Museum Development North West

Annual Survey of Museums 2017-18

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Response rate •  84ofthe144Accreditedmuseumsinthe

regionrespondedtotheAnnualSurveyofMuseums,whichequatestoa58%responserateamongstAccreditedmuseumsintheregion

Audiences •  Therewereatotalof8,347,475visitsmadeto

museumsin2017-18basedonresponsesreceived

•  Museumsheldatotalof4,542activitiesandeventsthatengaged640,396participants

Economic impact •  Visitstomuseumsrepresented£100,709,551

ofgrossvisitorimpacts•  Therewasatleast£21,287,214ofdirect,

indirectandinducedimpactsasaresultofspendongoodsandservicesbymuseums

•  Atleast3,216FullTimeEquivalent(FTE)direct,indirectandinducedjobsweresupportedbymuseums

Summary of findings 2017-18 Online engagement •  75%(63)ofrespondentmuseumshavetheir

ownwebsite•  87%(73)usedsocialmediatoengagewith

audiences

Educational engagement •  Museumsdelivered6,736learningand

outreachactivitiesthatengaged522,351participants

Financial operations •  £14,823,538wasgeneratedbymuseumsin

earnedincome(includingadmissions,retail,catering,events,hospitality,educationalandotherearnedincomefromtrading,e.g.propertyrental)

•  £21,492,005receivedinregularpublicfunding(includingACEMPM/NationalPortfoliofunding)

•  £2,292,477receivedingrantfunding•  £4,837,132receivedincontributedincome

(includingallmoneyreceivedindonations,Friendsmembers/schemes,anysponsorshipincome,corporatemembershiporothernon-earnedincome)

Workforce – paid staff •  Museumsemployed2,971paidstaffwhich

equatedto1,747FullTimeEquivalentsWorkforce – volunteers •  Therewere3,075activevolunteersin

2017-18•  Thisrangedfrom1to256volunteersper

museum•  Volunteerscontributedatotalof201,643

hourstomuseumsintheregion,whichequatedtoavalueofaround£1,344,000.Thisvalueisbasedonacalculationof£50perdayusingguidanceissuedbytheNationalLotteryHeritageFund.

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Introduction Thisreportpresentsthefindingsofthe2017-18MuseumDevelopmentNorthWest(MDNW)AnnualSurveyofMuseums.Thesurveywasdevelopedinordertoestablishabaselineofdataonmuseumsintheregionand,from2017-18,isbeingusedtoanalyseandreportontrendsacrosseightofEngland’snineregions.FindingswillcontributetoestimatesofthesocialandeconomicimpactofmuseumsandalsohelpinformhowMDNW,andotherparticipantMuseumDevelopmentproviders,deliversupporttomuseums.Thedatawithinthisreportcanenablemuseumstobenchmarkthemselvesagainstarangeofcomparators.ThesurveyhasbeendevelopedanddeliveredbySouthWestMuseumDevelopment(SWMD)withtheintentionofprovidingconsistentdatacaptureacrossmultipleregionstoenablemoreeffectiveadvocacyandbenchmarking.Surveyquestionsweredevelopedinconsultationwithmuseumsandincorporatedapproachesfrompre-existingdatacollectionexerciseswithinthesector.

QuestionshavebeenadaptedtoalignwithArtsCouncilEngland’sannualsurveyofMajorPartnerMuseumsandNationalPortfolioOrganisations.SWMDhasbeencommissionedtodelivertheMuseumDevelopmentNorthWestAnnualSurveyofMuseumsforthefirsttimein2017-18.Survey method Thesurveywassenttothe144museumsintheNorthWestregionwhoarefullyAccredited,provisionallyAccreditedorformallyWorkingTowardsAccreditation.Multi-siteorganisationsweresuppliedwithanew,bespokeformtoprovidearesponseasawholeorganisation;howthisdatahasbeenincorporatedintothereportishighlightedonthefollowingpage.Thesurveyaskedmuseumstoprovidedataforthe2017-18financialyear(1April-31March).

Financialdatacouldbeprovidedforadifferentfinancialperiod,e.g.calendaryear,whichmuseumswereaskedtoindicate;allotherdatawaspresentedforthe2017-18period.71%(57)ofmuseumsreportedalldatafor1April2017-31March2018.Thesurveyisdividedintofoursections:

•  Audiences•  Educationalengagement•  Financialoperations•  Workforce

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Sample and response for 2017-18 58%(84)ofmuseumswithintheAccreditationschemerespondedtothisyear’ssurvey.Thereare144Accreditedmuseumsintheregion.ThenumberofAccreditedmuseumsistakenfromtheAccreditationstatisticsforApril2018,thedateoftheAccreditationpanelmostrecenttotheperiodofthesurvey.3%(5)ofmuseumsintheregionareformallyWorkingTowardsAccreditation.MuseumsintheNorthWestaccountfor10%ofallAccreditedmuseumsinEngland.TheresponseratetothesurveyisbroadlyrepresentativeoftheNorthWestregionintermsofgeographyandthedifferenttypesofmuseumswiththeexclusionofEnglishHeritageandtheNationalTrust.Thisyearanewapproachtothedatacollectionprocessfrommuseumserviceproviderswhooperatemulti-siteand/orco-locatedmuseumsiteswasdevelopedacrossallparticipatingregionsusingabespokeform.

Theformwasdesignedtoprovidemoreflexibilityfororganisationswhocollectablendofbothservice-wideandsite-specificdata,mosttypicallyaroundeducationalactivities,financialoperationsandworkforce.Thisalsoprovidedabetterunderstandingofthedataprovidedtoinformanalysis.ThecorepremiseofthesurveyisdeterminedbyindividualAccreditedmuseumssites,thereforeitwasimportanttodevelopaconsistentapproachtodataprovidedfrommulti-siteandco-locatedorganisations.Site-widedata,whichiscollectedcentrallybytheorganisationratherthanatsite-level,hasbeenattributedtoindividualsitesbasedonaratioofaudiencenumbers.Thisapproachhasenabledanincreasedconsistencyofanalysisacrossthedataprovided.Formulti-siteresponses,adjusteddatahasbeenrecordedas‘estimate’toreflectthisintervention.WhereasinglemuseumsiteincludesmorethanoneAccreditedmuseumcollection,theorganisationhasbeenconsultedinordertoprovideanestimateofthepercentageofvisitorsallocatedtoeachrespectivesiteor,wherethisisnotpossible,datahasbeenincludedasasinglesiteandtheoveralltotalhasbeenadjustedaccordingly.

11multi-siteorganisationsprovidedsurveyreturns,representing39museums,46%(84)ofthereturnrate;returnsincludeamixofIndependent,LocalAuthority,NationalandUniversitymuseums.Onemulti-siteorganisationclosedsomeoftheirsitesforgeneralpublicaccessin2016-17butarestilloperatingservicessuchasguidedtours,educationalandresearchvisits.Theirvisitfigureshavebeentakenfromtheirguidedtoursandresearchvisits,andtheyhavereportedtheireducationalandoutreachactivitiesintherelevantsectionofthesurvey.Whenconsideringtheresponses,thefollowingshouldbekeptinmind:•  Notallmuseumsrespondedtoevery

question•  Percentageshavebeenroundedtothe

nearestwholenumber•  ‘Respondent’or‘Museum’iseverymuseum

whosubmittedaresponse•  Wheredifferencesaresmallandresponse

levelslow,caremustbetakenwheninterpretingthedata

•  BudgetdatamustbeviewedasapproximateorindicativeasdifferentmethodologiesareusedbymuseumsandanumberofmuseumsoperateadifferentfinancialyearthanApril–March

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Profile of respondents 56%(84)ofmuseumsrespondedtothisyear’ssurvey.Afulllistof2017-18respondentmuseumsisincludedattheendofthisreport.TheresponseratewasbroadlyreflectiveofthetypologyofAccreditedmuseumsintheNorthWestwiththeexclusionofEnglishHeritageandtheNationalTrust.ThereareaconsiderablehighnumberofNational(DCMSsponsored)museumsintheNorthWestincomparisontootherregions.Theresponseratefromthesemuseumswashigh,atover90%. Museum opening arrangements Museumswereaskedtoprovidedetailsontheirtypicalopeningarrangements:•  74%(62)reportedthattheywereopenallyearround•  20%(17)reportedthattheywereclosedpartoftheyear

asregularseasonalclosure•  5%(4)ofmuseumswereopenbyappointmentonlyall

yearround;nonewereopenbyappointmentonlyforpartoftheyear

•  1(1%)museumwasclosedforpartoftheyearforredevelopment,refurbishmentand/orrepair

Figure 1 : All North West Accredited museums by type

Figure 2: All North West respondent museums by type

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Respondents by size

Forthepurposeofthisreportthesizeofamuseumhasbeendeterminedbythereportedvisitnumbers.FourbandsprovidesimplecategoriesofSmall,Medium,LargeandExtraLargewithinwhichmuseumshavebeenallocated.•  Smallmuseum-9,999andundervisitsperannum•  Mediummuseum-10,000–49,999visitsperannum•  Largemuseum-50,000–99,999visitsperannum•  ExtraLargemuseum-100,000+visitsperannumRespondentmuseumsdemonstrateaninterestingmixofmuseumsizeswithaverysmallproportionofthosewith50,000–99,999andparticularlyhighnumberofmuseumswith100,000+.Inthelattercategory8%(6)ofmuseumshaveoverhalfamillionvisitorsperannum.

Geographic distribution TheNorthWestisthethirdmostpopulatedEnglishregion.Notedbytheirindustrialpast,themetropolitancountyofGreaterManchester,combiningthecitiesofManchesterandSalford,isoneofthelargestintheUK,withthenearbycityofLiverpoolinMerseysideafurtherlargeurbanconurbation.TherestoftheregioncomprisesofthethreehistoriccountiesofLancashire,CheshireandCumbriawiththestunninglandscapesoftheLakeDistrictNationalPark,SolwayCoast,ArnsideandSilverdaleandtheForestofBowland,allAreasofOutstandingNaturalBeauty,drawingthousandsofvisitorseachyear.Figure4highlightsthevariationsinthenumberofAccreditedmuseumsineachsub-regionaswellasthepercentageresponserate.

Figure 3: Respondents by museum size, determined by visits per annum

Figure 4: Respondents and number of Accredited museums by sub-region

Highlights: ‘Women in Cumbria’ project In2017-18museumscomprisingtheCumbrianMuseumsDirectors’GroupwereawardedSustainableImprovementFundingbyMDNWforacollaborativeprojecttoengagetoday’sCumbrianwomenwiththecentenaryofthefirstvotesforUKwomen.Theprojectlookedatthestoryofwomen’slivesinthecounty,pastandpresent,throughacross-countyartsprojectwithGirlGuidingCumbria,CumbriaFederationofWomen’sInstitutesandothercommunitygroups.Thisgrantalsoleveredinfurtherfundingfortheproject.Throughtheproject,over200Cumbrianwomenandgirlswereinspiredtocreateastunningsetofbannersbasedonthelocalhistoryheldin11museumsacrossthecounty.Allofthemuseumsinvolvedgainedfromworkingonabiggerprojectwithagroupoflike-mindedmuseums.Theimpactonthemasacommunityofmuseumshasbeenpositive-collectionshavebeenshared,practiceaffected,andpositivepublicitygained.Havingvisitinggroupsofyoungpeoplehasenabledthosemuseumstoconsiderhowusefulthiswouldbeaspartoftheirfuturepractice.Photocredit:CumbrianMuseumDirectors’Group2018

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Audiences Thissectionlooksatoverallvisitorfigures,visitsbychildrenandonlineengagement.

Total visit figures Basedontheresponsesreceivedatotalof8,347,475visitsweremadetomuseumsin2017-18. Unsurprisinglytheoverallvisitfiguresareinfluencedbyaconsiderablenumberofmuseumswith100,000+visitorsperannum,mostofwhomareNational(DCMSsponsored)museums.Asaresult,visitstothesemuseumswith100,000+visitsperannumaccountfor83%ofallvisitstotheNorthWest.VisitstobothIndependentandLocalAuthoritymuseumsalsomakeasignificantcontributiontothenumberofreportedvisitstotheNorthWestin2017-18.Figure5presentsvisitfiguresfortherespondentmuseums.•  19ExtraLargemuseumsreceivedanaverageof366,767visitors•  5Largemuseumsreceivedanaverageof68,888visitors•  36Mediummuseumsreceivedanaverageof26,233visitors•  24Smallmuseumsreceivedanaverageof3,753visitors73%(61)ofmuseumsprovidedactualfiguresfortotalvisits,whilst27%(23)ofmuseumsprovidedestimatedfigures.

Museum opening hours

85%(71)ofmuseumsreportedopeninghoursasfollows:•  Openinghoursrangedfrom130hoursto3,100•  Openinghourstotalled126,665across71sites•  Fourmuseumsreportzerohours;oneduetorefurbishmentandthree

duetoregularseasonalclosure

Figure 5: Total visits by museum size

Figure 6: Total visits by museum type

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Visits by sub-region Figure7detailsthebreakdownofvisitspersub-region.Eightofthetenmuseumswith100,000+visitsperannumintheregionarelocatedinMerseysideandGreaterManchester,manyofwhichareNational(DCMSsponsored)museums. Visits by children 56%(46)ofrespondentmuseumsprovidedabreakdownofbothadultandchild(under16)visits.19%(15)ofrespondentsreportedactualfiguresforboth,whilsttheremaining39%(31)reportedestimates.1,398,680visitsbychildrenwerereportedbymuseumsintheNorthWestin2017-18.Basedontheseresponses,childrenaccountedfor17%ofallvisits.Oncemore,museumswith100,000+visitsperannumdominatethetotalnumberofchildvisitsreported.Howeverthehighernumberofestimatedfigures,combinedwithonly56%(46)ofrespondentmuseumsprovidingdatatothisquestion,highlightsthenumberofmuseumsrecordingadultandchildvisitsislimited.Thereforeitisimportanttolookmorecloselyatthe19%(15)reportingactualratherthanestimatedchildvisits.Withinthisgroupthepercentageofchildvisitsrangesfrom1.1%to37%oftotalvisits.Thelevelofchildvisitsbysizecategoryalsopresentsawiderangeofpercentagevisitsasisshownbelow:•  Smallmuseums(n.4)rangefrom3.2%to26.8%•  Mediummuseums(n.6)rangefrom3.0%to30.1%•  LargeMuseums(n.2)rangefrom1.1%to33.0%•  ExtraLargemuseums(n.3)rangefrom13.7%to37%)

Figure 7: Total visits by sub-region

Figure 8: Total visits by children by museum size

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Economic impact of visits In2017,15ofthetop20most-visitedfreeattractions,and11ofthetop20most-visitedpaid-forattractionsintheNorthWestweremuseumsandhistoricproperties,accordingtoVisitEngland’sAnnualSurveyofVisitstoVisitorAttractions2017.Ofthesevenues,20wereAccreditedmuseums.Inordertoestimatetheeconomicimpactofvisitstomuseums,theAssociationofIndependentMuseum’s(AIM)visitorspendcalculatorshavebeenappliedtoeachsub-region.Theresultsofthiscalculationareconservativeasonlytheeconomicimpactof‘Local’and‘Day’visitshavebeenused;inordertoapplytheeconomicimpactofovernightstaysamoreindepthvisitorsurveywouldberequired.Thereforetheoveralleconomicvalueofvisitsislikelytobehigherduetothehigherlevelsofvisitorspendassociatedwithovernightstays.ThecurrentapplicationoftheAIMassumedvisitorspendisconsideredapragmaticapproach,whichbalancestheeffortofcontributingmuseumswiththerobustnessofcalculatingeconomicimpactwhilstmaintaininghighlevelsofparticipationacrossthesector.Furthertoolsareavailabletomuseumstogenerateindepthassessmentsofeconomicimpactand,whenused,provideavaluablecontributiontotheoverallpictureoftheeconomicvalueofmuseums.AIM’sEconomicImpactToolkitwasdevelopedbyconsultantsDCResearchtohelpmuseumsexpressthegrossimpactofvisitstotheirmuseumintermsofeconomicvalue.Thistoolkitcanbeusedbyindividualmuseumsbutcanalsohelptoindicatethewidereconomicvalueofmuseumsaswell.

Economic impact calculation •  This calculation takes the number of adult visits to a museum,

establishes the average ratio of local and day visits and multiplies these by average visitor spend assumptions, both developed by DC Research from regional and national tourism datasets.

•  In 2017-18 total adjusted adult visits is estimated to be 6,437,170 based on an adult:child ratio of 82:16 for museums with 9,999 visits and under; 79:21 for museums with 10,000-49,999 visits; 73:27 for 50,000-99,999 visits; and 77:23 for museums with 100,000+ visits per annum.

Applyingthismethodologytothevisitdataprovidedbymuseums,thegrossvisitorimpactwas£100,709,551ontheNorthWesteconomy:

•  £33,574,378wascalculatedin‘local’visitorspendbasedonreportedvisits•  £67,135,173wascalculatedin‘day’visitorspendbasedonreportedvisitsFigure9belowdetailsthebreakdownpersub-regionandpresentstheassumed‘local’and‘day’visitorspendvaluesasdevelopedbyDCResearch.

Figure 9: AIM Economic Impact Toolkit assumed ‘Local’ and ‘Day’ visitor spend by sub-region

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Online engagement

Advancesindigitaltechnologyinrecentyearsoffermuseumsgreateropportunitiesfornewformsofengagementbeyondthephysicalvisit.Initiativessuchas‘MuseumSelfieDay’and‘AskACurator’enablemuseumstogetcreativeonlinebycombininghistoryandculturalexperiencewith21stcenturytrends. Websites 75%(63)ofrespondentmuseumshaveeditorialcontrolovertheirwebsite.Threemuseumsfromasinglemulti-sitedidnotprovidearesponsetotheanswer.Theremaining23%(18)ofmuseumsreportedthattheydidnothaveeditorialcontrolovertheirownwebsite.Allofthese18respondentswereLocalAuthoritymuseums(andthemajoritypartofmulti-siteservices)andarefeaturedontheirlocalauthority’swebsiteor,aswithAstleyHallMuseum&ArtGalleryinLancashire,arealsofeaturedonanumbrellawebsite,suchasHistoricHouses(below).

4%(3)ofmuseumswhoreportednothavingtheirownwebsitewerestillabletoreportthenumberofuniquevisits.Intotal58%(46)ofrespondentsprovideddataonthenumberofuniquevisitstotheirwebsites,reportinganestimatedtotalof5,974,090uniquevisitsin2017-18. Social media Museumswereaskedtoprovideinformationonwhethertheyusedsocialmediatoengagewithaudiencesandthenumberofsubscribersorfollowersthattheyhadacrosstheirsocialmediaplatforms.87%(73)ofmuseumsstatedthattheyusedsocialmediatoengagewithaudienceswithplatformsincludingFacebook,TwitterandInstagrammostfrequentlycited.74%(59)ofmuseumsreportedanestimatedtotalof692,946subscribersorfollowers.

VisitEngland’sAnnualSurveyofVisitstoVisitorAttractions2017reportstatedthatplatformssuchasPinterestandInstagramhaveseenthebiggestgrowthinusagebyvisitorattractions.44%ofattractionssurveyedbyVisitEnglandarenowusingthem,doublewhatitwasin2015.However,oftheattractionssurveyedbyVisitEngland,FacebookandTwitterarestillthemostusedplatformsby85%and69%,respectively.ThesefindingscorrespondwiththedatareportedbymuseumsintheNorthWest.Threemuseumsstatedthattheydidnotusesocialmedia.Allrespondentmuseumsareutilisingsomeformofonlineplatformtoengagewiththeiraudiences.

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Education, activities and events Learningandeducationarecoremotivationsinallmuseumsservices.Theseactivitiesaredeliveredinawidevarietyofways,dependingonthemuseumintermsoftheirphysicalspace,theircollections,thepartnershipstheydevelopandthecapacity,skillsandexperienceofpaidstaffandvolunteers.

Educational sessions and participants Figure10detailsthenumberofeducationsessionsdeliveredbymuseums,bothon-siteandoff-site,during2017-18alongwiththenumberofparticipants.MuseumsintheNorthWestengagedwith932schoolsandeducationalorganisationsbasedon38%(32)ofrespondents.70%(56)ofrespondentsprovidedinformationonthenumberofon-siteeducationalsessionsand82%(69)providedinformationonon-siteactivitiesandevents.However,itisworthnotingthatrecordingthenumberofsessionsandactivities/eventsandthenumberofparticipantsvariesacrosstherespondentmuseums.14museums*reportedjustover196,000participantsbutdidnotprovideinformationonthenumberofsessions.Theaveragenumberofonsitesessionswas90withanaverageof48participantsattendingeachofthesesessionsbasedondatafrom56museumsprovidingboththenumberofsessionsandparticipants.*MuseumofLancashire,whilstclosedtothepublicandthereforeunabletoprovideafullreturn,reportedthenumberofparticipantstoeducationalsessions.Activities, events and participants

Thenumberofreportedparticipantsatbothon-siteandoff-siteeventsandactivitiesishigherincomparisontootherregionalreporting.ThedatainFigure11providedbyrespondentmuseumsdemonstratethatengagementwithaudiencesviaoutreach,eventsandactivitiesisaparticularlyhealthypartofthesectorintheNorthWest.

Fig. 10: Total number of educational sessions and participants

Fig. 11: Total number of activities and events and participants

Highlights: Rochdale Pioneers Museum, Greater Manchester FundingfromMDNWwasgiventothemuseumtoexplorehowtheco-operativeframeworkcouldbeusedtocreatesolutionstoproblemsfromwithinthelocalcommunity,emphasisingtheprinciplesaswellastheheritageofco-operationinmoderndayRochdale,homeoftheoriginalco-operativemovement.ItwasdecidedthattheprojectshouldconcentrateonfoodskillsandequalityasadirectlinktothestoryoftheoriginalPioneers,andtocombatacommunityneedthroughdevelopingself-responsibility.Aninformalco-operativenetworkwassetupbetweentheMuseum,localschoolsandcommunityliaisonofficerstoidentifyfamiliesinfoodpoverty.TheMuseumworkedwiththelocalCateringCollege,HopwoodHall,toprepareandoffernutritionallybalanced,hotandtastyfoodtofamiliesinneed.TheFridayNightDinnersattheMuseumatwhichthesemealswereeatenweresocialaffairs,withpeoplefromthelocalcommunitycomingtogethertoeatandtowatchfilmscreenings.Fromthesedinnersgrewtheinterestfromparticipantsinworkingcollaborativelytolearnhowtocookcheaplyandnutritionally,andtoprogresstheworkdonetobenefitcommunitiesdirectly.Over100peopledirectlyparticipatedintheprojectwiththesamenumberagaininvolvedinoutreachworkatcommunitycentres.Photocredit:SimonCritchley2017

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Financial operations

Museumswereaskedtoidentifyboththefinancialyeartheyoperateandthefinancialperiodforwhichtheyhadsubmitteddata.•  71%(60)ofrespondentsspecifiedthattheywereproviding

financialdatafor1April17–31March18•  4%(4)statedthattheirfinancialyearrunsthecalendaryear•  4%(3)reportedoperatingunderadifferentfinancialyear,

includingFebruarytoJanuaryandOctobertoSeptember.•  21%(17)didnotprovideananswertothequestionDuetothesevariationsinrecordingandreportingoffinancialoperationsthedatapresentedhereshouldbeconsideredaguide,ratherthanbeingrepresentativeofaspecificfinancialperiod.

Income

92%(77)ofrespondentmuseumsreportedfiguresfromoneormoresourcesofincomefor2017-18.Thetotalincomegeneratedandreceivedbymuseumsreportedin2017-18was£43,445,152.•  £14,823,538inearnedincomeincludingadmissions,retail,

catering,events,hospitality,educationalandotherearnedincomefromtrading,e.g.propertyrental(n.75)

•  £21,492,005receivedinregularpublicfundingincludingArtsCouncilMajorPartnerMuseumorNationalPortfoliofunding(n.52)

•  £2,292,477receivedingrantfunding(n.52)•  £4,837,132receivedincontributedincomeincludingallmoney

receivedindonations,Friendsmembers/schemes,anysponsorshipincome,corporatemembershipandothernon-earnedincome(n.61)

Figure 12: Total generated income by sub-region

Similarlytovisitfigures,onesub-regionhasreportedthemostinincomegenerationin2017-18.,thereforeitisalsohelpfultopresenttheaverageaswellasthetotalincomegeneratedbysizeofmuseum.•  £985,853generatedbymuseumswith9,999orundervisitsperannumand

anaverageincomeof£49,293(n.20)•  £12,461,979generatedbymuseumswith10,000–49,999visitsperannum

andanaverageincomeof£366,529(n.34)•  £1,397,604generatedbymuseumswith50,000–99,999visitsperannum

andanaverageincomeof£349,401(n.4)•  £28,599,716generatedbymuseumswith100,000+visitsperannumand

anaverageincomeof£1,505,248(n.19)

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Breakdown of income

Figure13detailsthebreakdownofincomebychargingmodelinrelationtothetypeofmuseum,whilstfigure14showsthebreakdownofsourcesofincomebymuseumtype.Inbothfigures‘Other’includesMilitaryandUniversitymuseums.Wheremuseumsreportedthattheychargedadmissionseasonallyorforsomeexhibitions,thesehavebeencategorisedwithinoverallchargedadmission.*AllOther/Nationalmuseumsareshownasasinglecategoryastherewereinsufficientreturnstoseparatedatabychargingmodel.

Figure 13: Total generated income by charging model per museum type

Figure 14: Breakdown of generated income by charging museum type. Numbers (n.) of museums providing data within each income category are indicated alongside museum governance type.

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Admission charges

100%(84)ofrespondentsprovidedinformationonadmissions:•  52%(44)ofmuseumschargedadmissions•  39%(33)permanentlychargedadmission•  13%(11)chargedonlyseasonallyorforsome

exhibitions•  48%(40)offeredfreeadmissionallyearround29%(24)ofmuseumswhochargedadmission,includingthosewhochargedseasonallyorforsomeexhibitions,reportedtheiradmissionsincome,whichtotalled£1,583,175.Theadmissionchargeforanadultticketrangedbetween£1.00and£10.00.Theadmissionchargeforachildticketrangedbetween£1.00and£6.00.Figures15presentstheaverageadmissionchargesforadultadmissionmuseumbysize.Acrossthegroupof32museumsreportingadultadmissionchargestheaverageadultadmissionchargewas£5.00acrossthegroup.38%(32)ofmuseumsprovidedinformationontheiradultadmissionchargesand11%(9)providedinformationonadmissionchargesforchildren.Themuseumswhoprovideddataonchildadmissionchargeswereallmuseumswitheither9,999andundervisitsperannum,ormuseumswith10,000–49,999;withanaveragechildadmissionchargeof£3.09acrossthegroup.

Figure 15: Average adult admission charges by museum size

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Retail income Withtheincreasingfocusonfinancialresilienceandtheneedtodiversifyincome,themajorityofmuseumshavedevelopedaretailoffer.Eveninmuseumswherespaceislimitedandtheofferisfocusedonpostcardsorguidebooks,theprofitgeneratedfromretailcanprovideavaluablesourceofunrestrictedincome.80%(67)ofrespondentmuseumsintheNorthWesthaveashoporaretailspace.Basedonthedatafrom75%(62)ofmuseumswhoreportedretailrevenuethetotalretailincomefor2017-18was£4,782,593.Theaverageretailspendperheadisanimportantindicatorusedtoassesstheeffectivenessofamuseum’sretailoffer;theabove75%(62)ofmuseumsprovidedtherequireddataforthistobemeasured.Toensureconsistencywiththeanalysisontheprevioussectionlookingatadmissions,museumswhochargeadmissionsseasonallyorforexhibitionshavebeenincludedwithinthecategory‘chargedadmission’infigure17. Catering income Cateringcanprovideanotherimportantsourceofincomeformanymuseums.•  40%(34)hadanin-housecafé/refreshmentfacilitiesofwhich

36%(30)reportedgeneratingatotalincomeof£3,169,648•  17%(14)contractedouttheircafé/refreshmentsofwhich8%

(7)reportedgeneratinganincomeof£443,282•  Atotalof£3,612,930wasreportedinincomefromcatering

Figure 16: Average retail per head by museum size

Figure 17: Average retail per head by charging model

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Donations

Museumswereaskedtoprovideinformationontheirdonationsinordertogenerateanaveragedonationpervisitorfromthedata.Theapproachforcalculatingdonationsincomeperheadhasbeentodividetotaldonationsreportedbytotalvisitornumbers.73%(61)ofmuseumsprovidedinformationontheirdonations.Thelowestvaluefordonationsperheadwas£0.01,whilstthehighestwas£6.66.Museumsgenerated£1,535,165indonationsincome.Afurther13museumsreportedthattheydidn’tknowthevalueofdonations.Figure18presentsthetotalandaveragedonationsbymuseumsize.*Dataforthelargertwomuseumcategorieshasbeencombinedasonlyonemuseuminthe‘large’categoryprovidedinformation.Similarlytotheprevioustwosections,chargedadmissioninfigure19alsoincludesmuseumswhochargeseasonallyorforsomeexhibitionsonly.

Figure 18: Average donations per head by museum size

Figure 19: Average donations per head by charging model

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Impact of spend on goods and services Direct, indirect and induced impacts Attributingeconomicimpacttoanindividualorganisationorsectorisaspecialisedandtechnicaltaskwhichinvolvesarangeofcomplexassumptions.However,theAIMEconomicImpactToolkitmethodologythatisbeingapplieddoesprovideanevidencebasedestimatewhichallmuseums,irrespectiveofsizeorgovernancetype,areabletocontributeto.Asaresultwecanestimatetheeconomicvalueofmuseumspendongoodsandservices:Asaminimumtherewas£21,287,214ofdirect,indirectandinducedimpactsintheNorthWestasaresultofspendingongoodsandservicesbymuseumsduring2017-18.Figure20providesthisinformationbysub-region.Thiscalculationisbasedonmuseumexpenditurefigures,excludingstaffspend,from78%(62)ofrespondentmuseumsandtakesintoaccount‘leakage’,‘displacement’,‘deadweight’andmultiplierfactorsusingestimatesdevelopedbyDCResearch:•  Deadweight–valueorimpactthatwouldhave

occurredanyway•  Displacement–theproportionofmuseumvalueor

impactaccountedforbyreducedvalueorimpactelsewhereinthelocalarea

•  Leakage–theproportionofvalueorimpactthatbenefitthoseoutsidethemuseum’slocalarea

Capital investment Capital investment is important in enabling museums to improve or expand their business in order to ensure that they can provide engaging spaces for audiences and respond to changing visitor demographics and expectations. While we would not expect capital investment to be consistent year on year it can provide a useful indicator of the long term strategic investment in the sector. 45% (36) of museums specified that they had received capital investment in 2017-18, totalling £10,706,543.

Figure 20: Impact of spend on goods and services by sub-region

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Expenditure and staff costs

75%(63)ofresponseswerereceivedfrommuseumsandmuseumservicesthatemploystaffandprovidedfiguresforbothtotalexpenditureandtotalexpenditureonstaffcosts.Thesemuseumsreportedatotalexpenditureonstaffcostsin2017-18of£28,899,280.However,forthepurposesofcomparisonwithincategories,twoofthesemuseums’datahasbeenomittedduetoanomalies.Onaverageacrossthe61respondentmuseums,spendingonstaffaccountedfor54%oftotalexpenditure,andtherewasareportedtotalof£19,374,269onexpenditureonstaffcostsbythesemuseumsin2017-18:•  39%(31)ofmuseumsspentanaverageofbetween30%-49%•  20%(16)ofmuseumsspentanaverageofbetween50%-69%•  10%(8)ofmuseumsspentanaverageofbetween70%-89%•  8%(6)ofmuseumsspentanaverageofover90%oftheirtotal

expenditureonstaffcosts,withtworeportingover100% Infigure21‘Other’includesMilitaryandUniversitymuseums.Itisworthnotingthatmuseumswhichoperatewithinorganisationsthatdeliverwiderservices,suchaslocalauthorities,arelessabletoidentifyandthereforereportstaffcostsrelatedtocentrallyprovidedservicessuchasfinance,HR,legalandITsupport.Asaresultitisreasonabletoconcludethatthetruecostofstaffing,asapercentageoftotalexpenditurewithinthesemuseums,islikelytobehigherthanhasbeenreportedhere.

Figure 21: Average expenditure on staff by museum size and museum type

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Fundraising

Museumswereaskedaboutthewaysinwhichtheyfundraise,thesourcesofgrantincomeandwhethertheyhadusedonlinegivingorcrowdfundingtoraisefundsin2017-18.70%(56)ofmuseumsreceivedmoniesthroughadditionalfundraising,manyfrommorethanonesource,theresultsofwhichcanbeseeninfigure22.30%(24)ofmuseumsreportedthattheydidnotreceiveanyfurtherincomefromfundraising.Museumswereaskedwhethertheyhadreceivedadditionalfundsthroughavarietyoffundingsources:•  ArtsCouncilEnglandandHeritageLotteryFund•  Charitabletrustsandfoundations,suchasthePilgrimTrust•  OthercharitablegivingsuchasFriendsschemesor

donations•  Localgovernmentgrants(non-corefunding)•  Corporatesponsorshipofferingcashdonations•  GiftAid•  AnyotherwhichtheywereaskedtospecifyAnswerstothelatterquestionincluded:RuslandHorizons;theRoyalSociety;Universityfunding;HEFCE;CopelandCommunityFund;legaciesandbequests;andMDNW’sSustainableImprovementFund.8%(6)ofmuseumssaidthattheyhadusedonlinegivinginthelast12monthsbutdidnotprovidefurtherinformationonthesourcesofonlinegiving.

Figure 22: Additional sources of funding 2017-18

MDNWhasbeencollectingdataonthesourcesofadditionalfundingformuseumsbetween2014-2016whichisshownbelow:•  Localauthoritygrants;Parishcouncilgrants;PublicHealthdepartment;Arts

CouncilEngland;HLF;EuropeanUnion;DCMSWolfson;GreenMuseums;BritishMuseumPortableAntiquesScheme;MagnaCartaTrust;V&AGrantPurchaseFund;ConnectCumbria(LearningNetworks);CopelandCommunityFund;CopelandFund;LeverhulmeFund;PaulMellonStudiesinBritishArt;EsmeeFairbairnFund;Friends,donationsandcorporatesponsorshipsupport.

Museumsalsoreportedreceivingsubsidyfromthefollowing:•  Rent,rebateandmaintenance;othernon-property;subsidyorgrant;rent-free

occupancyofpremises;businessraterelief.

Highlights: Port Sunlight Village Trust, Merseyside PortSunlightVillageTrust(PSVT)areguardiansofauniqueandbeautifulvillage,workingwithitscommunitytoensureagreatqualityoflifeforresidentsandtocelebrateWilliamLever’slegacythroughculturalandlearningexperiencesforall.PortSunlightMuseumiscentraltodeliveringPSVT’smission.ItscollectionsfocusonthesocialhistoryofthevillageandtheLeverBrothersfactory.PSVTisatapivotalmomentinitshistory.TheUnilevergrantthatunderpinneditsworksincefoundationwasduetobewithdrawnandgeneratingnewincomefromvisitorsbecameessential.Since2015grantsfromMDNWandArtsCouncilEngland’sResilienceFundhaveallowedPSVTtodefineitspurposeandstrategicdirection,reviewitsoperatingmodel,lookatitssocialrolewithinPortSunlightvillage,investigatethepotentialtodeveloptheofferforgroupvisitors(whichcurrentlycompriseone-thirdofvisitors),pilotnewactivitieswithinanewly-acquiredcottageinthevillageandreviewitscollectionstoimprovethewayinwhichittellsthestoryofvillageresidents,byensuringtheirstoriesarereflectedinthecollectionsandthattheyarepartoftheinterpretationofthestories.ThisworkhasculminatedintheTrust’sfirstfiveyearStrategicPlantoensurePSVTisthrivingandresilientinthefuture.Photocredit:SimonCritchley2014

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Workforce

Paid staff

Museumswereaskedtoprovideinformationonboththetotalheadcountofstaffemployedbythemuseum,atitspeakintheyear,andthenumberofFullTimeEquivalents(FTE)during2017-18.84%(67)ofmuseumsprovideddataonbothofthesequestions.•  90%(76)ofrespondentmuseumsemployedatotalof2,971paidstaff•  86%(72)ofrespondentmuseumsemployed1,746FTEpaidstaff•  35%(29)ofmuseumsreportedactualfiguresforpaidstaff,whilstthe

remaining56%(47)reportedthattheirfigureswereestimates•  45%(38)ofmuseumsemployedbetween1–10paidmembersofstaff,

basedonfiguresprovidedfortotalheadcount•  25%(21)reportedthattheyemployedbetween11–30paidmembersof

staff•  8%(7)reportedthattheyemployedbetween31–50paidmembersof

staff•  6%(5)reportedthattheyemployedbetween51–70paidmembersof

staff•  5%(4)reportedthattheyemployedover100paidmembersofstaff,the

highestnumberreportedbeingover1,000•  FTEsatmuseumsrangedfrom1FTEto820FTEs

Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Museumswerealsoaskedanadditionalquestionaroundtheirworkforcefocusingonequality,diversityandinclusion.MuseumswereaskedwhetherornottheyhadanEqualityandDiversityActionPlan(EDP):•  64%(54)reportedthattheirmuseumorganisationdidhaveanEDP•  26%(21)reportedthattheirmuseumorganisationdidnothaveanEDP•  9%(7)ofrespondentsreportedthattheydidnotknow

Employment impacts Using the AIM Economic Impact Toolkit we can estimate the value of museum employees to the North West regional economy: •  These museums created 3,216 full time equivalent direct,

indirect and induced jobs across the region This calculation is based on FTE employment data, taking into account ‘leakage’ (those that do not live locally), ‘displacement ’, ‘deadweight’ and multiplier factors using estimates developed by DC Research.

Volunteers Volunteersareavitalpartofthemuseumworkforce.Theinvolvementofloyalvolunteersmakesahugedifferenceandisoftenthekeytooperatingawiderangeofservicesirrespectiveofthesize,locationortypeofmuseumprovision.

•  Museumsreportedatotalof3,075volunteers,basedontheresponsesof98%(82)ofmuseums

•  Thisrangedfrom1to256volunteerspermuseum•  5%(4)ofmuseumsreportedthattheyareentirelyvolunteerrun•  Thetotalnumberofvolunteerhoursrecordedwas201,643by83%

(70)ofrespondentmuseums•  16%(13)ofmuseumsreportedactualfiguresforvolunteerhours,

whilst68%(57)reportedestimates,meaningthatthetruenumberofhoursislikelytobemuchhigherthanreported

Volunteerhoursareestimatedtohavecontributedaround£1,344,000.Thisvalueisbasedonacalculationof£50perdayusingguidanceissuedbytheHeritageLotteryFund(nowNationalLotteryHeritageFund).

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Annual survey of museums 2017-18

Definitions and methodology

DeadweightValueorimpactthatwouldhaveoccurredwithoutthemuseumDirecteffectsActualjobsandspendingcreatedbyamuseumDisplacementTheproportionofmuseumvalueorimpactaccountedforbyreducedvalueorimpactelsewhereinthelocalareaIndirectandinducedimpactsSupplychainlinkages,andincomemultipliereffectsonlocalemploymentandincomescreatedinlocalareasasaresultoftheactivitiesofamuseum.IncomeAllsourcesofincomereceivedbythemuseumincludingallearnedincomethroughtrading,fundraisingandgrants,donationsandpublicsubsidy.LeakageTheproportionofvalueorimpactthatbenefitthoseoutsideofthemuseum’slocalareaVolunteerimpactcalculationTheeconomicvalueofvolunteerhoursisappliedusingtheHeritageLotteryFund’s(nowNationalHeritageLotteryFund)approachof£50pervolunteerday.ThecalculationfortheequivalentFullTimeEquivalent(FTE)postforreportedvolunteerhoursisbasedona37hourweekacrosstheyear.

Bibliography AssociationofIndependentMuseums(AIM),2014,EconomicimpactcalculationThismethodologywasdevelopedbyDCResearchfromregionalandnationaltourismdatasets.Furtherinformationcanbefoundonlinehttps://www.aim-museums.co.uk/resources/toolkits/AnnualSurveyofVisitstoVisitorAttractions2017,VisitEnglandhttps://www.visitbritain.org/annual-survey-visits-visitor-attractions-latest-resultsMDNWannualbenchmarkingreport2013-14https://museumdevelopmentnorthwest.files.wordpress.com/2012/06/annual-benchmarking-report-2013-14.pdfMDNWannualbenchmarkingreport2014-16https://museumdevelopmentnorthwest.files.wordpress.com/2018/04/benchmarking-report-2014-16.pdf

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Museum Development North West support Museums were asked about support or advice they had received from Museum Development North West, here is a sample of what they said:

‘The‘makingmoreofcollections’courseprovidedhelpandadvicetocareforandengageaudienceswithcollections.Averygoodcoursewhichenabledstafftoimplementchangesmoreeffectively.’

AstleyHall,Lancashire

‘TheworkandsupportfromMuseumDevelopmentNorthWestiscrucialtoasmallvolunteermanagedmuseumlikeCongleton.Itprovidesaprofessionalsoundingboardthroughtheadviceandprofessionalexpertiseitisabletogive,accesstobespoketrainingopportunitieswhichthemuseumwouldotherwisenotbeabletoaccess.’

CongletonMuseum,Cheshire

‘IfindMDNWanincrediblyhelpfulandsupportiveorganisation,theyarereliableandknowledgeable.Iplantocontinuetotapintotheirexpertiseandnetworktogrowasaprofessional.’GreaterManchesterPoliceMuseumandArchive,GreaterManchester

‘Thegalleryhasbeeninvolvedinthe‘BanishtheBacklogs’programme(withCollectionsTrust)whichhashelped[us]toorganise[our]backlogandworktowardsdevelopingnewpoliciesandproceduresfordocumentation.’

HaworthArtGallery,Lancashire

‘Wehavereceivedformalsupportthroughgrantsandtrainingaswellasinformaladvice.In2018-19wearebenefittingfromcollectionsandaudiencedevelopmentsupportwhichisenablingustodeliverournew5yearplan.’

PortSunlightVillageTrust,Merseyside

‘[I]havealwaysfoundtheiradviceexcellent.Oneofthemanythingsthatthestaffaregreatatisputtingyouintouchwithothermuseumswhohavedone,oraredoing,thesameprojectasyousoyoucanringthemupandaskforadvice.Asasmallmuseumwithfewstaff,itisalwaysappreciatedthatthereisaprofessionalbodythatyoucancontacttoaskaboutanythingrelatingtomuseumswhetheritiscollectionsmanagement,employingconsultantsorAccreditationandtheywillgetbacktoyouwithsoundadvice.’

LancashireInfantryMuseum,Lancashire

‘WehavehadfrequentsupportfromMDNW[…]Aswellasthefundinganddevelopmentprogrammesbeingincrediblyhelpfulforusasalow-budgetseasonallyopensmallmuseum,wefeelreassuredthatwehavetheMDNWtoconsultandadvocateforus.’

SmithyHeritageCentre,Merseyside

‘Ihavealwaysfound[…]MDNWtobecompetent,approachable,professional,andhelpful,givingsoundadviceandguidancetowardspeersinothermuseumsfacingsimilarproblems[andthatthey]areproactive.’

RuskinMuseum,Cumbria

‘MDNWareafantasticsourceofup-to-datemuseumactivity,funding,courses,adviceandliaison.Theyareeasytocontactandveryapproachable,theyhavehelpedusenormouslyand[we]willcontinuetolooktothemasexpertsinthefieldtosupportbestpracticeandensurethatourmuseumdevelopsforwardonastrongfooting.’

TheWhitaker,Lancashire

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Update from Museum Development North West

2017-18wasthethirdbenchmarkingsurveycarriedoutbyMDNW,theprevioustwocovered2013-14and2014-16.Thesurveysarecarriedouttogainapictureofthestateoftheregionalmuseumssectoratthepresenttimeandtotrackanychangesandtrendsfromtheprevioussurveys.DifferentmethodsofanalysishavebeenappliedbySouthWestMuseumDevelopment(SWMD)soadirectcomparisonbetweensurveysisnotpossible,butthethreesurveystogethergiveaflavourofregionaltrends.Seeourwebsiteforthereportsontheprevioussurveys-https://museumdevelopmentnorthwest.wordpress.com/publications/.58%ofAccreditedmuseumsrespondedtothissurvey,anincreasefrom52%fromthelastone.AswithprevioussurveysrespondentsevenlyrepresentedallcountiesintheNorthWestandgovernancetype,exceptforNationalTrustandEnglishHeritage.

Updateon2014-16benchmarkingreportInthe2014-16reportwemadeanumberofactionpointsforMDNWtofollowuponaswellasrecommendationsformuseums.Thefollowingisanupdateonthese:1)ContinueannualorbiennialsurveytotracktrendsinvisitornumbersItisaconditionofourfundingagreementwithArtsCouncilEnglandthatwecarryoutanannualsurveyofmuseums2)Recommendationformuseums-Museumswithoutaccuratemechanismforcountingtotalvisitorslooktofindoneby201823museumsinthissurveyreportedtheirvisitornumbersasestimates,anincreasefromtheprevioussurvey–keepinasarecommendation3)Supportmuseumsthroughacontinuing‘KnowingYourAudiences’programmeso100%ofNorthWestAccreditedmuseumsareawareoftheoptionsavailabletothemtouseaudiencedatacollectionintheirplanningIn2018-19wecarriedoutanaudiencedatacollectionsurveytogaugecurrentuseandinterestinvarioussystemsandwilldevelopaprogrammeofsupportbasedontheresultsofthesurvey

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4)ContinuetodeliverprogrammeofsupportaroundACEGoal3,resilience,in2018-22In2018-19weallocatedgrantsto18projectsthroughourSustainableImprovementFund,heldoursixthannualfundingfairandworkedwithAIMtosupporttheirworkshopsforeffectiveboardsandtopromotetheCharityFinanceGroup.From2019wewilltakepartinanationalMuseumDevelopmentbusinessdiagnosticprojecthelpingmuseumstoself-assesstheirworkandmakeimprovements5)From2018implementacollectionsdevelopmentprogrammetoincludesustainablecollecting,responsiblecollectionsmanagement,collectionsreviewsandrationalisationWeworkedwithCollectionsTrusttorunBanishtheBacklogstohelpmuseumsaddressdocumentationbacklogs.In2018-19weranthefirstphaseofourRe:collectionscontemporarycollectingprogramme.Phasetwoin2019-20willincludemoremuseumswhowilltrialournewcontemporarycollectingtoolkit.OurworkwithCollectionsTrustin2019-20willfocusonreviewandrationalisation6)WorkwithACE-fundedReadytoBorrowprogramme,CollectionsTrust,TouringExhibitionsGroup,nationalmuseumsandotherbodiestopromoteopportunitiesformuseumstoachieveGovernmentIndemnityandincreasethenumberofsignificantloanscomingintotheregionIn2016-17MDNWrana‘GettingLoanReady’programmewiththeBritishMuseumfor11museumstohelpthemunderstandtheprocessofborrowingfromnationals.In2016-18weadministeredACE’sReadytoBorrowprogrammeandnineprojectswereawardedfunding,includingfiveoftheparticipantsfromGettingLoanReady.TwoNorthWestmuseumsalsoreceivedaTouringExhibitionsGroupPreparingtoBorrowbursaryfor1-2-1mentoringsupporttosuccessfullycompletealoanapplication.TwooftheReadytoBorrowparticipantsalsomadesuccessfulapplicationstothefirstroundofArtFund’sWestonLoanprogramme

7)Buildmuseums’suggestionsforfuturesupportintotheplanningofourtrainingprogrammes,2017-18and2018-22Weusefeedbackfromourbenchmarkingsurveyandworkshopstoplanourtrainingprogramme.SinceApril2018allMuseumDevelopmentprovidershavebeenusinganationallyagreedevaluationframeworktomeasurepre-andpost-workshopfeedback.Ourtrainingprogrammefor2019-20hasbeenbasedonthisandtheresultsofouraudiencedatacollectionandworkforcetrainingsurvey,carriedoutin2018-198)ContinuetoworkwithCuriousMindstopromotetheopportunitiestheBridgeorganisationcanprovidemuseumsforstrengtheningtheiroffertochildrenandyoungpeopleWeareastrategicpartner,alongsideYouthFocusNorthWest,intheCuriousMindsmanaged‘HopeStreets’programme,aNationalLotteryHeritageFundKicktheDustfive-yearproject9)In2018-19and2020-21supportmuseumsthroughournew‘FamilyFriendly’programmesWeranourfirstFamilyFriendlyprogrammein2018-19andwillbere-runningitagainin2019-2010)(from2013-14report)Inafuturesurveylookatmuseumattitudestoinvestmentinstaff/volunteerCPD–hasreducedcapacitymadeitmoredifficulttoattendtrainingorarestaffbeingmoreencouragedtodiversifytheirskillsbase?ThisisnowbeingaddressedthroughthenationalMuseumDevelopmentBusinessDiagnosticprogrammewhichaimstosupportorganisationalresilience.Thephaseonepilotoftheprogrammein2018-19involvedsevenmuseumsintheNorthWest

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SWMDweren’tprovidedwiththedatafromtheprevioussurveys,sowehavedonesomecomparisonourselves.Themainfindingsare:AudiencesIn2017-18absolutefigureswere8,347,475,upfrom6,606,982visitorsin2015-16.Moremuseumscompletedthe2017-18surveythantheprevious,butthebiggestvisitorincreasesareseeninGreaterManchesterandMerseysidewherethelargermuseumsarelocated.Thisisnotanexercisetocomparethevisitorfiguresofmuseumsagainsteachother.Eachmuseum’spercentagechangeofyearonyearfigureshasbeencalculatedtolookforoveralltrends.Forsmallermuseums,itwilltakeasmallchangeinvisitorfigurestoreflectasizeablepercentagechange;theeffectislessnoticeableinlargermuseums.However,theheadlinefiguresfortotalvisitstomuseumsintheNorthWestaredependentonthechangeinfiguresforasmallnumberofourlargestmuseums.Figure7inthereportshowsthetotalnumberofvisitsbycounty.Thetableinthenextcolumnshowsthecomparisonfromthe2015-16figuresofourlastsurvey.*TattonParkcompletedareturnfor2015-16butnotonefor2017-18.Iftheirvisitorfiguresfor2015-16aretakenoutofthecalculationsthenthereductioninvisitornumbersfrom2015-16to2017-18is20%.CheshireWestCouncil’sreturnfor2015-16includedfiguresfortheLionSaltWorks(LSW)whichwasnotAccredited.IfLSWfiguresareincludedinthe2017-18figuresthenthereductioninvisitorfiguresbecomes13%.**ThisincreaseispartlyduetoImperialWarMuseumNorth’sfiguresbeingcountedinthe2017-18surveybutnot2015-16.

LocalauthoritymuseumsThreesinglesitemuseumsreportedincreasesinvisitorfigures,of4%,47%and134%acrossthetwoyearperiod.Inprevioussurveysmostsinglesitelocalauthoritymuseumsthatsawdecreasesinvisitorfiguressawrelativelysmallfallsof1-5%.Inthissurveythesevensinglesitelocalauthoritymuseumsthatsawvisitorfiguresfall,thedecreaseswerebetween5%and42%.Formultiple-sitemuseumserviceswehavenotappliedanycomparisontovenuesfromLancashireCountyMuseumsServicebecausesomeoftheirmuseumswentthroughamajorchangeofclosureandtemporaryreopenings,orbeingopenforschoolvisitsonly,inthecomparisonperiod.Othermulti-sitemuseumservicesprovideddataforthissurveybutnottheprevious,socomparisonscouldn’tbemade;anothermulti-siteservicehasonevenueclosedforrefurbishmentwhichwouldaffectanycomparisonofvisitorfigures.

2015-16 2017-18 %change

Cheshire* 785,442 262,077 67%decrease

Cumbria 529,746 394,132 26%decrease

Greater**Manchester

1,994,696 2,978,386

49%increase

Lancashire 493,601 606,113 23%increase

Merseyside 2,803,497 4,106,767 46%increase

Total 6,606,982 8,347,475 26%increase

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IndependentmuseumsThepictureacrossindependentmuseumsismorepositive.Fivelargerormulti-siteindependentsreportedincreasedfiguresrangingfrom3%to20%.Sixsmallermuseumsalsoreportedincreasesinvisitors*withinasimilarrange.10individualindependentmuseumsormulti-siteservicesalsoreporteddecreasesinvisitors,between4%and19%.Inthe2013-14survey,mostlocalauthorityandindependentmuseumshadrelativelystablefigures,seeingincreasesordecreaseswithin+/-5%change,suggestingmuseumsweremaintainingvisitorfiguresdespitedecreasingresources.Theoverallfiguresfor2014-16suggestedthesame,butstatisticsforindividualmuseumsweredifferent,withalargernumberofmuseumsthanbeforeseeingbiggerpercentageswingseitherincreasingordecreasing.Thistrendseemstohavecontinuedin2017-18,withmoredramaticchangesinvisitorfigures.Withinthetotals,thestatisticsareheavilyinfluencedbyasmallnumberofthebiggestmuseumsintheregion;thosecountedas‘extralarge’inthesurveyaccountfor83%oftotalvisitors.Largeswingseitherwayforthesemuseumswillhaveadramaticimpactontheregionalnumbers.AudiencedataforplanningInourprevioussurveyweaskedaboutaudiencedatacollectionmethods.ThiswasnotwithinthescopeofthesurveycarriedoutbySWMDsoearlierthisyearwesentoutaseparatesurveytoallAccreditedandworkingtowardsmuseumswhicharenotnationals,NPOs,NTorEH(106museums),askingaboutaudiencedataandworkforceneeds.49responseswerereceivedrepresenting65museums.Theresultsoftheaudiencedatacollectionquestionswillformanaudiencedataprogrammeforlaterthisyear.*Twoofthesesmallermuseumsreportedincreasesof36%and300%,butbothoftheseestimatevisitorfigures.Theothermuseums’increasesrangedfrom4%to20%

ImpactofmuseumsThedatacollectedthroughthesurveywasusedbySWMDtocalculatemuseums’contributiontothelocaleconomyusingAIM’seconomicimpacttoolkit(www.aim-museums.co.uk/content/research_papers/).ThiswasmeasuredusingLevel1economicvalueofvisitorscalculations,includinglocalareavisitorspendassumptionsbrokendownbycounty.TheircalculationforthegrossvisitorimpactontheNorthWesteconomywasjustover£100m.In2015-16wecalculatedthegrossvisitorimpactas£156m.Whilstwehavebothusedthesametoolkit,SWMDonlycalculatedtheeconomicimpactof‘Local’and‘Day’visits,wealsoincorporated‘Overnight’visitsintoourcalculations.Ifthesamemethodusing‘Overnight’calculationshadbeenapplied,theeconomicvaluefor2017-18datawouldhavebeenmuchhigher.Onpage19ofthisreportSWMDhaveforthefirsttimecalculatedtheimpactofspendongoodsandservicesbymuseumsintheregion,totalingover£21m.ResourcesChargingmodelsEachsurveyaskedifmuseumschargeforadmission.Inadditiontogivenresponseswedidourownresearch,takenfromwebsites,tocompileacomprehensivelistofmuseumswhichchargeandthosethatdon’t,andhowmuchtheycurrentlycharge(pricescorrectApril2019)**/***.**Wehaveusedstandardadultcharge,notconcessions,specialoffersorcombinedticketsformultiplesites.Forsomesitesoneadmissiongivesentryforayear.Forthosewhocharge,sometimeslocalresidentsorchildrengofree.Ifamuseumisusuallyfreebutchargesforspecialexhibitions/eventswehavecountedthemasfreegeneraladmission***Onemuseumwasfreein2017-18andintroducedchargingfromearly2019.Forthepurposesofthisreportwehavecounteditasfree

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44%(64)ofmuseumschargedforadmission;thesameas2013-16.Oneaskedvisitorsto‘Givewhatyoucan’ratherthansetacharge,fourmuseumswereclosedforrefurbishmentetc.39%ofmuseumsadvertisedontheirwebsitethattheywerefreetovisit,andwehaveassumedthatthe20museumsthatdidn’tmakeitclearontheirwebsitewerealsofreetovisit,bringingthenumberoffreemuseumsto50%.41museumshaveputtheiradmissionchargesupsince2016.NationalTrustandEnglishHeritageAccreditedpropertieshaveproportionallymadethebiggestincreases,somebymorethan£5.Localauthorityandsmallerindependentmuseumshavemadethesmallestincreases,typically25pto£1.IfNationalTrustandEnglishHeritagesitesareremovedfromthecalculation,then58%ofmuseumsthatchargehaveanadmissionfeeof£5orless.Thisisdownfromtwo-thirdsofchargingmuseumsin2013-14,sowheremuseumscharge,theadmissionpriceistendingtogoup.ThegreatestincreaseinadmissionpriceswasinCumbria,duetotheconcentrationofNationalTrustandEnglishHeritagepropertiesinthecounty.Whenwelookedatmuseumwebsitesfortheiradmissioncharges,wefoundthatsomewerenotasclearastheycouldbe:•  On20museumwebsiteswecouldn’tfindanyinformationabout

whethertheychargedorwerefree•  Onmanywebsitescharging/freeinformationwasonlyfoundseveral

clicksawayfromthehomepage•  Twomuseumsdidn’tstateanywhereontheirwebsitethatthey

werefree;theinformationappearedontheirleaflet,downloadablefromthewebsite

•  Whenwecarriedoutthesechecksin2016onlysevendidn’tmakecharging/freeclearontheirwebsite

CollectionsCollectionsdatawasnotgatheredinthissurveybutwehavebeenusingourownevaluation,includingournewcollectionshealthcheck,witheverymuseumtakingpartinanyofourcollectionsprogrammes.RegionalworkforcedevelopmentsupportAccesstotraininganddevelopmentwasnotcoveredinthesurveyadministeredbySWMD,butthiswasassessedalongsideaudiencedatacollectioninaseparatesurveysentoutearlierthisyear.FromApril2018wehavebeenkeepingmoredetailedrecordsaboutattendancesatworkshops.In2018-1970%ofNorthWestAccreditedmuseumswhicharenotnationals,NPOs,EnglishHeritageorNationalTrust(106museums)attendedatleastoneworkshoporganisedbyMDNW.AlthoughweremainthemaintrainingproviderforNorthWestmuseums,peoplealsoattendedtrainingrunbyAIM,CollectionsTrust,CuriousMinds,MuseumsAssociation,AudienceAgency,localCVS,GEM,ArtsFundraising&Philanthropy,InstituteofFundraising,Culture24,CharityFinanceGroupandtrainingprovidedbylocalauthorities.Thefeedbackfromthe2019surveywillbeincorporatedwithourotherdatafromthenationalevaluationframeworkandourowntrainingneedsanalysistoshapethe2019-20trainingprogramme.

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2017-18actionpointsandrecommendations1)Continueannualorbiennialsurveytotracktrendsinvisitornumbers2)Recommendationformuseums-Museumswithoutaccuratemechanismforcountingtotalvisitorslooktofindoneby20203)SupportmuseumsthroughGoal2programmessoallNorthWestAccreditedmuseumsareawareoftheoptionsavailabletothemtouseaudiencedatacollectionintheirplanning4)ContinuetodeliverprogrammeofsupportaroundACEGoal3,resilience,in2018-225)Recommendationformuseums–reviewmuseumwebsitetoensurebasicvisitorinformation,includingifthemuseumchargesorisfree,iseasytofindonthehomepage6)From2018implementacollectionsdevelopmentprogrammetoincludesustainablecollecting,responsiblecollectionsmanagement,collectionsreviewsandrationalisation7)Buildmuseums’suggestionsforfuturesupportintotheplanningofourtrainingprogrammes,2019-228)ContinuetoworkwithCuriousMindstopromotetheopportunitiestheBridgeorganisationcanprovidemuseumsforstrengtheningtheiroffertochildrenandyoungpeople

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With thanks to the following museums for submitting returns

Cheshire CongletonMuseumEngleseaBrookChapel&MuseumofPrimitiveMethodismMuseumofPolicinginCheshireNantwichMuseumNationalWaterwaysMuseum,EllesmerePortWarringtonMuseum&ArtGalleryWarringtonMuseumofFreemasonryCheshireWest&ChesterCouncil:GrosvenorMuseum,WeaverHallMuseum,StrettonWatermillandnon-AccreditedsiteLionSaltWorks)SilkHeritageTrust:MacclesfieldSilkMuseum,SilkMuseumandParadiseMill,andWestParkMuseumCumbria ArmittMuseumandLibraryBrantwoodHelenaThompsonMuseumKeswickMuseum&ArtGalleryMillomDiscoveryCentrePenrithandEdenMuseumQuakerTapestryRuskinMuseumTullieHouseMuseumandArtGalleryWordsworthTrust(DoveCottage)LakelandArts:AbbotHallArtGallery,Blackwell,TheArts&CraftsHouse,andMuseumofLakelandLifeandIndustry

Greater Manchester BuryArtMuseum&SculptureCentreGalleyOldhamGreaterManchesterPoliceMuseumandArchiveImperialWarMuseumNorthMuseumofTransport,GreaterManchesterMuseumofScieneceandIndustry(MOSI)NationalFootballMuseumPeople’sHistoryMuseumSaddleworthMuseumandArtGalleryTheFusilierMuseumandLearningCentreTouchstonesRochdaleSalfordCommunityLeisure:OrdsallHallandSalfordMuseum&ArtGalleryStockportMuseumsService:BramallHall,ChadkirkChapel,HatWorksMuseum,StaircaseHouse,StockportAirRaidShelters,StockportMuseumTamesideMuseumsService:AstleyCheethamArtGallery,PortlandBasinMuseum,TamesideCentralArtGalleryUniversityofManchester:ManchesterMuseum,TheWhitworthLancashire AstleyHallBritishCommercialVehicleMuseumGawthorpeTextilesCollectionHarrisMuseum&ArtGalleryHaworthArtGalleryJudges’LodgingsKing’sOwnRoyalRegimentalMuseumLancashireInfantryMuseum

SouthRibbleMuseumTheWhitakerTowneleyHallArtGallery&MuseumLancashireCountyMuseumsService:ClitheroeCastle,CottageMuseum,HelmshoreMillsTextileMuseum(HigherMill),HelmshoreMillsTextileMuseum(WhitakerMill)LancasterCityMuseum,LancasterMaritimeMuseum,MuseumofLancashire,QueenStreetMillTextileMuseumMerseyside BirkenheadPriory&St.Mary’sTowerBorderForceNationalMuseumGarstangMuseumofArchaeologyInternationalSlaveryMuseumLadyLeverArtGalleryMerseysideMaritimeMuseumMerseyFireandRescueServiceHeritageandEducationCentreMuseumofLiverpoolPortSunlightVillageTrustPrescotMuseumSmithyHeritageCentreSudleyHouseTheAtkinsonTheVictoriaGallery&MuseumWalkerArtGalleryWilliamsonArtGallery&MuseumWorldMuseumLiverpool

Produced by South West Museum Development on behalf of Museum Development North West: www.southwestmuseums.org.uk Photo credits copyright courtesy of Simon Critchley (Keswick Museum & Art Gallery title page 2017, Rochdale Pioneers Museum 2017, Port Sunlight Museum 2014); Cumbrian Museum Directors’ Group (Women in Cumbria banner, 2018) This work has been produced under an Attribution Non-Commercial Share-Alike Creative Common License. This license lets others remix, tweak and build-upon this work non-commercially; any party which does must credit SWMD and release their work under the same license. For more information on this license please visit: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ For further information on this report or Museum Development North West please contact : Alex Bird, Museum Development Officer (Workforce and Skills) – alexander.bird@manchester.ac.uk Kaye Hardyman, Museum Development Officer North – kaye.hardyman@manchester.ac.uk Lynsey Jones, Museum Development Officer South – lynsey.jones@manchester.ac.uk www.museumdevelopmentnorthwest.wordpress.com

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