Audience development is about putting people centre stage - making an effort to understand what people want; presenting your facility, collection or activity in a way which is accessible, and inviting; and encouraging participation and engagement.

In recent years there has been an increasing emphasis on audience development, particularly on the part of Government, public sector agencies and grant giving bodies such as the Lottery funders. The feeling is that developing a wider cross-section of support is crucial to building future support for the heritage and that publicly funded organisations have a duty to engage with all sections of the community.

Whilst audience development is concerned with developing new audiences and seeking to reach under-represented groups it is also about strengthening and deepening relationships with existing audiences. This is not just about reaching out to visitors and school groups but can also be about building stronger relationships with volunteers, trustees, employees and the local community.

The Tourism Company were commissioned by the Heritage Lottery Fund to write a short guidance note on audience development – Thinking about Audience Development - to help applicants for HLF grants. This can be downloaded at www.hlf.org.uk/HowToApply/

We have written Audience Development and Activity Plans for a range of projects including:

• Fulham Palace in London
• Lichfield Parks in Staffordshire
• Aberglasney Mansion in South Wales
• Valence Park in London
• Ware Priory Park in Hertfordshire
• Mildenhall Museum in Suffolk
• The West Somerset Mineral Railway

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