One of the Museums + Heritage Show Partners, Colin Mulberg, director of Colin Mulberg Consulting, explores the sessions that he is chairing in Theatre 1 on the first day of the Show.
Looking outwards – audiences
A key theme running throughout all the talks is how venues can unlock potential by looking outwards from their organisations. Three of the talks focus on the opportunities for engaging audiences, examining issues and showing examples of useful approaches and what lessons can be learnt.
Historic England report on their research on how to make heritage more inclusive and accessible for disabled people (Session 2). Their work builds in the voices of d/Deaf, disabled and neurodivergent people and finds out the experiences of disabled people working, volunteering and participating in heritage today – as well as those who have left the sector and those who are not engaged at all by heritage. They will discuss their initial findings and will update current patchy data on disability access and inclusion as well as implications for sector-wide actions.
The Association of Leading Visitor Attractions draws information from their 2,200 members covering the UK’s most popular, iconic and important tourist venues, hosting over 119 million visitors each year. ALVA discuss the latest insights on visitor figures and explore the sentiment of domestic and overseas audiences and indications of the type of visitor offers and experiences that are attractive (Session 3).
Kids in Museums Youth Panel share lessons and good practice on engaging young people and removing barriers to access (Session 4). They will present new data about what young people want from museums and where museums could be more welcoming. You can also check out the Kids in Museums stand in the Sector Support Zone on the first day of the Show.
Looking outwards – partnerships
Another way for venues to look outwards is through forming collaborations, connections and networks. A common thread for four of the talks is creating partnerships to increase engagement, develop activity and build support.
The Heritage Alliance give insights into how heritage and the creative industries can benefit from working together (Session 1). Drawing on their membership of over 200 independent organisations from the full breadth of the sector, they present diverse examples of the different ways that heritage and creative enterprises can collaborate and create new connections. The Heritage Alliance also have a stand in the Sector Support Zone and a networking session in the Networking Lounge on the first day of the Show.
The English Civil Museums Network hold a panel session to look at how local authority and ex-local authority museums can move forward and work together as well as how the recently created £20 million Renewal Fund will support this part of the museums and heritage sector (Session 5). The English Civil Museums Network also have a networking session in the Networking Lounge on the first day of the Show.
The National Archives explain how they work regionally in partnership with archives (Session 6). They support all types of archive services and their parent bodies to develop and strengthen the national network of provision and encourage new thinking and initiatives in the sector. They will also discuss their £6m Archives Revealed partnership funding programme. The National Archive have a stand at the Show exhibiting their digitisation services.
The Museums Association explore how to work with community partners to form lasting relationships that benefit both parties and tackle barriers that prevent partners from participating. They will draw on insight from research for the Esmée Fairbairn Communities and Collections Fund and the new Equitable Partnerships toolkit and highlight practical advice on creating partnerships that reach their full potential (Session 7). The Museums Association also have a stand in the Sector Support Zone on both days of the Show.
For further details on the talks and to see the full 2025 Museum + Heritage Show programme visit the Programme page.
Colin will be at the M+H Show on both days, so feel free to chat with him about your work or contact him through the Colin Mulberg Consulting website,
