, etc, developing joined up tural infrastructure, from redesigned city
projects, collaborating rather than com- centres to new railway stations, could also
peting with each other. Equally, artistic be designed to provide accommodating
disciplines will mingle, so performing arts public space for cultural performances
will be brought into new venues such as (as in future train station in Mons).
museums, bookstores, libraries, shop-
ping malls, whilst performing arts ven- From intuition to strategy
ues will rethink how they use their static
space and how they improve the visitor More and more organisations are engag-
experience and optimise the use of their ing in audience development and it can
buildings over longer periods of times, be expected to become an essential and
such as staging exhibitions, debates, etc. unavoidable part of their activities.
However the conference and the prepara-
Cultural buildings of the future tion for it shows that often organisations
are undertaking audience development
These new trends have implications for rather intuitively, raising the question
cultural infrastructure and future invest- of whether they could benefit from hav-
ments. Organisations will have to look at ing more explicit strategies, which allow
whether their physical infrastructure cre- the entire value and visitor’s chain to be
ates welcoming conditions. Theatres and more joined up.
venues that separate the audience from
the performance need to be re-thought. In other words, rather than carrying out
The buildings of the future need to be activities in isolation, to think through
carefully designed to be more multi-func- how they can link up and build on each
tional, to be used for different purposes other.
all day long, and to be able to adapt the
10 European Audiences: 2020 and beyond - Conference conclusionsEuropean Audiences: 2020 and beyond
For example, how an activity presented in 6) International peer
cultural space which first draws in non-au-
diences can then be linked to other activi- learning
ties seeking to engage them in activities
where they are involved as participants in Audience development has already come
the artistic process; or keeping up a com- a long way, and excellent practices exist
munity of followers engaged right from across Europe, but they are geographi-
the programming stage through to pro- cally fragmented, and some countries
duction and performance/exhibition. are more advanced than others. There is
however still a long way to go and the
Audience development should be embed- sector needs to adapt fast.
ded strategically and operationally, with
clear goals and target audiences. Re- The conference confirmed the added
search and evaluation of success and fail- value of exchange of practice with peers
ure will be another important part to see from other countries, and the surprising
whether the strategy worked and what amount that can also be learnt from other
needs adaptation. It is clear that audience sectors, including between profit-making
development involves the whole organisa- sectors and non-profit-making cultural
tion, not only the marketing or education sectors, and equally from non-cultural
departments, and should not be viewed sectors. Some new trends are common
as an (potentially expendable) add-on. It to a variety of economic and cultural
needs to be integrated across all work ar- sectors, such as the emergence of sub-
eas and feedback from all users and staff scription based models and other loyalty
should be equally treated. Top down ap- schemes, building on effective branding.
proaches should be avoided.
The value of data collection and interpre-
Audience development, particularly if tation to fine-tune products and works
done more professionally, does naturally and target new audiences intelligently is
have resource implications for cultural in- also a horizontal theme. Learning from
stitutions from both an artistic perspec- other sectors about marketing strategy
tive, to putting in place the technological and tools, does not mean compromising
infrastructure necessary today and ac- on the cultural sector’s role to provide
quiring the skills this requires. This may meaningful experiences, expressing ide-
be challenging and require some reprior- as and engaging people in a meaningful
itisation in financial priorities. dialogue with reality.
The value of data collection and interpre-
tation to fine-tune products and works
and target new audiences intelligently is
also a horizontal theme. Learning from
other sectors about marketing strategy
and tools, does not mean compromising
on the cultural sector’s role to provide
meaningful experiences, expressing ideas
and engaging people in a meaningful dia-
logue with reality.
European Audiences: 2020 and beyond - Conference conclusions 11European Audiences: 2020 and beyond
Conclusion
The conference showed the degree of small towns and villages. Cutting-edge,
change that is taking place in the arts and provoking and disturbing art, as well as
the need for adaptation: everything and art that gives pleasure, enjoyment and
everyone is in flux. No organisation can fun, all have value, as long as they en-
afford to sit still. Change is likely to be a gage and inspire people, audiences and
permanent reality that the sector needs the public. Audiences in big numbers and
to contend with and embrace, to see and smaller groups are of equal importance
benefit from the opportunities that the as long as there is meaningful encounter.
world today offers.
We have greater knowledge, theoretical
Linked to this, audience development is and practical, about audience develop-
not a final destination but an on-going ment than ever before. Excellent prac-
process. Technology will continue to im- tices exist in Europe but the knowledge
pact art creation, dissemination, distri- is patchy and fragmented. European ex-
bution and engagement with the public. change of practice – with the Commis-
Revenue streams will continue to evolve, sion supporting the cultural sector - can
in parallel with audience tastes and what bring real added value. This can help the
they perceive as relevant to their lives. sector adjust more quickly through peer
Public funding is and will continue to be learning, fostering accelerated learning
unpredictable. There will be fewer cer- through sharing experience, rather than
tainties in the future. Cultural organisa- struggling unilaterally with the challeng-
tions will have to stay on their toes. Each es ahead.
project may require a different approach
– flexibility and open-mindedness will be This confirmed the added value of includ-
crucial. It will be challenging, but also ing audience development as a priority
fascinating if cultural operators see the in the EU’s future funding programme,
opportunity for this to be an enriching “Creative Europe”. In the past, EU pro-
two-way process between audiences and grammes focused mainly on supporting
artists, as well as empowering the public the “supply” side, fostering artist mobility
to become more active citizens. and the circulation of works, with less at-
tention paid to the “demand” side. Times
The conference showed that the cultural have now changed and in the same way
eco-system needs both established in- that the sector must adapt, so too support
stitutions, with all their assets, including programmes must adapt and be relevant
buildings and collections, and new ones. for the challenges of the 21st century.
Arts and culture needs to be found on “Creative Europe” therefore introduces
street corners, in the middle of squares, audience development as an important
in shopping malls, as well as in beauti- new priority and expects projects involv-
ful theatres, museums, cinemas, libraries ing artist mobility and the circulation of
and so forth. We need art in big cities, the works to build in the audience dimension.
traditional cultural centres, as well as in This could have a tremendous systemiceffect on the sector across Europe and The conference confirmed that this new
speed up the pace at which cultural insti- emphasis on audience development could
tutions across Europe integrate this into be the beginning of a great cultural move-
their thinking and practices. Similarly ment and civic participation that starts
audience development is highlighted as with audiences, not in closed rooms.
a priority in the Communication on Pro-
moting cultural and creative sectors for “The new role of arts managers should
growth and jobs in the EU adopted in be to create reputable experiences and
September 2012, which calls for holistic to invite people to a journey together”
approaches to supporting the cultural and and “something is going on in Europe …
creative sectors and multi-layered strat- do you feel the new wind blowing?” con-
egies involving the EU, Member States cluded Mary McCarthy and Chris Torch
and other territorial levels1. In this con- respectively, the conference moderators.
text, Member States may develop their
respective policies building on the recom- People are hungry for social engagement
mendations resulting from the exchange and connecting in communities. Cultur-
of practices on “access to culture” and al organisations and audiences should
“intercultural dialogue”. move forward confidently together, and
these conversations with audiences will
1 http://ec.europa.eu/culture/our-policy-develop- ensure the long-term sustainability of the
ment/documents/communication-sept2012.pdf cultural sector.You can also read
