Programme 2026

Interpretation on a shoestring

Ruth McKew, Headland Design 

We know the dilemma. Tired museum displays don’t look good, but new exhibitions require investment. What’s possible with small (or no) budgets? Grounded in research for the Welsh Government, this hands-on session tackles the real problems museums face. We’ll consider solutions for immediate improvements, smarter use of small grants, and a strategic approach to building captivating interpretation, all on a shoestring. 

Technology clinic for small museums

Rod Barlow, CEO, Rod Barlow Consulting

In this interactive session, delegates will pick up hints and tips in utilising inexpensive technology tools to make processes simpler, deliver a better quality experience for visitors and help keep information safe. Topics that will be covered include maximising the use of Microsoft 365, information security, obtaining free and discounted software, as well as a simple practical guide to AI. There will also be time for delegates to pose technology queries or issues to the experts. This interactive session is designed for small museums or any museum responsible for implementing and supporting computerised technology. 

Beyond the label: Connecting museum visits with digital interpretation

Cheryl Kwok, EMEA Onboarding and Relationship Management Lead, Bloomberg Connects, Esther White, Bloomberg Team Lead, Manahil Waseem, Collections Content and Support Officer, Art UK. 

This masterclass explores how museums can use digital tools to enrich visitor journeys without detracting from the onsite experience. In particular, we will examine how to tell the stories of your institution and collections through layered interpretation — combining text, images, audio, and video — to support diverse visitor engagement styles and needs, ultimately encouraging discovery and meaningful engagement.

Using partnerships and national networks to build your brand

National Justice Museum, Victoria Reeves, Chief Executive, and Gill Brailey, Freelance consultant 

From a 50% fall to an award-winning national programme partnering with the judiciary and attracting 7000 per year. Discover what made our On Tour project so successful and how it enabled us to change our business model and grow our brand.  

Key takeaways:  

• Building key partnerships, widening your brand and delivering a step change.  

• Taking your people with you as you change your business model  

• Applying for funding for resilience projects 

Reaching out with sound

Blandford Town Museum, Dr Sylvia Hixson Andrews, Director, and Liz Rawlings, Steering Committee

Discover how NaviLens, an app designed for the blind and vision impaired, is benefitting many visitors including neurodiverse, non-readers, or those who prefer to hear about objects whilst looking at them. Find out why we chose it, how we developed it for our needs and the ways in which this assistive technology can be used in a museum setting.  

Taking people with you: Leading through change in cultural organisations

Andrew Mackay, Director, Tullie House Museum & Art Gallery, Katie McGivney, Cumbria Museum Consortium Manager, Michael McGregor, Director, Wordsworth Grasmere, and Luis Martins, CEO, Lakeland Arts 

Develop practical strategies for leading museums through transformation whilst keeping staff, volunteers, and partners engaged. This practical session draws on Cumbria Museum Consortium’s experience and explores the power of partnership working, peer networks, and transparent communication in times of change. Hear their insights into inclusive leadership, how to balance commercial and charitable objectives and maintain morale during uncertainty. You’ll leave with actionable tools to strengthen your resilience and collaboration.  

The road to financial diversification

Emma Howe, Director and Darren Smith, Knowledge Transfer Partnership Associate, The Minories 

This session will explore the financial challenges that small and medium sized museums face and share a toolkit to help others to review, develop and assess their income streams. 

In the last 12 months, The Minories has improved it’s earned income by 72% and is far less reliant on any one revenue stream. This has involved a range of methods, including improving existing revenue streams with innovations to the operating models as well as opening up new ventures.  

Whilst not a cure all, the toolkit will aid participants to develop their own financial diversification. 

Breakout tour - Ushaw House and Chapels tour

Step inside centuries of history on a guided House & Chapels Tour at Ushaw. Wander through magnificent rooms, discover hidden stories and experience the quiet grandeur of Ushaw’s awe-inspiring chapels. 

Ushaw’s story spans more than 450 years. Its origins lie in the upheaval of the Reformation, when an English Catholic college was founded in Douai in 1568. Forced to flee during the French Revolution, the college returned to England and eventually settled at Ushaw in 1808. Over the next century, an extraordinary complex of buildings grew up around the original Georgian house and represent some of the finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture in the country, including the largest collection of work by four generations of the Pugin family.  

Breakout tour - Treasures of Ushaw: a library experience

Enjoy special access to the magnificent Big Library, a breathtaking space designed by Joseph Hansom, followed by a curated viewing of up to 20 fascinating books and archival treasures. You’ll discover pieces rarely seen by the public, each with its own story to tell.  

Ushaw’s Library contains over 50,000 books together with a wealth of archive material relating to their history, architectural design and alumni. Important holdings within the Library include the Nuremburg Chronicle of 1493, Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica and a first edition of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. 

Wellness - Energising yoga

Stephen, Lone Wolf Vision 

A practical and accessible yoga session designed to leave participants feeling refreshed, focused, and re-energised for the remainder of the conference. The session combines mindful movement, breathing techniques, simple balance and strength postures, and guided awareness practices.

Moving from the passive to the active

Dacorum Heritage, Melissa Linsey, Museum Manager, and Connie Search, Museum Assistant

What happens when a museum goes dormant? When funding vanishes, advocacy falters, and institutional memory fades—especially when your core funder is in flux? Our small museum and archive are facing this exact reality. Now, we’re mapping a path forward. From re-engaging volunteers and local communities to improving relationships with local history societies, the council and MPs to redesigning our funding model, improving collections care, and proposing a bold new heritage centre, this is our active work-in-progress. We know it is not just our problem—it’s a sector-wide challenge. Bring and share your ideas, your examples, and your strategies! 

Wild spirits and wiser risks: Rethinking entrepreneurship in independent museums

Dr Matthew Tanner, Specialist Consultant and AIM Hon Vice President, Compass Heritage 

How can independent museums turn constraints into catalysts through bold, mission-driven entrepreneurship. This session explores practical ways to embrace creative risk, challenge cautious governance, and unlock new forms of value—without losing sight of charitable purpose. A provocative and energising call for leaders ready to think differently. 

Resilience in action: shaping museum futures through innovation and entrepreneurship

Erin Moran, Museum Futures Capacity Programme Officer, Museums Galleries Scotland, and Siobhan Beatson, Museum Curator, Ullapool Museum 

Sustainability and innovation are central to building museum resilience, demonstrated by stories emerging from Museum Futures, a pioneering Museums Galleries Scotland programme launched in 2025. This session introduces opportunities and guidance designed to strengthen skills and capacity across the sector. Participants will explore out-of-the-box thinking that helps museums to flourish, begin developing an individual action plan for their own organisation, and hear from one of our Innovation museums as they share insights from their journey.   

Storytelling, brand building, and creating a new museum rooted in your values

Dr Chris Ferguson, Museum Director, and Claire Byers, Director, Executive Head of Brand and Communications, Ad Gefrin Anglo-Saxon Museum and Distillery 

Visit England’s Best New Tourism Business in 2025, Ad Gefrin is the epitome of a multi-sensory story-telling brand that is rooted in place and wholly embraced by its communities. We’ll draw on lessons from over 50 years of creating visitor-centred cultural destinations and museum experiences that can help you connect with, grow and sustain your audiences.  

Old stuff: An environmental story – how to use your collections to talk about the planetary emergency

Climate Museum UK, Clémence Aycard, Art Curator and Consultant

Can carpets help us talk about climate change? What do trinkets, paintings or clothes have to teach us of our connection to nature? Can the past help us build the future we hope for?  

In a world of increasingly alarming news, museums and historic houses collections are wonderful mediums to engage audiences with the planetary emergency. This practical session will offer a short introduction to environmental interpretation. We’ll explore ways to interrogate any object in search of stories of our (somewhat broken) relationship with the world, and reflect on how collections can help us mend it. 

Generating income from your school visits

Katherine McAlpine, Director and Gabriella Codastefano, Learning and Engagement Producer, Brunel Museum

For many years, the Brunel Museum’s schools programme relied on external contractors meaning high delivery costs, limited flexibility and a modest return. However, we’ve now moved this work from a cost heavy outreach activity into a profitable, adaptable and resilient educational offer. We’ll share the steps we took, the challenges encountered and the measurable outcomes achieved, offering a model for cultural organisations seeking to build income generating school programmes without compromising on quality. 

The heritage hustle: Blending a passion for heritage with a dynamic mixed-economy approach

Lucy Jenkins and Jonathan Ward, Co-CEO, Ushaw Historic House, Chapels, & Gardens  

Fifteen years ago Ushaw faced the real threat of abandonment and dereliction. This session will show how a proactive and energetic approach to finding new opportunities has created a resilient, forward-looking business model where heritage, mission, culture and commerce work hand in hand.  

Expect practical insights on diversifying income, engaging communities and balancing values with viability. This is a chance to hear how Ushaw has tackled a neglected estate through creativity, honouring the past whilst building resilience, embracing entrepreneurial thinking and turning heritage assets into thriving experiences — all grounded in purpose-driven practice. 

Troubleshooting governance - lessons from AIM Higher

Margaret Harrison, Head of Programmes, AIM, Jonathan Durnin, AIM Higher Consultant, Paul Hitchcock, Chair, Foxton Inclined Plane Trust, and Jeremy Mitchell, Chair, Petersfield Museum and Art Gallery 

AIM has been helping museums with good governance through bespoke consultancy for nearly 10 years. Many of these consultancies have been transformational for the museums that took part. One museum commented – it has moved the organisation forward a huge leap. We’ll share the practical lessons we’ve learned about good governance and sustainability. 

Breakout tour - Ushaw House and Chapels tour

Step inside centuries of history on a guided House & Chapels Tour at Ushaw. Wander through magnificent rooms, discover hidden stories and experience the quiet grandeur of Ushaw’s awe-inspiring chapels. 

Ushaw’s story spans more than 450 years. Its origins lie in the upheaval of the Reformation, when an English Catholic college was founded in Douai in 1568. Forced to flee during the French Revolution, the college returned to England and eventually settled at Ushaw in 1808. Over the next century, an extraordinary complex of buildings grew up around the original Georgian house and represent some of the finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture in the country, including the largest collection of work by four generations of the Pugin family. 

Breakout tour - Treasures of Ushaw: a library experience

Enjoy special access to the magnificent Big Library, a breathtaking space designed by Joseph Hansom, followed by a curated viewing of up to 20 fascinating books and archival treasures. You’ll discover pieces rarely seen by the public, each with its own story to tell.  

Ushaw’s Library contains over 50,000 books together with a wealth of archive material relating to their history, architectural design and alumni. Important holdings within the Library include the Nuremburg Chronicle of 1493, Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica and a first edition of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species.

Wellness - sound bath

Stephen, Lone Wolf Vision 

An opportunity to deeply relax and switch off from the demands of the day. Participants simply lie comfortably on a yoga mat while being immersed in the sounds and vibrations of crystal singing bowls and other therapeutic instruments. Many people describe the experience as calming, restorative, and deeply restful.

Growing together: Embedding inclusion and collaboration in our museums

Eleanor Moore, Project Manager, Growing Together and Sustainable Volunteering Officer, and Clare Ferdinando, Cultural Producer, Growing Together, Museum Development South West and Helen Jacobs, Head of Learning and Engagement, Royal West of England Academy

Discover how museums are building genuine inclusion—and making it stick. Learn the practical strategies behind their lasting change. This session provides the ideal opportunity to take a strategic pause and reflect on your organisation’s inclusion journey.  

Museum Development South West, alongside a participant in the project at Royal West of England Academy (RWA), will share learnings gained from over three years of work funded by NLHF and ACE.  

Helen Jacobs, Head of Learning and Engagement at RWA, will reflect on changes – large and small, practical and symbolic, straightforward and less so – in RWA’s ongoing journey. 

A house in time unlocked: Developing stories and interpretation at Holst Victorian House

Laura Kinnear, Curator, and Sabine Orton, Volunteer (previously Operations Manager), Holst Museum 

Declining visitor numbers and an incoherent offer meant something needed to change if the former Holst Birthplace Museum in Cheltenham was to survive.  Over three years, our small team delivered a first-class immersive visitor experience and a rebrand using technology, a small budget and a lot of inspired creativity! Join us to find out how we got our permanent offer right and what we found that could inspire museums of all sizes.  

Flushed with success! Building accessible visitor facilities

Rebecca Yorke, Director, Bronte Parsonage Museum

Despite opening to the public in 1928, the Brontë Parsonage Museum had no visitor facilities (ie toilets) until the beginning of 2025. In this session, Director Rebecca Yorke will discuss the challenges of fundraising for the most essential of facilities; make the case for the role toilets play in widening access; share her tips for undertaking a capital project for the first time and explain how she took everyone with her on the construction journey. May contain puns. 

Building a commercial model that is as unique as your museum

Samantha Shotton, COO, Beamish, the Living Museum of the North

This session reveals how Beamish builds commercial spaces as distinctive as the museum itself—experiential, immersive and rooted in story. We will show how retail and catering can do more than trade: deepening engagement, extending learning and strengthening financial resilience. Through practical examples, we will explore design choices, partnerships and team culture that turn commercial activity into part of the visitor experience, delivering income while enriching the visitor journey.   

Breakout tour - Ushaw House and Chapels tour

Step inside centuries of history on a guided House & Chapels Tour at Ushaw. Wander through magnificent rooms, discover hidden stories and experience the quiet grandeur of Ushaw’s awe-inspiring chapels. 

Ushaw’s story spans more than 450 years. Its origins lie in the upheaval of the Reformation, when an English Catholic college was founded in Douai in 1568. Forced to flee during the French Revolution, the college returned to England and eventually settled at Ushaw in 1808. Over the next century, an extraordinary complex of buildings grew up around the original Georgian house and represent some of the finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture in the country, including the largest collection of work by four generations of the Pugin family.  

Breakout tour - Treasures of Ushaw: a library experience

Enjoy special access to the magnificent Big Library, a breathtaking space designed by Joseph Hansom, followed by a curated viewing of up to 20 fascinating books and archival treasures. You’ll discover pieces rarely seen by the public, each with its own story to tell.  

Ushaw’s Library contains over 50,000 books together with a wealth of archive material relating to their history, architectural design and alumni. Important holdings within the Library include the Nuremburg Chronicle of 1493, Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica and a first edition of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species. 

Please note: due to the historic nature of the building, the Big Library is reached via 40 wide, shallow steps. Ushaw is actively working to improve accessibility and appreciate your understanding.

Wellness - mindfulness walk

Stephen, Lone Wolf Vision

A guided mindful walk through the beautiful grounds of Ushaw. Participants will be encouraged to slow down, engage their senses, and explore simple mindfulness practices while walking. The session combines gentle movement, reflection, and practical techniques that can be applied to everyday life to help manage stress and improve focus.

Suitable for: All fitness levels able to comfortably walk at a gentle pace outdoors.

Requirements: Appropriate footwear and weather suitable clothing.

Please meet at the entrance to the Library Corridor.

Employment law shake up: What museums need to know

Sarah Furness, Partner, Employment Law & HR, Hay & Kilner  

How do proposed employment law reforms affect museum operations? The team at Hay & Kilner outline the key reforms and their implications and offer guidance on how to avoid tribunal claims by way of case studies which will be illustrated via practical demonstrations. Discover how to manage any risk and turn legal change into an opportunity.

What museum professionals need to know about commercial contracts

Celia Lloyd Davidson, Legal Director, Boodle Hatfield LLP  

This session provides an overview of key risks in commercial contracts – red flag issues to look out for, sector specific considerations, and key updates from a legal perspective – all tailored to the museums sector.    

Collections that connect: Shaping brand identity through heritage

Caroline Pantling, Head of Heritage Services, The Scouts, Hannah Jenkinson, Archivist, Girlguiding, and Hannah Spinks, Archive and Collections Manager – The Duke of Edinburgh’s Award  

Working with heritage in non-heritage organisations can be challenging and rewarding! The Scouts, Girlguiding and the Duke of Edinburgh’s Award share how they are using their collections to actively shape brand identity, strengthen organisational culture, and connect with new audiences. We will show how heritage can be a powerful brand asset which, when used creatively, can enhance relevance, identity, and connections with society today. 

From hidden store to discovery centre: transforming a national chair collection

Roz Currie, Director, Wycombe Museum, and Amber Xavier Rowe, Head of Collections Conservation, English Heritage  

High Wycombe’s internationally significant chair-making heritage sits at the heart of Wycombe Museum, yet for years our chair collection was hidden in an unsuitable off-site store. In 2022 we began an ambitious transformation: creating the new Chair Discovery Centre, a combined working store and accessible space for visitors, researchers and our communities. This talk explores how we tackled an “impossible” collections challenge through innovative sustainable-store design with English Heritage, ongoing fundraising and strong local partnerships. We’ll share lessons on designing a low-energy store, pragmatic collections management and how the move has reshaped our organisation’s sustainability and impact.  

Building climate resilience in independent museums

Rachel Davies, Director of Operations, Gardens, Libraries & Museums, University of Oxford, Amber Rochette, Sustainability Manager, The Roman Baths & Pump Room, Bath & North East Somerset Council 

It is increasingly important to understand how climate risks influence buildings, collections, staff, visitors and supply chains. This session will explore how to use climate scenarios, evaluate future climate hazards and the environmental impact of products. Gain practical tools for identifying vulnerabilities and learn how to integrate climate-risk thinking into everyday decisions. By recognising climate change as central to resilient operations, you will leave equipped to strengthen long-term museum sustainability. 

Rethinking the model

Gaynor Seville, Creative Director, and Gemma Outen, Programme and Engagement Manager, Whitaker Museum 

The Whitaker re opened in 2021 after a major redevelopment, building a new hospitality wing for a café and commercial events.  This was assumed to be an income generating machine to fund the museum operation.  This session will explore how over a 4 year period the museum has changed it’s business and operating model, become an NPO, outsourced the commercial hospitality operation, secured heritage lottery resilience funding, and is now breaking even and planning a new ambitious accommodation and studio wing to further develop the offer and diversify income streams. 

Breakout tour - Ushaw House and Chapels tour

Step inside centuries of history on a guided House & Chapels Tour at Ushaw. Wander through magnificent rooms, discover hidden stories and experience the quiet grandeur of Ushaw’s awe-inspiring chapels.  

Ushaw’s story spans more than 450 years. Its origins lie in the upheaval of the Reformation, when an English Catholic college was founded in Douai in 1568. Forced to flee during the French Revolution, the college returned to England and eventually settled at Ushaw in 1808. Over the next century, an extraordinary complex of buildings grew up around the original Georgian house and represent some of the finest examples of Gothic Revival architecture in the country, including the largest collection of work by four generations of the Pugin family. 

Breakout tour - Treasures of Ushaw: a library experience

Enjoy special access to the magnificent Big Library, a breathtaking space designed by Joseph Hansom, followed by a curated viewing of up to 20 fascinating books and archival treasures. You’ll discover pieces rarely seen by the public, each with its own story to tell.  

Ushaw’s Library contains over 50,000 books together with a wealth of archive material relating to their history, architectural design and alumni. Important holdings within the Library include the Nuremburg Chronicle of 1493, Isaac Newton’s Principia Mathematica and a first edition of Charles Darwin’s On the Origin of Species.

Please note: due to the historic nature of the building, the Big Library is reached via 40 wide, shallow steps. Ushaw is actively working to improve accessibility and appreciate your understanding.

Wellness - gentle mobility yoga

Julie, Lone Wolf Vision

A slower paced yoga session focused on mobility, flexibility, balance, and relaxation. A welcoming environment suitable for all experience levels. The session is designed to help release tension from sitting, improve movement quality, and provide a calm reset during the conference day.

Suitable for: Beginners, older adults, and most mobility levels.

Requirements: Participants should be able to comfortably get up and down from the floor independently.

Please ensure you wear something comfortable and non-restrictive to help you get the most out of this session.

Please meet at the entrance to the Library Corridor.

It’s the beautiful Birmingham Botanical business model, bab!

Jen Ridding, Head of Engagement and Learning, and Sara Blair-Manning, Chief Executive, Birmingham Botanical Gardens

Jen and Sara believe Botanic Gardens are essentially museums with living collections, requiring the same business modelling brilliance to thrive and flourish. In this informative, interactive and accessible session, delegates will hear honest reflections and the ‘yes bab!’ moments about the ambitious capital redevelopment programme, how the team have rebuilt Birmingham Botanical Gardens’ brand and business resilience from the ground up. 

Curating retail

Sue Hughes, Museum Development Advisor, Museum Development North, Olivia Thompson, Visitor Experience Co-ordinator, Middlesborough Museums, and Anya Kirkby, Consultant   

MD North ran a successful retail training and mentoring programme in 2025. Hear from facilitators and participants  how you can use your retail offer to tell the story of your site and increase sales.  We will take a quick look at visual merchandising and how to create unique, bespoke and story-led product ranges.  

Dynamic collections in a shoebox

Rebecca Bennion, Documentation Officer, and Carson Murphy, Collections Manager, Museum of North Craven Life

How can you complete a collections audit when you’re working in a space the size of a shoebox? Organise a Great Object Sort! Hear how we adapted our Dynamic Collections project to work miracles within a museum with cramped stores and limited table space, dealing with backlogs whilst engaging our volunteers and visitors.  

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