Tips to help museums 'think like entrepreneurs' from Birmingham, city of 1000 trades.

As members of the national Renaissance Workforce Development forum, Renaissance South West  was invited along to the recent 'Entrepreneurial Museum' conference organised by Renaissance West Midlands on February 9th. 

The conference took place at Think Tank in Birmingham, an interactive Science Centre which is home to the city's science collections.  Think Tank is based in a purpose built complex, Millennium Point, set in what was once the city's industrial heartland.  As we approached the conference, it was impossible to forget the roller coaster ride of 200 years of change that a handful of business-minded entrepreneurs set in motion in this city back in the eighteenth century...

The day was strong on inspiration, distilling entrepreneurial thinking into some easy-to-remember maxims, tips and ideas.  Here are a just a few from the keynote speakers Nick Winterbotham, Millennium Point and Think Tank's Chief Executive and Rohit Salwar, a Futurist and business guru:

New ideas...

• Never discount a new idea – entrepreneurial thinking is all about considering new ways of doing things
• In trading/retail, you won't know it if works unless you try it!
• Change, or progress, needs the following conditions: frustration with the current situation AND availability of new ideas – without these nothing will change.... The amount of time and resources available to work on the new ideas are what complete the change equation.

Use your best resource...

• Involve your team – get other people to think THEY came up with your best ideas
• Empower people to do new things – don't sit on everything yourself.  Your team is your biggest pre-existing resource, so you must use it to have enough resources for change.

Involve a broad based community...

• Involve the wealth generators in your community in the museum, but not JUST the wealth generators – get the whole community using your space, and feeling like it's their space too – with everything from coffee mornings to co-curated exhibitions.
• Social networking has increased people's expectations that they can get involve and have some opportunity to shape content...(the “what I want, when I want” expectations which are fuelled by customisable mobile phone applications)
• If users feel the space is for them they are more likely to come back with friends and family, generating additional spend.

Income generating ideas...

• Consider becoming part of a consortium of museums who jointly license their images and then share the income the images generate – 'blanket licenses'.  Take legal advice before the contract stage.
• Could your Curator, likely to be an experienced speaker already, go on the speaking circuit, charging to speak to local regional businesses? 

Make sure it works...

• Turn your idea into an attractive package – never under-estimate the importance of good design.

And finally...

• People will ultimately judge your organisation by what it does, or doesn't, DO, how it behaves – so do what it says on the tin.  If you want to be a valued community resource, behave like one now!

The day very much encouraged action in the face of the challenges ahead, rather than suggesting that there were any easy fixes, as we are all aware.  It was a stimulating day which bravely used some new approaches to the conference format – most noticeable was the projection of delgates' twitters throughout the day. 

Another outcome for the South West was that the national workforce development forum is planning a day of advocacy and debate to demonstrate the impact of Renaissance-funded training and to debate future directions.  The Arts Council is keen to take part. Watch this space!

Eleanor Moore
Workforce Development Co-ordinator
Renaissance South West