INTRODUCTION

The Campaign for Museums continued its main activities of organising and delivering Museums and Galleries Month (MGM) in May. In addition, two marketing conferences were held during the year. The Campaign for Museums also played an active part in the sector support a variety of activities throughout the year.

A Bigger and Better Museums and Galleries Month

Museums and Galleries Month relaunched for May 2006 had a great “buzz”, a feeling that this was important and that museums and galleries, Renaissance hubs, institutions and heritage organisations, wanted to be part of it. The three-year funding agreed by MLA from 2006 encouraged further support from the Arts Council and others to ensure that MGM could take the first step to its goal of a “Bigger and Better” promotion of benefit to museums and galleries around the UK.

Museums and Galleries Month was launched in London by the Secretary of State for Culture, Rt Hon Tessa Jowell, MP at Apsley House, courtesy English Heritage on 27 April. On the same day the Welsh Minister for Culture, Alan Pugh, launched MGM in Wales. ShowScotland, a Scottish version of the Welcome Weekend was launched by the Scottish Minister for Culture on 28 April.

Through Renaissance in the Regions funding, the English regions had dedicated specific resources to make the most of MGM2006. They came up with a range of activities and promotions.

The Welcome Weekend introduced as the springboard for MGM activities took place over the May Bank Holiday weekend. Small and large museums embraced the concept as an opportunity to reach out to new visitors. In the North West, several museums worked together to create regional impact, while in London several national museums joined in with welcome tours by directors and staff.

The theme for Museums and Galleries Month in 2006 was ‘Making Connections: Past, Present and Future’. This inspired a range of events throughout the country and also served to introduce three debates during the month aimed at the public as well as those working in the sector. We are grateful to the three London museums who generously hosted these events and Blackwall Green who sponsored the refreshments.

The MGM 2006-8 Business Plan set new criteria for evaluation which included for the first time an Omnibus Survey undertaken by BDRC in April and June to measure awareness of MGM. In its first year it showed an increase in general public awareness from 6 to 9 per cent – this will be used a baseline for future years. In the same way, the MLA set up a benchmarking process collecting data from a selection of museums and galleries in each region for April, May and June. These will be compared year by year.

Other measurements continued: media coverage increased by 5 per cent on already excellent coverage; events listed on the 24 Hour Museum on were up by an average 1,000 per day throughout May; and visits to the site during May – the front page for the MGM website were up overall by 5 per cent.

Loyd Grossman, Chairman

18 October 2006.