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Engaging with your Audiences During Lockdown – Second Scheduling

Due to the high demand for this webinar we have scheduled a second session

**Please note this second session will not include closed captions, if you require closed captioning for accessibility please email the team wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk

How can we continue to engage our audiences while our venues are closed?

Join the WMMD team and Richard Aldred, Marketing and Communications Manager at Ironbridge Gorge Museums to take part in a conversation about how we can reach out to our audiences and stay connected while our venues are closed.

Richard will outline the approach that Ironbridge Gorge Museums has taken to engage with their multi-generational audiences through a variety of informative, fun and interesting activities, resources and communications.

Delegates will have the opportunity to share their experiences and challenges, and say hello to some friendly faces!

Webinar 2.30pm-3.30pm

All participants who have booked on to the webinar will receive an email containing a Zoom link to access the training at least one hour prior to the event. If you have not received an email by this time please contact us.  Don’t worry you do not need a Zoom account, simply follow the link provided and enter the password.

Priority will be given to delegates from non-NPO and non-National museums in the West Midlands which are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation.  

If you can’t see the booking button below, it means this webinar is fully booked.  Please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk to register your interest and to go on the waiting list.

Engaging with your Audiences During Lockdown

How can we continue to engage our audiences while our venues are closed?

Join the WMMD team and Richard Aldred, Marketing and Communications Manager at Ironbridge Gorge Museums to take part in a conversation about how we can reach out to our audiences and stay connected while our venues are closed.

Richard will outline the approach that Ironbridge Gorge Museums has taken to engage with their multi-generational audiences through a variety of informative, fun and interesting activities, resources and communications.

Delegates will have the opportunity to share their experiences and challenges, and say hello to some friendly faces!

Webinar 10.30am-11.30pm

All participants who have booked on to the webinar will receive an email containing a Zoom link to access the training at least one hour prior to the event. If you have not received an email by this time please contact us.  Don’t worry you do not need a Zoom account, simply follow the link provided and enter the password.

Priority will be given to delegates from non-NPO and non-National museums in the West Midlands which are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation.  

This session is now fully booked.  The webinar will run again in the afternoon 2.30pm-3.30pm and can be booked by clicking here.

Please note the afternoon session will not include closed captions, if you require closed captioning for accessibility please email the team wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk.

Conference 2020 Postponed!

Event Postponed

Updated Friday 13 March

We have been following official government advice surrounding COVID-19 but with a rapidly evolving situation we have taken the decision to postpone the onsite event. Although this is disappointing we hope you’ll agree it is the right thing to do to safeguard you and others.

We will look to reschedule the event in the future or alternatively make the plenaries available online for you to share watching them with colleagues.

If you have any questions please get in touch.

Email: wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk
Tel: 01952 435 900

Leading a Digitally Literate Museum

Is your museum leadership team confident when it comes to digital?  Are they as digitally literate as our fast-changing world requires?

The opportunities around digital culture can be huge but it’s a fast-changing, multi-layered environment that is a challenge for many museums to exploit.  Join Culture24’s CEO Jane Finnis and Partnerships Director Anra Kennedy to learn more.

What will be covered?

A thriving, successful museum needs a digitally literate workforce that understands the ways in which digital technologies, content and culture can best serve their mission.  It’s down to museum leadership to create the right conditions to meet those challenges.  This one day workshop will combine strategy, theory and expert insight with practical advice and peer support.  Themes covered include:

By the end of this course you will have:

Who should attend?

Leaders and decision makers from small and medium sized museums in the West Midlands

Please note the day is specifically designed for museum leaders with responsibilities across the museum’s strategy and operations (i.e. not the digital team leaders!).  Culture24 is a firm believer in leading change from wherever you are situated in an organisation but this particular workshop will bring most value to executive and board-level leaders.

Please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk with details of particular areas of need or focus and Culture24 will try and accommodate these into the day and tailor the session to the level/expectations of participants.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Priority will be given to delegates from non-NPO museums which are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation.  Maximum of two delegates per museum.

Bookings are now closed.

6 February 2020 – Leading a Digitally Literate Museum
10am-4.30pm, Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Birmingham B18 6HA

A-Z of Accreditation: Access in Focus

Join our speakers for a day of practical Accreditation advice including the new requirement for an Access Plan:

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Please click on the button below to book on to this event.  If you can’t see the button it is fully booked; to join the waiting list please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk

23 January 2020 – A-Z of Accreditation: Access in Focus
10am-4pm – Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery, The Music Hall, The Square SY1 1LH

Exceeding Visitor Expectations

This one day training course is aimed at staff undertaking visitor-facing roles in West Midlands museums who want to increase confidence and skills, in order to deliver excellent customer service.

Exceeding Visitor Expectations will help participants to:

Tourism South East will combine the expertise of VisitEngland’s Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme and the experience of the renowned Welcome to Excellence training programmes to deliver ‘Exceeding Visitor Expectations’.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Priority will be given to staff/volunteers from non-NPO West Midlands museums which are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation.  Maximum of two delegates per museum.

Click on the button below to book your place, if there is no button this event is fully booked. If you wish to be added to the waiting list please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk with the name of the event.

11 February 2020 – Exceeding Visitor Expectations
9.15am-4.15pm, Museum of Carpet, Stour Vale Mill, Green Street, Kidderminster, DY10 1AZ

Welcoming All Customers

Welcoming All Customers is a brand new one day course, delivered by Tourism South East, packed with practical advice to allow your organisation to attract and delight all customers.

Designed to boost the confidence of staff/volunteers in anticipating and meeting the needs of disabled customers and looks at how small changes and a positive attitude can make all the difference.  The content is designed to be delivered in a participative way with a variety of activities, exercises and discussion sessions.

This course will help you to:

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Priority will be given to staff/volunteers from non-NPO West Midlands museums which are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation.  Maximum of two delegates per museum.

Click on the button below to book your place, if there is no button this event is fully booked. If you wish to be added to the waiting list please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk with the name of the event.

5 December – Welcoming All Customers
9.15am-4.15pm, Shrewsbury Museum and Art Gallery, The Square SY1 1LH

Volunteers: ‘Exceeding Visitor Expectations’

This one day training course is aimed at volunteers undertaking visitor-facing roles in West Midlands museums who want to increase confidence and skills, in order to deliver excellent customer service.

All participants will have the opportunity to gain a City and Guilds Level 2 Award through taking a multiple choice assessment paper at the end of the training day.

Exceeding Visitor Expectations will help participants to:

Tourism South East will combine the expertise of VisitEngland’s Visitor Attraction Quality Scheme and the experience of the renowned Welcome to Excellence training programmes to deliver ‘Exceeding Visitor Expectations’.

Lunch and refreshments will be provided.

Priority will be given to volunteers from non-NPO West Midlands museums which are Accredited or officially Working Towards Accreditation.  Maximum of two delegates per museum.

Click on the button below to book your place, if there is no button this event is fully booked. If you wish to be added to the waiting list please email wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk with the name of the event.

29 January 2020 – Volunteers: ‘Exceeding Visitor Expectations’
9.15am-5pm, The Cut Conference Centre, Shropshire Wildlife Trust, Shrewsbury SY2 6AH

Awards ceremony countdown is on!

With just weeks to go before we host the West Midlands Volunteer Awards we are putting the final touches to plans for the glittering celebration.

Representatives and volunteers from museums across the West Midlands will attend the ceremony, which is being held in Birmingham Hippodrome’s Patrick Centre, on Wednesday, September 11th, from 4pm – 8pm.

Our awards, now in their fourth year, have become a key fixture in the volunteer calendar and we are very much looking forward to welcoming all of our 2019 finalists.

The awards were launched in 2016 to recognise the critical role volunteers play in keeping museums running throughout the West Midlands. Since then, more than 400 guests have attended the annual ceremonies and from 90 nominated finalists, 28 individuals and groups have been chosen as overall winners.

Nominations were welcomed from across the region and the scale and quality of entries has been fantastic.

The judges will decide winners in four categories – individual, group, young person (25 and under), and project. And the winner of the prestigious Judge’s Award for Excellence, chosen from finalists in all four categories, will also receive £500 to spend on the museum, heritage site, or art gallery project of their choice.

Guests will be treated to an evening of entertainment that is sure to make it an unforgettable event. In previous years we have invited travelling musicians, hip hop crews, and opera improvisation troupes to take to the stage and keep attendees happy.

We’re not giving anything away just yet but we guarantee an evening unlike any other.

You can see our 2019 finalists here: https://mdwm.org.uk/news/volunteer-awards-finalists-announced/

We look forward to meeting our wonderful finalists soon.

Audience Champion – Session 3: Using visitor analysis to produce an Audience

This NEW programme aims to develop Audience Champions who will help to increase the reach and build deeper relationships between museums and their visitors.

Working in partnership with The Audience Agency this national pilot will empower individuals and organisations to develop a data-driven approach to audience development.

This is a two year programme commencing in September 2019 and completing in September 2021.

Museums must commit to attending all four training sessions and collecting audience data over a two year period when enrolling on the programme.

In year one you will be supported over a series of four training sessions where you will:

In year two you will use your newly acquired skills to continue to gather audience data and insights independently by fully participating in Audience Finder.  As an Audience Champion you will be able to share your learning with the next cohort.

Individual session details…

Thursday 12 December – Session 3: Using visitor analysis to produce an Audience Development Plan
10am-4pm CBSO Centre, Berkley Street, Birmingham B1 2LF

During this third session we will introduce the use of segmentation as an approach to business/marketing/audience development planning. Using Audience Spectrum and MOSAIC 6 models, combined with the APR data and devising ‘audience personas’ we will help you to understand how to get into the shoes of your visitors.  We will also show you how to ‘problem solve’ using the principles of user centered design as part of audience development.

Session 4: Application of data analysis and insight will take place in May/June 2020 (date and location tbc)

This programme aims to support Section 8: Understand and develop your audiences, of the Accreditation Standard, November 2018.

Priority will be given to non NPO museums who are Accredited or Working Towards Accreditation in the West Midlands region.  Museums must commit to attending all four training sessions and collecting audience data over a two year period when enrolling on the programme.

To get involved please complete an application form and return to wmmd@ironbridge.org.uk no later than 5pm, Wednesday 31 July 2019.