Explore 5 ways museums and heritage organisations can implement ambitious goals, collaborate regionally, approach AI adoption, optimise revenue through visitor data and build resilience in tough economic times
The Museums + Heritage Show returns next month, and with it a chance to develop new strategies to take back to your organisation.
Scheduled at London’s Olympia from May 14-15, 2025, the Museums + Heritage Show will include more than 60 sessions from industry experts, direct access to business exhibitors, and networking opportunities.
Here are just five of the strategies you can hear more about, and adopt, with a free pass to the Museums + Heritage Show.
Strategy: maximising institutional ambition with small teams
‘How much ambition can you fit in one year?’
Speakers: James Etherington, Director, Alice Rose, Programming Curator, Samantha Jennings, Marketing and Communication Manager at Kiplin Hall
Kiplin Hall and Gardens, a small historic house in North Yorkshire, experienced an exceptionally productive 2024. The institution refurbished a building into a visitor center, completed an NLHF project for new interpretation with underserved communities, secured ACE MEND funding for roof repairs, participated in a major documentary, planned a collection store move, developed extensive programming for their 400th anniversary, and created a ten-year masterplan—all while maintaining regular operations and welcoming tens of thousands of visitors.
The presentation will outline these achievements and demonstrate how small museums can implement ambitious development programs using limited staff and dedicated volunteers. Speakers will provide an unvarnished examination of the successes, stress factors, and challenges faced when managing multiple major projects with just 9 full-time equivalent staff members and volunteer support.
Strategy: grant opportunities and regional collaboration for archives
‘Support and funding for archives’
Speakers: David Morris, Head of Regions and Networks, Archives Sector Leadership and Deborah Wade-France, Archives Revealed – Programme Manager, Research, Grants and Academic Engagement, The National Archives
The session will showcase The National Archives’ support offerings for archives across all types. The speakers will explain their regional work approach to help archives succeed, alongside the new Government strategic vision for archives currently under development following sector-wide consultation. Wade-France will discuss the £6m Archives Revealed partnership funding programme, which relaunched last autumn with grant opportunities for archives, museums, and other organisations holding archival collections. The speakers will highlight previous grant impacts and outline effective application practices.
Strategy: Fine-tuning a framework for AI implementation
‘Navigating AI Strategy’
Speakers: Cath Hume, CEO and Paul Blundell, Head of digital research & development, Arts Marketing Association
Arts Marketing Association’s session explores strategic approaches to AI adoption in heritage organizations. Cath Hume, CEO, and Paul Blundell, Head of Digital Research & Development, will discuss balancing AI’s transformative potential with human-centric values. The presentation will introduce AMA’s AI Policy Template, designed to help organisations navigate AI complexities and establish a “mindful AI” culture. Speakers will also address the importance of AI skills development and share insights from their AI-driven mentorship tool developed through The National Lottery Heritage Fund’s Heritage Innovation Fund.
Strategy: Leveraging visitor data to optimise revenue
‘Solving the Visitor Revenue Equation’
Speaker: Patrick Gray, Chief Revenue Officer, Expian
The session examines how attraction operators can maximise revenue beyond ticket pricing by tracking comprehensive customer behavior patterns. Gray will demonstrate how connecting booking data with visitor movement, in-attraction spending, and retail transactions provides a complete view of customer value. The presentation will illustrate methods for using these insights to adjust pricing strategies, improve operations, and identify strategic investment opportunities that enhance per-visitor revenue while strengthening the bottom line.
Strategy: Building resilience through Heritage Fund support
‘Building resilience’
Speakers: Alistair Brown, Head of Museums, Libraries and Archives Policy. Beth Bryan, Senior Engagement Manager (London & South) at National Lottery Heritage Fund
This session will look at the issue of organisational sustainability: how can museums build their organisational sustainability and resilience in tough economic times? And how can the National Lottery Heritage Fund help them? It will look at the vital role that organisational sustainability plays in the Heritage Fund’s new strategy and hear about success stories that have benefited from the organisation’s support.
Get your free pass
Get your free pass to the Museums + Heritage Show and see these talks, as well as more than 50 more, all with on-demand catch-up included.
