Building a cultural exchange
In 2003, the AMA ran a Cultural Exchange scheme with our sister organisation, the GVR in the Netherlands. 12 AMA members were paired with 12 GVR members and an introductory meeting took place in Amsterdam to kick-start discussion. Each pair spent time at their respective workplaces in the Netherlands and then in the UK. The aim was to offer a cultural exchange, with participants gaining new perspectives on their work and insights into how marketing the arts is carried out in each others country.
Evaluation shows that the pilot scheme was very successful.
– 100% of participants responding to the evaluation form said their overall impression of the exchange was either good or very good.
– 100% felt they had gained new perspectives on their work.
– 100% felt they had learnt something new.
It was also successful in terms of fostering ongoing partnerships. 89% of participants expect to stay in touch with their cultural exchange partner in the future and one pairing have planned further collaborative work already: We both have similar roles in huge development projects and have worked on strategies together, planning for re-launching our museums. We have also swapped media lists and travelled to see the Imperial War Museum North and Urbis and met with the marketing teams there for research.
Looking to the future, the AMA hopes that this programme will be a starting point in fostering new links between international cultural organisations, and that the pilot will be extended over time to allow new relationships to develop between arts professionals worldwide.
Just to reiterate that I found it a very useful experience. What was surprising was that there were far more similarities than differences. Anyone of Schouwburgs marketing department could walk into a UK theatre and would have no problems with doing the job (and vice-versa apart from the problem of speaking Dutch!).
10th Birthday Conference
It has been ten years since the AMA came into being, and to celebrate this landmark we held a conference in November 2003, sponsored by Galathea STS, featuring sessions from some of the best speakers who have presented at AMA events down the years. And there was a big cake too!
Several of our international members attended this conference, including Ann Laenen, a freelancer from Belgium: I enjoyed the 10th birthday conference. I liked the formula to have a keynote and then three choices for smaller working sessions. In my opinion it was very much to the point for arts marketing people in arts organisations. When I compare the level of the meeting with comparable meetings here and in the Netherlands, I must say that the level is high compared to Belgium and comparable to the level in the Netherlands.
International networking
One of the benefits of membership is the opportunity to network with like-minded, sharing ideas, problems and solutions across the globe.
Angela Riddering, Head of Marketing, Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen (Netherlands): Membership of the AMA allows me to broaden my horizons. I see it as a valuable supplement to the networks Im active in here in the Netherlands. Marketing practice in cultural institutions in the UK is highly regarded on the continent, the AMA gives me a chance to learn about best-practices and meet the people responsible for making them happen. There are only a handful of galleries in the Netherlands that compare well to my situation, and many more in the UK its very valuable to exchange experiences and strategies. I generally combine trips to AMA gatherings with visits to all sorts of museums and galleries, which is always inspiring.
For further information about the Arts Marketing Association, including our plans for 2004,
please see: http://www.a-m-a.co.uk/international/ or email: info@a-m-a.co.uk
