We live in an age where brands permeate every aspect of our lives. Brand loyalty and values are deeply embedded in our choices—often subconsciously. Brand development is now a finely honed art, and mu...

Good governance is about more than just passion and commitment. I’ve had the privilege of working with many museum Boards made up of people who care deeply about their organisations, but lasting succe...

Today's Museums Thinking Differently blog is going to venture into new territory. How familiar are you with neurodiversity? Much of what I’ve read in the context of the cultural sector concerns our d...

I read a post on LinkedIn recently by We The Curious in Bristol, about them choosing to ‘not be active’ on X (Twitter). I’ve also been listening with interest to podcasts such as The News Agents as th...

Instinctively I know I will alienate many of my friends in the sector with this blog. In some ways I feel it is no longer about whether you are for or against but rather, what role (if any), might adm...

Keep this to yourself. There are museums out in the wild which no one mentions. When we discuss how museums have adapted to the application of new technology, we are not including most of these instit...

I’ve only ever lived in the UK, and here we have a specific culture which permeates into the way we behave, think, and move when in public. Culturally and emotionally, we are a nation which adores mus...

How can I help? My availability has drastically changed, and I hope this will mean there’s an opportunity for us to work together. I had expected to begin…

It’s that time of year again when I begin thinking about attending my annual leadership retreat. I refer to it as ‘my retreat’ as an indicator of how engrained it is in my life rather than any suggest...

Paul BakerIn recent years I’ve grown increasingly interested in the interpersonal dynamic of teams. I often think I would have been a more effective leader if I had taken more interest in this sooner....

Full disclosure, on a point of transparency I should point out that I sit on the MDM Oversight Board and was previously a Strategic Advisory Board Member for Museum Development East Midlands. I should...

Specifically, what do you do when your schools offer is oversubscribed?During the period in which I was employed as Executive Director at Creswell Crags Museum & Archaeology Park, we were oversubscrib...

How well do we understand the emotional and psychological benefits of giving to charity?Welcome back to the Museums Thinking Differently blog. I want to share with you an issue raised on an episode of...

For today’s Museums Thinking Differently blog I’d like to reflect upon digital livestreaming technology. Where are you with online learning today? Are you feeling ambitious? I hope things are moving f...

“If you don’t know where you’re going any road will take you there”. Lewis Carol. Museums Thinking Differently is proud to deliver the 2/5/10 Strategic Planning Programme developed by Nick Winterbotham. Nick recently retired as an acclaimed cultural consultant following many years in senior leadership positions and has bequeathed his strategic planning approach to myself and Helen Sharp.From 2025, Helen and I are delivering the Strategic Planning Programme devised by Nick. We are already busy un

The beauty of museums is how diverse they are. Some museums are embedded within their communities and provide valued services to a variety of groups, others in high tourist areas may be serving an audience who are just passing through and seeking entertainment or inspiration, and then there are those who are off the beaten track, located in residential streets and can only hope to survive if they have a unique offer and can be branded as a ‘bucket list’ destination. These are museums which are s

Museums Thinking Differently to offer Nick Winterbotham’s strategic planning programme. New Opportunity for Cultural OrganisationsI’ve been offered a great opportunity which I’d like to share with you...

How familiar are you with neurodiversity? Much of what I’ve read in the context of the cultural sector concerns our desire to understand the neurodiverse audience and consider their needs. I think tha...

How well do we understand the emotional and psychological benefits of giving to charity?I want to share with you an issue raised on an episode of a podcast I heard this week which has made me rethink ...

Few will be unaware of the number of museums reportedly at risk of closure in the last year. It’s difficult to recall a time when museums were not under threat, but the recent stories are different fr...