Better Business case study: Leicester Museum
“Leicester is the most diverse city in the country. We wanted to represent that more authentically in our exhibitions and programming and ensure that all communities feel welcome to visit”.
Mark Simmons, Audience Development and Engagement Manager
This commitment by Leicester Museums and Galleries, operated by the City Council, has enhanced its offer as a cultural hub that truly reflects the city it serves, and provided tangible business benefits.
Business benefit: Attract new audiences
The museum’s commitment to representing the city’s history, celebrating its multicultural identity, and involving community members, has created exhibitions and initiatives that resonate with different audiences. Recent examples include a photographic exhibition called ‘Popping to the Shops’, which showcases the evolution of communities along ‘the most diverse street in Britain’. The exhibition proved so popular that its initial three-month showing was extended by a further four months. Similarly, ‘This Golden Mile’, by Leicester-based artist Kavi Pujara documents the people and homes of a one-mile stretch of road with its “sari shops, Indian restaurants and jewellers”, telling “the story of its community’s migration to Leicester, their last mile of a long journey to Britain”. A collaboration with London’s Migration Museum launched ‘Heart of the Nation’, an exhibition designed to shine a light on the stories and experiences of people who came to Britain to work in the NHS and the vital role they played.
This focus on Leicester’s communities, together with deliberate targeting of programmes to appeal to a range of different groups, has not only diversified the museum’s visitor base but has also promoted better understanding and appreciation among different groups within the city. Visitors experience a richer story and some exhibitions have attracted audiences from further afield to come and explore their own history and heritage.
“It grows your audience. It means more people visit your site, more people take part and truly engage in what you do. And that’s very good for visitor numbers but also for your business”.
Mark Simmons, Audience Development and Engagement Manager
Business benefit: Unlock new funding
Inclusive programmes aimed at engaging under-represented and hard-to-reach groups, like young people and refugees, as well as initiatives such as its dementia-friendly programme, have further broadened the museum’s appeal and underlined its relevance and importance as an attraction in the city and beyond. Aligning programming with community needs and interests through outreach activities in local libraries, with community groups, pop-up events and community-led exhibitions, has also helped unlock new, longer-term funding opportunities. This means it has the financial stability necessary for long-term planning and helps support further expansion of its community engagement efforts.
“By diversifying our programmes across our museums, we’ve helped to stimulate our visitor economy and contribute to the regeneration of the city. This has resulted in positive public recognition and we’ve been able to unlock new funding opportunities.”
Mark Simmons, Audience Development and Engagement Manager
The museum’s initiatives have also earned industry recognition: it is one of only four museums in the UK to be awarded the Museum of Sanctuary Award and its ‘Rebuilding Lives: 50 years of Ugandan Asians in Leicester’ exhibition, was named joint best ‘Temporary or Touring Exhibition’ at the prestigious Museums + Heritage Awards in London.
Find out more the VisitEngland Business Advice Hub and Leicester Museum
Taking the next steps - Low-cost changes that support your community
The best way to ensure that your guests are welcomed, is to emphasise the local community in the offering. Here are some tips to help you strengthen the relationship between your visitors and your local community:
Make references to local lifestyles, traditions and events in your marketing and communications. Weave in interesting insights that make your guests curious about connecting with local communities and culture. For example:
Include a short list of holidays and local celebrations that guests can experience in every season on a ‘When to Visit’ section on your website and share images and information about upcoming events with guests a few weeks before their stay.
Place in social areas or at the front desk or include in the itinerary document short information about an upcoming local festival or celebration with an interesting image.
Provide information to help your guests behave considerately, for example by respecting the local community and its customs. This could be included in visitor communications and mentioned by accommodation staff or a local guide. Guidance could range from reminding them not to make noise outside at night (for example, by talking loudly or wheeling suitcases down a quiet road) to respecting the countryside code and local people’s privacy by not walking across lawns or peering into windows or asking to take photos, to queuing for entry to attractions or other sites.
