Behind the scenes at the museum
WITH ALEX NICHOLSON-EVANS, COMMERCIAL DIRECTOR FOR BIRMINGHAM MUSEUMS TRUST
What opportunities does your role present you with that you might not otherwise experience? The commercial avenues I mentioned previously are pivotal to the ongoing financial health of the Birmingham Museums Trust. I am continually exploring ways of maximising their potential for growth, and that in itself has created some very exciting experiences for me. Whilst the phrase may be reviled by some, we must get better at ‘sweating our assets’ which in this case is Birmingham’s fantastic collection! We need take them from being educationally and
Talk to us a little about your role as Commercial Director for Birmingham Museums Trust… My role has two main areas of focus: I look after Birmingham Museums Trading Ltd, our trading company and I also have leadership of our heritage sites (previously known as our community museums) Aston Hall, Museum of the Jewellery Quarter, Sarehole Mill, Soho House, Weoley Castle and Blakesley Hall. When it comes to trading, we have three core areas; Food and beverage (our cafes and restaurants), Retail (the museum gift shops) and Conference and Banqueting (hiring out our unique spaces).
inspirationally of value, to something that also generates greater revenue for the Trust. We must ensure we are sufficiently commercially- minded to ensure the charitable trust is able to carry on doing what it does best; engaging communities and enthusing the next generation of Einsteins and Picassos. For example, we have recently announced a ‘Drink & Dine with Dippy the Dinosaur’ corporate package for our 2018 programme, which will allow guests to enjoy superb hospitality alongside Dippy when he is on loan to use from the Natural History Museum next year. We are getting much better at using our spaces
4 FINE ART COLLECTOR AUTUMN 2017
Made with FlippingBook - Online magazine maker