The Connected Audience: International Series of Conferences on Audiences Development & Research

The Connected Audience Conference Series helps to change who has access to learning over their lifetime by supporting the role of museums and cultural institutions in becoming more visitor-focused. In the 21^st century, successful museums and cultural institutions need to be open spaces, act as vital resources and platforms, and partner with multiple organizations and initiatives to support public learning, social development, and growth in a changing world. However, there is still a long way to go to ensure an audience-focused perspective within the culture sector and for this approach to be considered as a key strategic element of an institution’s culture. It is vital that museums and cultural institutions know their audiences (and non-audiences). Only then they will be able to come up with effective strategies to connect with diverse audiences while also addressing the audiences’ individual needs and expectations. To explore these challenges, the Institute in collaboration with KulturAgenda Institute for Museums and partners in several European cities, e.g., Vienna (2017) and Berlin (2019) bring together experts and practitioners from the museum and culture sector from around the world to share and debate cutting-edge thinking and innovative practice in audience research and development.

This new NEMO (Network of European Museum Organizations) publication focuses on Emotion and its role in learning and engagement. It includes a summary of our Connected Audience 2019 conference that explored the same theme. https://www.ne-mo.org/news/article/nemo/nemo-report-on-emotions-and-learning-in-museums.html

Registration is now underway for the 2022 conference which will be held online.

Project Team: John H. Falk Ph.D., Judith Koke