Audiences NI CEO Meets with Minister

On 16 August our CEO, Steven Hadley and Chair, Eileen Mullan met with Minister Carál Ní Chuilín at DCAL to brief her on the work of Audiences NI and the vital role that Audience Development has to play in the arts and culture sector.

The meeting was very positive and a number of key areas were discussed including how a focus on audience development can maximise the return on investment of recent and upcoming capital developments, how the work of Audiences NI brings new audiences to the arts, and how excluded communities can be encouraged to participate in the arts.

We showed the Minister some testimonial clips from people who have participated in Test Drive the Arts, and also discussed how the extensive data and research work which Audiences NI does could be used to inform future policy.

The Minister was very receptive to our ideas and keen to hear more about how the work of Audiences NI can be of benefit to the sector, and requested a follow-up meeting to continue the discussion.