INTERVIEW


customers’ requirements but also hits other aspects that differentiate us from, say, a hotel down the road. “We know with austerity that museums all across the


country will not be funded in the way they were used to, whereby they would receive a grant and every year that grant would go up with inflation. That environment is now gone and we have to think in a different way.” While the challenges of a different landscape adds


pressure, it has allowed Derby Museums to become an altogether more innovative, effective and sustainable model. “There were fantastic resources here that we were not


using and we now make a lot more out of the facilities on offer to us. For example, early on we opened up a café – which won an award at the Derby Food and Drink Awards – and, within a year, was shortlisted for a regional award. “We also converted some of the galleries to enable them


to become flexible spaces. At the Silk Mill the ground floor is a beautiful space which can double up as a museum during the day but then in the evening a really nice space can be created, suitable for parties, conferences, weddings and Christmas parties. Last year we did two Christmas parties and the feedback was so phenomenal that we’re putting on six virtually sold-out nights this year. The results of this new approach have been


overwhelmingly positive, as Mo explains. “When I joined, our commercial income was 1.7% of the


total income and last year it was 15%. The amount of venue hire we did has gone from a zero start to circa £120,000 and this is all to do with it snowballing and the power of word of mouth. With the uniqueness of the building and the customer service we offer, people are coming to our events and talking about us in the city and beyond. “Our visitor numbers have gone from around 80,000 in


2012 to 120,000 people walking through the doors of the three sites last year, which contributed to us winning the Community Impact Award at the Chamber Business Awards 2016. It shows that the money we are making from commercial activities is being fed back into the museum and creating a lasting impact.” While Derby Museums has benefited from becoming


increasingly business-savvy, the businesses that make up Derby and the surround areas could, Mo feels, utilise the sector that Derby Museums operates in to great effect moving forward.


34 business network November 2017


‘Our visitor numbers have gone from around 80,000 in 2012 to 120,000 people walking through the doors of the three sites last year’


“It’s a really good market that, at the moment, is


relatively untapped,” he argues. “What I find is that local businesses haven’t quite got on


board with that yet – there’s a big opportunity to look at history and look at what old products used to be – for example I know a local company that is designing modern, electrical equipment but with a 1940s and 1950s look and feel and they’re so busy they can’t keep up with demand and have had to open a new warehouse. Even the old Nokia phones of ten years ago that just call and text are becoming popular again. So what of the future for a sector that inherently looks


back to the past and will history and nostalgia play their way more into the thinking of business plans and strategies moving forward as a way of identifying and engaging with customers, clients and stakeholders? “Here at Derby Museums we have seen a considerable


reduction in local authority funding but we have been innovative in being able to replace some of that funding with commercial income but it will never be like-for-like. We’ve streamlined, become very efficient and are now able to operate effectively, using our resources in a much more focused way. Our museums are not old and stuffy, they are modern and we’re keeping up with the times, utilising cutting-edge technology and giving people what they want, leaving them inspired and inclined to come again. “The museum world needs to be innovative and come


out fighting and into a stronger position. We also need the business community to support our museums, use our cafés, hold meetings and conferences at the museum and allow the museums to support some of their CSR obligations. There’s some really good things that are happening that ensures we will continue to be relevant and being relevant to the communities we are serving is always at the forefront of everything we do. “The pool of things that are historical will always carry


on increasing and nostalgia is a big part of that and is something that is crucial for us, and the wider business community, to continue to tap into.”


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