STUDY ON AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

IN IRELAND 2015
FOR THE ARTS COUNCIL /
AN CHOMHAIRLE EALAON
RESEARCH DIGEST

ANNETTE NUGENT / HEATHER MAITLAND / RACHEL GIBSON

SEPTEMBER 2015

REVIEW OF AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT IN IRELAND

SUMMARY OF SURVEY FINDINGS
A review of audience development in the Republic of Ireland was commissioned by the Arts Council
and carried out in Spring 2015 by independent consultants Annette Nugent, Heather Maitland and
Rachel Gibson. The brief was to examine current audience development issues in the Irish arts
sector and how the current support mechanisms address the Councils stated objective to support
and promote audience development.
The consultants aimed to gather and analyse information and opinions from a wide range of sources
including:
individual meetings with Arts Council staff and Council members;
interviews (face to face and telephone) with individuals with relevant knowledge and experience
of audience development;
two large scale group consultation meetings, one in Dublin and one in Cork;
a questionnaire circulated to 717 individuals and organisations across the arts sector.
Following is a digest of the questionnaire responses compiled from the organisations and
individuals that contributed to the research. It is offered in a spirit of professional collegiality and
in gratitude for respondents openness to the research process. It is not for publication.

ABOUT THE SURVEY RESPONDENTS

Total responses
Incomplete
Total complete questionnaires

361
49
312

Organisation type
Venue
Festival
Production company
Support organisation/network
Gallery
Local Authority arts service
Independent artist
Orchestra or music group
Promoter
Publisher
Youth Arts
Other
Participatory organisation
Artists Studio
Museum

No. of respondents
71
45
40
35
26
23
18
12
10
10
6
5
5
4
2
312

% of respondents
23%
14%
13%
11%
8%
7%
6%
4%
3%
3%
2%
2%
2%
1%
1%

Main artform
Multidisciplinary arts
Theatre
Music
Visual Arts
Literature
Dance
Film
Traditional arts
Opera
Street arts and spectacle

No. of respondents
98
50
47
42
21
15
15
13
7
4
312

% of respondents
31%
16%
15%
13%
7%
5%
5%
4%
2%
1%

Organisation scale
Large scale
Mid scale
Small scale
Not applicable

No. of respondents
58
103
101
48
296

% of respondents
20%
35%
34%
16%

No. of
respondents
21
39
90
83
31
11
2
256

Job type
Artist/performer
Artistic director/programmer/producer/publisher
Festival/venue/gallery director or CEO/Board
Management/administration/promoter
Marketing/communications/sales
Audience development/education
Other

% of
respondents
7%
13%
29%
27%
10%
4%
1%

ORGANISATIONAL FOCUS

Arts and communities

Arts and cultural diversity
Arts and disability
Arts and health
Arts and older people
Young people, children and education

No. of respondents
184
77
50
42
79
158
312

% of respondents
59%
25%
16%
13%
25%
51%

Organising focusing activity on communities are a little more likely to be venues and least likely
to be production companies
Those focusing activity on cultural diversity are a little less likely to be venues and a little more
likely to be festivals.
Those focusing on arts and disability are most likely to be venues, galleries and local authority
arts services.
Those focusing on arts and health are most likely to be galleries and local authority arts services
and least likely to be production companies
Those focusing on arts and older people are most likely to be venues, galleries and local
authority arts services.
A wide range of organisation types focus on young people, children and education.

DEFINING AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

We asked survey respondents how they thought audience development should be defined. 246
survey respondents gave definitions, with an additional 12 saying they couldnt define it and eight
saying it was an inexact phrase that different people defined in different ways. Responses were
organised responses into themes for analysis.

WHAT ORGANISATIONAL FUNCTIONS DOES IT INVOLVE?

Response theme
Communicating with or persuading
audiences / it's the same as marketing
Programming + marketing

No. of
respondents

% of
respondents

41

17%

19

8%

Marketing + commissioning + programming

+ education + customer care + distribution /
holistic, involves the whole organisation
Marketing + outreach + education
Works alongside marketing / not marketing

16

7%

3
3

1%
1%

The 41 respondents that defined audience development in similar ways to marketing were from a
wide range of organisations, broadly reflecting the survey sample. Those that defined it more
broadly were also from a wide range of organisations. Those defining it solely in terms of numbers
were more likely to be production companies, but otherwise reflected the range of organisations in
the sample.
WHO IS IT AIMED AT?
Response theme
Existing and new / potential audiences
New audiences / trying new experiences
Existing audiences

No. of
respondents
57
20
6

% of
respondents
23%
8%
2%

WHAT IS IT FOR?
Response theme
Develop long term relationships with/ nurturing
audiences
Bigger audiences
Deepening knowledge, understanding and
engagement
Meet the needs of audiences / audience-focused
Bigger and broader audiences
About arts experiences, not just numbers
A way of engaging / supporting / inspiring people
Meet needs of both audience and artists
Delivers needs and ethos of organisation/ right
audience for the work
Equality of access
Unlocking latent/potential demand

No. of
respondents

% of
respondents

52

21%

40

16%

36

15%

29
24
12
9
8

12%
10%
5%
4%
3%

7
5
2

3%
2%
1%

WHAT DOES IT INVOLVE?

Response theme
Researching / understanding audiences/
communities
Planned/ Strategic
Essential
Audience development is different for
different organisations and communities
Co-creators / partners not just attenders
Keeping your organisation relevant and
connected

No. of
respondents

% of
respondents

43

17%

15
8

6%
3%

1%

1%

1%

The following illustrate the range of audience development definitions given by survey respondents:
I find the idea of audience development bizarre at best. Advertising is the only thing. Building a
reputation. Guarantee the quality of your work. Word of mouth is best. (Small-scale production
company)
It means different things to different people and, crucially, different funders. An inclusive
description seems wise. (Mid scale festival)
Identify, engage with and develop a relationship with existing and prospective audience members.
(Mid scale production company)
How we as a venue learn from our audiences and improve our practice for the future through
them. (Mid scale venue)
I see audience development in a very wide context, not just as a "tinkering-with-marketing"
exercise, but more as a major challenge in "attitude-amendment" for very large swathes of the
population. Audience development should be about making the arts as realistic an option as
attending the cinema, making the choice to attend as natural and matter of fact as going for a meal
or meeting friends for a drink. For the majority of the population, this is not presently the case.
(Local authority arts service)
I think that within the definition of audience development there are many definitions: new potential
audience conversion, building relationships with the audience you have, engagement, of course
increasing ticket sales, PR & marketing, subscribers, social media fans / followers, education and
outreach Audience Development involves all we need to do in order to build and retain audiences.
(Small-scale production company)
In realistic terms, with realistic goals and more dedicated resources/strategies rather than an oft
feeling mythical thing that can end up as an afterthought or being covered anyway when plans are
discussed and the inevitable who is this aimed at question is addressed? Should there be more that
is interrogated beyond just trying to get tickets sold and how much can be spent on advertising?
(Large-scale festival)
I think talking to other marketing managers for venues it would be great to get together to really
thrash this out. Each venue is different but the daily demands often are the same so it would work to
sit, talk and discuss what is being done that works, what isn't done but would hope to do and an
action plan on how to get it done within a set amount of time. That would focus people but would
also be in a supported group which can often be the problem, working in your own bubble and not
tapping in to others. (Mid-scale venue)

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT PRACTICE

The consultants used a range of information sources to establish what constitutes good audience
development practice, including interviews with arts organisations and a literature review.
Successful audience development is likely to have the following characteristics:

Audience focus: the organisation discusses audiences at the highest level of management;
Those involved in planning and delivering audience development are clear how the activity
contributes to their organisations overall objectives;
Projects are part of a long-term plan developed through dialogue between the artistic,
education and marketing functions of the organisation;
Clear aims and measurable targets are set in advance;
Audience development activity is addressed at a distinct target group or groups and there is a
close match between their needs and interests and the benefits the chosen arts event or activity
has to offer;
Those involved collect and analyse information about existing and potential audiences to use in
decision making;
There is a process of consultation with the target group or groups;
The elements of the marketing mix are tailored to suit the needs, experiences and personal
circumstances of the target group or groups, including the arts experience;
Activity is evaluated;
The organisation sustains their relationship with the target group or groups in the long term.

SURVEY RESPONDENTS AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT PRACTICE

Organisations were scored based on the extent to which their practice reflected the characteristics
of good audience development listed at the beginning of this section. They were given a score for
each characteristic between 0 (not part of current practice) to 4 (fully integrated into practice) and
these scores totalled. Based on their scores, they were divided into four bands.

Band
A
B
C
D

Score
36-44
26-34
16-24
0-15

% of max
score
81%+
61%-80%
36% - 60%
35% or less

No. of
respondents
69
176
61
6
312

% of
respondents
22%
56%
20%
2%

Organisations scoring more than 80% of the total possible score were more likely to be festivals
and youth arts organisations and production companies. They were least likely to be
independent artists.
Those in band B were most likely to be support organisations/networks, galleries and venues.
Those in band C were most likely to be independent artists, promoters and production
companies.
Only five organisations out of 312 said they do no audience development: an artists' studio, a
gallery, a local authority arts service, a promoter and a venue.

STRENGTHS AND WEAKNESSES

Audience focus
61% talk about audiences a lot at management meetings. Among the 6% that rarely talk about
audiences are local authority arts services, independent artists, publishers and seven venues.
20% of organisations think about specific target audiences when programming, with these most
likely to be participatory and youth arts organisations and support organisations. Just 9% of
respondents do not identify target audiences for their work. Of those respondents not
responsible for programming, 54% are consulted about programming at an early stage. 27%
are simply informed about decisions.
Responsibility for audience development
10% (31 organisations) have a full-time member of staff with specific responsibility for
audience development; 89 have someone with part-time responsibility. More than half 54%
(168 organisations) - engage in audience development but no-one has specific responsibility.
Planning
Just 24% of organisations have written audience development plans that are part of the
business plan. Another 40% have committed their aims and objectives in writing and the
respondent understands how audience development fits into this. This means that 36% of
organisations appear to have no written organisational plan. These are from all organisation
types but are a little more likely to be independent artists.
42% of respondents do not take a strategic approach to audience development. These are
most likely to be individual artists and artists studios, publishers and participatory

organisations. Most of the remainder focus on a mix of keeping existing audiences and
developing new ones.
64% of organisations plan their audience development in conjunction with colleagues and
partners. Another 25% take time to plan on an occasional basis but don't involve others.
Those that don't have time to plan come from a wide range of organisations.
64% agree targets with colleagues, with just 10% saying that they don't set targets.

Understanding existing and potential audiences

46% have done some kind of audience research, with 20% saying they know a lot about their
audiences. These organisations are most likely to be festivals and galleries with over a third,
37%, saying they know a lot compared to 20% of venues. 18% of all respondents say they
research audiences at least once a year but a third just monitor sales on a regular basis. 15%
don't monitor the success of marketing or audience development at all - they are most likely to
be individual artists and music groups and least likely to be festivals.
Targeting distinct audiences
30% of respondents only have the resources to undertake limited promotion of activities.
These are most likely to be independent artists, galleries and production companies. Another
31% tend to do the same things for each project but 38% do different things depending on the
project.

ATTITUDES TO AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

Respondents were asked how much they agreed or disagreed with five statements about audience
development.
Their responses indicate a belief that audience development is a valid concept, with just 5%
agreeing or strongly agreeing that the arts sector in Ireland pays too much attention to audiences
and 2% agreeing or strongly agreeing that audience development is a waste of time and money.
They believe that the sector needs support with just 3% agreeing or strongly agreeing that
organisations should be left alone to develop their own audiences.
Practice is seen as improving with 75% agreeing or strongly agreeing that Irish arts organisations
are getting better at developing audiences.

ENGAGMENT WITH ARTS AUDIENCES

63% of respondents' organisations have engaged with Arts Audiences, the partnership initiative of
the Arts Council and Temple Bar Cultural Trust, across almost all organisation types: even though
the survey was sent to a broader range of cultural organisations than those funded by the Arts
Council. Those who have not engaged are most likely to be independent artists.

CASE STUDIES ABOUT THE IMPACT OF ENGAGEMENT WITH ARTS AUDIENCES

Survey respondents were asked for examples of how engagement with Arts Audiences had
impacted on their audience development practice. The following illustrate the range of positive
responses:
The networking alone has helped to develop relationships between venues, festivals etc and the
marketing group has expanded our reach in terms of getting messages to wider audiences via
different sources. (Mid-scale venue)
It provided support and strategic advice and contributed to a better understanding of how
important it is to have a strategic approach on limited budget and staff resources. (Support
organisation/network)
I attended an opera audiences workshop in 2014 and was able to transfer the skills I learned to all
the other genres I work with. It has been really helpful. (Mid-scale venue)
Arts Audiences is an amazing resource. We regularly use their research, attend their conferences
and changed our audience development strategies and actions as a result. (Small scale festival)
As newcomers to the sector our Audience Development sessions gave us huge food for thought
and discussion. They allowed us to use our energies and limited resources in a more focused way.
(Mid-scale production company)
Yes, encouraging the development of a written audience development plan and advocating for that
plan within the organisation; digital media training has unskilled members of the organisation to
improve web interface, social media strategy and e-communications. Research insights provided on
arts attendants has informed marketing and audience development strategies for the coming year.
(Large scale festival)
Yes, dramatically so. We are one of the founding members of the Here & Now audience survey
project. Results of this project have had a direct effect on staffing, operations (opening hours) and
event programming. (Large-scale gallery)
Yes, greatly. It confirmed some of the things that I thought, informed me on much more, and
instilled confidence in strategies, plans and how to's. We instantly became more effective in ways of
communicating, and exciting our audience(s), and being less precious/formal about some of the
ways in which we communicate and engage. (Small scale gallery)

It has helped us evaluate our audience development practice more, and spend more time planning,
revising and thinking of new ways to inform and attract people to participate in the arts (Large-scale
local authority arts service)
Yes, it did change my practice. It made me focus on finding out more detailed information about
our audience or potential audience through measuring online behaviours and engagement via
various analytical tools. It also made me rethink our media strategies - Arts Audiences is particularly
good in this regard. (Small-scale participatory organisation)
Each training course adds new knowledge, new skills, new confidence. All essential in making sure
we are kept up to date with new trends, new technologies, new ideas. It pushes you out of your
comfort zone, keeps you 'fresh' and 'relevant'. Our SEO has improved, we now use Facebook
Advertising, we have a Google Adwords Grant (and have spent over $100,000 in 2 years in free
advertising) and we ask more of incoming Promoters - they need to do their fair share in promoting
their show and giving venues adequate marketing resources. Overall, Arts marketing is now more
professional than it was 10 years ago, as by degrees, everyone up-skills and standards are raised.
(Large-scale venue)

OTHER SOURCES OF SUPPORT

194 respondents (62%) had engaged with the other specified sources of support for audience
development apart from Arts Audiences.

Theatre Forum benchmarking

Audience research/analysis
Information about audiences
Audience development
training
DeVos Ireland Programme
Other support activity
Culturehive

No. of
respondents
who have
engaged

% of
respondents

Average
quality
score out
of five

Average
relevance
score out
of five

108
97
91

35%
31%
29%

4.0
3.9
3.8

3.8
3.9
3.8

79
41
36
13

25%
13%
12%
4%

3.9
4.0
4.1
3.6

3.8
4.0
4.1
3.2

70 respondents (22%) specified other sources of audience development support they had engaged
with, apart from Arts Audiences. Of these, three quarters had only accessed one source and a fifth
cited two. A wide variety of sources were cited, most frequently Theatre Forum, the Arts Council,
an Irish arts development or support organisation, Business to Arts and Failte Ireland. Of these,
only Theatre Forum was cited by more than ten respondents.

WHAT PREVENTS IMPROVEMENTS IN PRACTICE?

Two barriers were cited repeatedly: management attitude and lack of time:
Unfortunately [my engagement] had no bearing on the organisation as the management does not
seem receptive to implementing new ideas however I have tried to apply it in my personal practice. I
have used the information to help improve the web performance in several other organisations I work
with. (Small-scale artists' studio)
[My practice] has changed a bit, but not a lot. I look at some things differently, but the time I have
available means that I can't do more. (Independent artist)
[My engagement] made me feel better in that I became aware that everyone else in my position was
as short of time as I am. It definitely made me more determined to make time for audience
development. (Large-scale orchestra/music group)

PRIORITIES FOR THE NEXT FIVE YEARS

Respondents were asked what the audience development priorities should be for the next five
years. The options were:
broadening audiences by focusing on people who don't attend the arts
increasing audience numbers so arts organisations can become more sustainable
helping audiences to deepen their understanding and appreciation of the arts
enriching audiences' experience of the arts.
Respondents found it difficult to prioritise with 185 of respondents (60%) agreeing or strongly
agreeing with all four options.
Fewest respondents (21%) strongly agreed that the priority should be broadening audiences
compared to between 40% and 49% for the other options and almost a third said they neither
agreed nor disagreed compared to 10% to 15% for the other options.
No-one disagreed or strongly disagreed that the priority should be deepening understanding or
enriching experiences.

SUMMARY OF FUTURE SUPPORT NEEDS

Survey respondents were asked what, if anything, would best support their audience development
activity in the future. A number of key themes emerged with the ten most frequently cited listed
below.

Support needs
More staff/time

Rank
from
survey
1

Staff member with specific responsibility and relevant skills

More resources

Access to readily available audience research and analysis about specific sectors
including non-attenders (central database)

Audience development training

Strategic approach

3
4

Individually tailored advice from AD expert (relevance to context)

AD resources, advice and ideas on what works eg newsletter widely available

including international good practice, focused on particular sectors

National arts awareness/value of the arts/advocacy campaigns

Peer support networks

Co-operation and strategic partnerships between organisations across arts

ecosystem and beyond eg health, education, welfare, youth

National strategic audience development plan

10

APPENDIX: THE QUESTIONNAIRE