Having spent a fantastic day at the Museums Computer Group's UK Museums on the Web 2012 yesterday, I wanted to post a summary of the things that I think were the key lessons from the day.
One of the overwhelming themes of the day certainly seemed to be the importance of mobile in any digital application; apps and web sites. The repeated message of the massive surge in digital use on mobile (some quoted it as up 40% on last year, others even more) was given extra weight by the very interesting fact that if your website doesn't render well on mobile, Google won't rank your page in their site results. For these reasons, the V&A now won't consider any digital project unless it will work on a mobile phone.
Some of the most interesting thoughts came not out of the presentations but out of the short question and answer sessions afterwards. My favourite of these was the reminder of the importance of listening to your statistics and evaluations and acting accordingly; don't imagine what your audience wants - find out and do it, even if it seems counter intuitive to what you think they want. You are not your audience, after all!
Evaluation was another key topic, especially the importance of continuous evaluation rather than a final end of project document which is sent to funders and then ignored. We should see the launch of a project as a beginning, not an end, and expect every project to need continuous improvement and evolution throughout its life. This is, obviously, rather at odds with the nature of most project funding which tends to see a launch as the goal to which we all aim, and it was suggested that we probably should be looking at ways to change this results-driven culture of funding. Not that anyone was sure how, exactly, and neither am I; answers on a postcard if you have any ideas!
Impact was also a key topic, from Simon Tanner in particular, though various speakers touched on the idea. Doing something nice, he said, isn't impact; it's marketing. True impact is about changing lives, and he was quick to remind us that we should consider all our impacts, the bad and the good, and not view our projects and indeed daily activity with rose-tinted glasses. Impact can be measurable, such as financial gain, and it can be idealistic, such as the perceived value our institutions have for the people of a place simply by existing. He also reminded us that our projects don't just have impacts on our stakeholders; they can impact us, too, and that should be considered when planning and evaluating projects. And finally on this topic; just because a resource is viewed doesn't mean it is having an impact. Looking at something can be passive - just think how many TV adverts you watch, compared to how many you pay attention to!
Tom Grinstead from the Guardian talked about segmenting mobile audiences not by the device they use, but by their motivations and actions. In particular, he was talking about the different times of day that people access the news, and that they have different reasons for wanting to know what's going on in the world, depending on the time of day. More generally, I think this is an important lesson for all of us. If we think not about the type of person that is visiting us (in terms of their socio-economic background or ethnicity or age) but instead about what their motivations are, then perhaps we can start to think about how we can develop new 'products' which fulfill those needs, rather than getting stuck on what we think they might want - it comes back again to the importance of using your evaluations and statistics rather than just assuming you know what they want.
In all, it was a fantastic day with some brilliant speakers and some insightful questions from the audience. It was particularly good to follow along with the conversation that was happening on twitter at the #ukmw12 hashtag and join in, of course! I look forward to next year.
Saturday 1 December 2012
Thursday 22 November 2012
So your school visits are down?
It's not an isolated problem; not a day goes by without hearing someone else quoting education figures down. It's easy to blame budget cuts and increased red tape as barriers that stop schools from going to museums, but is that really the root cause? I suspect that there is more at work here than teachers avoiding admission fees and parental consent letters, and I think it is dangerous to the sector if we just continue blaming factors beyond our own reach and hoping the problem will go away.
Last spring and summer are, I believe classic examples. The country enjoyed a banner year, with once-in-a-lifetime events like the Golden Jubilee and the London Olympics filling our minds and television screens. They also filled our nation's schools; many taking on these interesting topics as the focus of their learning for the term.
Which brings me to why I believe that education visit figures were down in many places last year.
With the move to new ways of teaching the primary curriculum, from 'mantle of the expert' to creative curriculums and topic based learning, the emphasis across the board seems to be on giving learning context and placing the traditional subjects within a framework of a theme that the children can relate to. Gone are the disparate lessons for maths, science and history. Instead, children are encouraged to draw together skills and facts they learn about the rainforests, or the Second World War... or the Olympics, or the jubilee.
Now stop and think about your own education programmes for a minute. Do you offer taught sessions or guided visits themed around the Olympics? Did the Golden Jubilee fit into your set of worksheets or outreach sessions or loan boxes?
I'm guessing not.
But if this is the problem, if primary schools are not visiting because we're not relevant to their topics and themes, then what is the solution? To sit and wait for them to get back around to studying the Tudors and the Egyptians again?
I propose a better solution. It's not that hard to start to think about what may be driving primary school topics in the next few years; your events department think at least a year ahead all the time. What significant events, anniversarys and so on will be interesting schools in your area next year, or the year after? Here's an easy one to start; 2014 is the centenary of the start of World War One. Start thinking now about how you can offer something to schools that will enhance their learning of that topic; what is in your collection? What can you adapt from sessions you already know are popular? Can you start building partnerships now that will result in interesting offers?
And therein, really, lies my point. The way children learn is changing; we need to change the way we offer learning too, if we want to stay an important part of supporting school based learners. Don't be complacent, don't think in the past. Be innovative, be fresh, think ahead. Try something new. Because if we don't, the tide is unlikely to turn back in our favour.sc
Last spring and summer are, I believe classic examples. The country enjoyed a banner year, with once-in-a-lifetime events like the Golden Jubilee and the London Olympics filling our minds and television screens. They also filled our nation's schools; many taking on these interesting topics as the focus of their learning for the term.
Which brings me to why I believe that education visit figures were down in many places last year.
With the move to new ways of teaching the primary curriculum, from 'mantle of the expert' to creative curriculums and topic based learning, the emphasis across the board seems to be on giving learning context and placing the traditional subjects within a framework of a theme that the children can relate to. Gone are the disparate lessons for maths, science and history. Instead, children are encouraged to draw together skills and facts they learn about the rainforests, or the Second World War... or the Olympics, or the jubilee.
Now stop and think about your own education programmes for a minute. Do you offer taught sessions or guided visits themed around the Olympics? Did the Golden Jubilee fit into your set of worksheets or outreach sessions or loan boxes?
I'm guessing not.
But if this is the problem, if primary schools are not visiting because we're not relevant to their topics and themes, then what is the solution? To sit and wait for them to get back around to studying the Tudors and the Egyptians again?
I propose a better solution. It's not that hard to start to think about what may be driving primary school topics in the next few years; your events department think at least a year ahead all the time. What significant events, anniversarys and so on will be interesting schools in your area next year, or the year after? Here's an easy one to start; 2014 is the centenary of the start of World War One. Start thinking now about how you can offer something to schools that will enhance their learning of that topic; what is in your collection? What can you adapt from sessions you already know are popular? Can you start building partnerships now that will result in interesting offers?
And therein, really, lies my point. The way children learn is changing; we need to change the way we offer learning too, if we want to stay an important part of supporting school based learners. Don't be complacent, don't think in the past. Be innovative, be fresh, think ahead. Try something new. Because if we don't, the tide is unlikely to turn back in our favour.sc
Tuesday 21 August 2012
Planning a Halloween Event
It's almost the end of the summer, and that's exactly the time of year I usually start planning my events for the half term holidays (well, after a week off to recover first, of course).
So, I thought as Halloween events were in my head at the moment I'd share some of the things I've learnt over the years that I think about in my planning, so that they can hopefully be of use to other people too.
Some of this advice is specific to trail-type events, such as a ghost walk, but various bits of it can apply no matter what type of Halloween event you're running.
Sell the scare
If you make something sound spooky people will be much more likely turn up for it at Halloween than if you make it sound educational; the challenge from a museum point of view is to then wrap up some real meaning into the event when they’re there. Ghost stories and costumed people are always a win, so that’s a great starting point.
Repetition is key
Halloween events usually take a lot of planning. If you can run the same with many groups during the day or night with timed tickets, you'll get the best out of your planning efforts.
Insist people pre-book
It's always helpful to know how many people you’ve got coming. Also, get people to pay their admission/fee when they book, as they’re much more likely to remember to turn up if they’ve already paid for it.
Timing is Everything
If you're running an event with multiple start times, staggered entry or even just 'turn up whenever' then you'll need to think about timing. Especially at Halloween, when guests are often being told a spooky story, overlapping can really ruin the atmosphere. Timed tickets are by far the easiest to managed. Guess how long your visitors will be at each ‘stop’ on the tour, then add five minutes (or maybe ten if you expect your guides to talk more than they’re told to); that’s your minimum interval between tours. And remember, you’re better off leaving too much time than too little. Also be aware of bottleneck points; where people might unexpectedly stop or take longer than you’d expected (toilet stops, an interesting artefact they’ll stop and look at, a volunteer who likes to engage visitors in conversation, etc.) and try and plan to avoid them or to find a way of moving people on quickly.
Fun for all the family
Halloween events are usually by their nature scary, so expect parents to ask if the event is suitable for their children. You'll need to decide what the minimum appropriate age is for children, based on the event content... then expect people to bring younger children anyway and prepare your performers to warn parents with young children if something is likely to be unsuitable for them. Maybe even plan an alternate route to avoid the scariest parts.
Use your captive audience
Expect people to turn up early for their tour and have something to do with them whilst they’re waiting; children are happy with colouring sheets, parents might be happy with the tearoom and shop to occupy them! A storyteller could set a good appropriate atmosphere. Don't let people get bored before they even start! Use waiting guests as a captive audience and use the opportunity to make their experience even better.
Like giving candy to a baby
If you’re planning an event at which children are welcome then sweets are a great investment; people associate Halloween with trick or treat and it’s amazing what scares or problems children will overlook if you give them a lollipop.
Too popular for your own good
Have a plan to deal with oversubscription; it's a good idea to prepare your performers to expect a late finish. If you don't need the extra time then everyone will be pleased with the early night, and no-one gets grumpy because they're out later than they expected to be. This also gives you some leeway for running over because guests enjoyed themselves so much they lingered to make their night last longer.
Scope out your spaces
Practice in the spaces to see how many people comfortably fit in the areas you’re using and use this to set your group limits. If possible, do this at night because spaces feel different sizes in the dark.
Atmosphere is everything
Try and maintain a sense of atmosphere; you need enough light to appease your risk assessment but if you can keep lights off in adjoining corridors and rooms or paths it’ll make the place feel spooky without you having to spend a fortune on set dressing or expensive effects. Use waiting to your best effect too; during the tour, if you can keep people waiting for a few seconds before your actors appear you’ll build a sense of apprehension and tension. It’s a fine balance though – don’t keep people waiting so long they get bored! There are other ways to creep out your audience also; you’ll know your spaces better than anyone else, but if you can lock doors behind people or create footsteps, bangs and odd noises in the next room, they’ll all help with your atmosphere.
Give the crowd what they want
Parents are looking for Halloween experiences which they can take their kids to which are safe and don’t encourage them to be knocking on stranger’s doors asking for sweets, so if you can schedule something on the 31st which appeals to that then do, it’s likely to be a winner.
Quality is better than quantity
Adults expect a great deal more in terms of quality of special effects than children do, so if you’re running events for adults (or even older children) then try and keep your effects more to the psychological than the physical if you don’t have a large budget. Flickering candles and the shadows cast from pumpkins are some of the best set dressing you can get, and they’re really cheap. If you’re worried about fire, I can recommend the battery powered tealights and candles; they look just as good as the real thing but they last much longer, have no fire risk and no risk of injury to the public either. Equally, the quickest way to make an event look amateurish is with cheap 'gory' effects; if you can't do it well, don't do it all.
Hopefully that's been a useful set of thoughts on Halloween events! If you've got questions, please ask, and feel free to suggest other hints and tips if you have them. :)
So, I thought as Halloween events were in my head at the moment I'd share some of the things I've learnt over the years that I think about in my planning, so that they can hopefully be of use to other people too.
Some of this advice is specific to trail-type events, such as a ghost walk, but various bits of it can apply no matter what type of Halloween event you're running.
Sell the scare
If you make something sound spooky people will be much more likely turn up for it at Halloween than if you make it sound educational; the challenge from a museum point of view is to then wrap up some real meaning into the event when they’re there. Ghost stories and costumed people are always a win, so that’s a great starting point.
Repetition is key
Halloween events usually take a lot of planning. If you can run the same with many groups during the day or night with timed tickets, you'll get the best out of your planning efforts.
Insist people pre-book
It's always helpful to know how many people you’ve got coming. Also, get people to pay their admission/fee when they book, as they’re much more likely to remember to turn up if they’ve already paid for it.
Timing is Everything
If you're running an event with multiple start times, staggered entry or even just 'turn up whenever' then you'll need to think about timing. Especially at Halloween, when guests are often being told a spooky story, overlapping can really ruin the atmosphere. Timed tickets are by far the easiest to managed. Guess how long your visitors will be at each ‘stop’ on the tour, then add five minutes (or maybe ten if you expect your guides to talk more than they’re told to); that’s your minimum interval between tours. And remember, you’re better off leaving too much time than too little. Also be aware of bottleneck points; where people might unexpectedly stop or take longer than you’d expected (toilet stops, an interesting artefact they’ll stop and look at, a volunteer who likes to engage visitors in conversation, etc.) and try and plan to avoid them or to find a way of moving people on quickly.
Fun for all the family
Halloween events are usually by their nature scary, so expect parents to ask if the event is suitable for their children. You'll need to decide what the minimum appropriate age is for children, based on the event content... then expect people to bring younger children anyway and prepare your performers to warn parents with young children if something is likely to be unsuitable for them. Maybe even plan an alternate route to avoid the scariest parts.
Use your captive audience
Expect people to turn up early for their tour and have something to do with them whilst they’re waiting; children are happy with colouring sheets, parents might be happy with the tearoom and shop to occupy them! A storyteller could set a good appropriate atmosphere. Don't let people get bored before they even start! Use waiting guests as a captive audience and use the opportunity to make their experience even better.
Like giving candy to a baby
If you’re planning an event at which children are welcome then sweets are a great investment; people associate Halloween with trick or treat and it’s amazing what scares or problems children will overlook if you give them a lollipop.
Too popular for your own good
Have a plan to deal with oversubscription; it's a good idea to prepare your performers to expect a late finish. If you don't need the extra time then everyone will be pleased with the early night, and no-one gets grumpy because they're out later than they expected to be. This also gives you some leeway for running over because guests enjoyed themselves so much they lingered to make their night last longer.
Scope out your spaces
Practice in the spaces to see how many people comfortably fit in the areas you’re using and use this to set your group limits. If possible, do this at night because spaces feel different sizes in the dark.
Atmosphere is everything
Try and maintain a sense of atmosphere; you need enough light to appease your risk assessment but if you can keep lights off in adjoining corridors and rooms or paths it’ll make the place feel spooky without you having to spend a fortune on set dressing or expensive effects. Use waiting to your best effect too; during the tour, if you can keep people waiting for a few seconds before your actors appear you’ll build a sense of apprehension and tension. It’s a fine balance though – don’t keep people waiting so long they get bored! There are other ways to creep out your audience also; you’ll know your spaces better than anyone else, but if you can lock doors behind people or create footsteps, bangs and odd noises in the next room, they’ll all help with your atmosphere.
Give the crowd what they want
Parents are looking for Halloween experiences which they can take their kids to which are safe and don’t encourage them to be knocking on stranger’s doors asking for sweets, so if you can schedule something on the 31st which appeals to that then do, it’s likely to be a winner.
Quality is better than quantity
Adults expect a great deal more in terms of quality of special effects than children do, so if you’re running events for adults (or even older children) then try and keep your effects more to the psychological than the physical if you don’t have a large budget. Flickering candles and the shadows cast from pumpkins are some of the best set dressing you can get, and they’re really cheap. If you’re worried about fire, I can recommend the battery powered tealights and candles; they look just as good as the real thing but they last much longer, have no fire risk and no risk of injury to the public either. Equally, the quickest way to make an event look amateurish is with cheap 'gory' effects; if you can't do it well, don't do it all.
Hopefully that's been a useful set of thoughts on Halloween events! If you've got questions, please ask, and feel free to suggest other hints and tips if you have them. :)
Saturday 25 February 2012
Mother's Day Ideas
You've all probably planned your Mother's Day events by now (if not, why not?) but just in case you haven't, or if you've still got room to add and change your programme then I figured I'd throw out a few ideas.
As an event which celebrates part of the family unit, Mother's Day is a fantastic opportunity for encouraging families to work for each other and with each other.
Some fun ideas that I've had over the years;
- an event that encourages kids to bring their Dad to make something for Mum as a present. This works particularly well when they're doing an activity that Dad will probably feel plays to his strength, such as making a picture frame (Dad's are responsible for supervising the gluing of the wood together for the frame, the kids can take the lead on the painting-and-sticking decoration).
- making bath salts in glass jars as a gift for Mum. This is so easy even very small children can do it, as essentially they're just mixing in colours and scents in a giant mixing bowl and then decanting it into glass jars. Make sure you buy cosmetic grade epsom salts, colours and scents so that they're bath safe. Personalise the activity more by having the children decorate the jar with labels, ribbons and so on.
- making Mother's Day cards. A tip; don't run this activity on Mother's Day itself, as most people have already given their cards by then! If you're going to make cards, do it in the week or weekend before. This sort of activity would work very well with groups of children. There are lots of types of cards you can make, but I find the pop-up flower cards are excellent for Mother's Day, as are the paper tissue flowers with pipe cleaner stems.
- encourage Mum and children to share memories and play together with a special trail. Ask children and their mum to tell each other what their favourite object in a room is, or get them to pick an object and explain it to one another. Play i-spy, twenty questions or other games, using the museum as the starting point. Some of these work well even with older children.
- make Mum medals. Rosettes, made with paper or ribbon, are a lot of fun and fairly easy to make though they can be time consuming. Rosettes can be made to say 'Happy Mother's Day', 'Best Mum', 'I Love You' or anything else at all.
There's just a few suggestions there but hopefully its given you some ideas.
If you'd like step by step instructions for any of the crafts I've mentioned please just ask, and I've sometimes got trail or worksheet templates as well so shout if you'd like them.
If you've got a topic you'd like me to cover in a how-to post, just drop me a line on twitter @Sarah_Fellows or here on the blog and I'll see what I can do!
As an event which celebrates part of the family unit, Mother's Day is a fantastic opportunity for encouraging families to work for each other and with each other.
Some fun ideas that I've had over the years;
- an event that encourages kids to bring their Dad to make something for Mum as a present. This works particularly well when they're doing an activity that Dad will probably feel plays to his strength, such as making a picture frame (Dad's are responsible for supervising the gluing of the wood together for the frame, the kids can take the lead on the painting-and-sticking decoration).
- making bath salts in glass jars as a gift for Mum. This is so easy even very small children can do it, as essentially they're just mixing in colours and scents in a giant mixing bowl and then decanting it into glass jars. Make sure you buy cosmetic grade epsom salts, colours and scents so that they're bath safe. Personalise the activity more by having the children decorate the jar with labels, ribbons and so on.
- making Mother's Day cards. A tip; don't run this activity on Mother's Day itself, as most people have already given their cards by then! If you're going to make cards, do it in the week or weekend before. This sort of activity would work very well with groups of children. There are lots of types of cards you can make, but I find the pop-up flower cards are excellent for Mother's Day, as are the paper tissue flowers with pipe cleaner stems.
- encourage Mum and children to share memories and play together with a special trail. Ask children and their mum to tell each other what their favourite object in a room is, or get them to pick an object and explain it to one another. Play i-spy, twenty questions or other games, using the museum as the starting point. Some of these work well even with older children.
- make Mum medals. Rosettes, made with paper or ribbon, are a lot of fun and fairly easy to make though they can be time consuming. Rosettes can be made to say 'Happy Mother's Day', 'Best Mum', 'I Love You' or anything else at all.
There's just a few suggestions there but hopefully its given you some ideas.
If you'd like step by step instructions for any of the crafts I've mentioned please just ask, and I've sometimes got trail or worksheet templates as well so shout if you'd like them.
If you've got a topic you'd like me to cover in a how-to post, just drop me a line on twitter @Sarah_Fellows or here on the blog and I'll see what I can do!
Hints, tips and 'how-to's
Hi everyone. I haven't updated my blog in far too long, and I do apologise for that! I'll blame the extended Christmas/Winter period somehow, if I can.
I'm planning a new series of blog posts on the lines of hints, tips and how-to articles all to do with the sorts of things I specialise in; family learning, online engagement and interpretation. I don't believe there can ever be enough free advice out there, so I thought I'd throw some of my own our into the wide world in the hopes that it helps someone.
If you've got a topic you'd like me to cover, get in touch either via comments here on the blog or on twitter @sarah_fellows. It could be anything from ideas for a pirate event (that post is definitely happening at some point) to what craft you could make with empty juice cartons to suggestions for growing a twitter following. Ask away; if I can't help I'll just say so.
Hopefully this will open the door for many comments (though I'd settle for one or two, if you're offering).
Thanks all! And I hope this proves useful for everyone.
I'm planning a new series of blog posts on the lines of hints, tips and how-to articles all to do with the sorts of things I specialise in; family learning, online engagement and interpretation. I don't believe there can ever be enough free advice out there, so I thought I'd throw some of my own our into the wide world in the hopes that it helps someone.
If you've got a topic you'd like me to cover, get in touch either via comments here on the blog or on twitter @sarah_fellows. It could be anything from ideas for a pirate event (that post is definitely happening at some point) to what craft you could make with empty juice cartons to suggestions for growing a twitter following. Ask away; if I can't help I'll just say so.
Hopefully this will open the door for many comments (though I'd settle for one or two, if you're offering).
Thanks all! And I hope this proves useful for everyone.
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