AmbITion Re:connected – Litfest Case Study

This is a live blog of the AmbITion Re:connected  event at the Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester.  If you spot any errors or inaccuracies or would simply like to contribute to the conversation, leave us a comment!

Andy Darby from Litfest is now sharing how they are engaging audiences and making great digital content.

Litfest have built their own website.  Web development in cash terms cost £100.   In times of energy expended, time involved it’s cost a lot more.

Content they are working on:

Flax – publishing imprint of Lancaster Litfest.  Publishes short stories and poetry from some of the best writers living and working in the North West of England.

Very simple format – PDF.  Which suits their conservative users base.  There is a disconnect between how the writers feel valued because they have a ‘read’ publication versus a ‘print’ publication.

AmbITion Re:connected – New Wolsey Theatre Case Study

This is a live blog of the AmbITion Re:connected  event at the Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester.  If you spot any errors or inaccuracies or would simply like to contribute to the conversation, leave us a comment!

David Leek and Stephen Freeman from New Wolsey Theatre now share where their development journey with their new website is taking them.

New Wolsey Theatre Facts

Founded in 2000

Producing and receiving house in Ipswich, Suffolk

400 seat main house

100 seat studio

NWT produces Pulse Fringe Festival

Tours and collaborates

AmbITion Re:connected – DADA – previously known as North West Disability Arts Forum Case Study

This is a live blog of the AmbITion Re:connected  event at the Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester.  If you spot any errors or inaccuracies or would simply like to contribute to the conversation, leave us a comment!

Ruth Gould from DaDa, Disability and Deaf Arts – previously known as North West Disability Arts Forum now sharing about being involved in AmbITion.

Much work based around access and the different issues that disabled people face with accessing the arts.

Staff have various needs, profoundly deaf, visually impaired, learning disabled; all need different approaches for providing access.

New technologies would have a profound effect on access.

Had a website designed in 2001 but more of an electronic brochure.   Established DaDaFest – a disability & deaf arts annual festival with awards dinner and online voting.  Nothing national that achieves that.

All staff learnt on the job – reactive rather than proactive.

They have an impact;  13 million people have accessed their work through the media.

AmbITion Re:connected – Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra Case Study

This is a live blog of the AmbITion Re:connected  event at the Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester.  If you spot any errors or inaccuracies or would simply like to contribute to the conversation, leave us a comment!

Millicent Jones and a gentleman whose name I did not catch (Update: James Hanks) from the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra (RLPO) share what they do with social media, empowered by AmbITion.

Use: YouTube, last.fm, MySpace,  facebook, dilettante, blogger, Twitter, iTunes.

Principal conductor now blogs, something a small section of their audience absolutely loves.

Push records through iTunes.

AmbITion drove them to look at their site.  Now developing a new site which is focused on personalisation.  A modular system that pushes people towards social media tools.  Will be driven by what people are doing on the site.

AmbITion:Reconnected – Panel – What Enables The Changes

This is a live blog of the AmbITion Re:connected  event at the Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester.  If you spot any errors or inaccuracies or would simply like to contribute to the conversation, leave us a comment!

Next: a panel discussion with Hannah Rudman, Sarah Fisher from the Arts Council North West, Kay Wells from Oldham Coliseum and Chris Gribble from Writers’ Centre Norwich.

Q: Has technology enabled the changes?

A: No, the process has been about looking at the organisation and changing from them.   Looking first at business models and how technology can be incorporated.

There is still a sense of it being new but we are talking about platforms that have been around for a while.

It’s about learning from people you engage with, a cultural change.

Kay mentions that it was about learning about people fears.

Have now found out that fear shouldn’t hold you back from trying out technology.   Nothing will go horribly wrong.

AmbITion Re:connected – Oldham Coliseum Case Study

This is a live blog of the AmbITion Re:connected  event at the Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester.  If you spot any errors or inaccuracies or would simply like to contribute to the conversation, leave us a comment!

Up next:
Kay Wells, Alex Williams from Oldham Coliseum sharing about how being involved in the AmbITion project has changed the way Oldham Coliseum operates.

Oldham Coliseum background – produce 8 plays a year.   Audience crave local traditional stories.

Don’t embrace risk taking, want to see the same kinds of shows year after year.   Some staff have worked for Coliseum for 25 years.

AmbITion has provided funding for a new website.  Will allow them to progress onto online booking.   Lots of training for staff.  Training matrix in place appropriate for each department’s needs.  Everyone now on the same level field as far as using technology is concerned.

New play using new technology as a part of performance.   Will involve working with 4 groups of young people with no experience of acting to use new technologies as part of acting!

AmbITion Re:connected – New Writing Partnership Case Study

This is a live blog of the AmbITion Re:connected  event at the Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester.  If you spot any errors or inaccuracies or would simply like to contribute to the conversation, leave us a comment!

Chris Gribble of the New Writing Partnership now presents their digital development through AmbITion.

The New Writing Partnership got involved in AmbITion by looking at the web presence and getting training for their staff.

It involved looking at their business plan.

They came up with a new brand, an improved IT solution that allowed them to work anywhere.   Now looking at doing much more work within the Cloud, something board member Bill Thompson is helping them with.
Complete rebrand – they are now Writers’ Centre Norwich.

Here are Chris’s slides:

They will be able to manage ticketing online.  A new database that connects to the website that everyone will be trained on.  Photoshop training for all.

They worked from the inside out using digital technology.  They now have a tiered system within the organisation that fits into the creative plan.

AmbITion Re:connected Introduction

This is a live blog of the AmbITion Re:connected  event at the Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester.  If you spot any errors or inaccuracies or would simply like to contribute to the conversation, leave us a comment!

Adrian Slatcher is now introducing the agenda for the day.  We get an hour and 20 minutes for lunch and are encouraged to visit the exhibitions at the Museum of Science and Industry.

On next is Hannah Rudman, director of AmbITion to talk us through the day which is about sharing the achievements of the arts organisations that have taken part in the 3 year Arts Council-funded AmbITion digital development programme.