Audiences at the centre of attention. Challenges for audience development management

Background: Audience development management aims to engage individuals and communities in experiencing, enjoying, participating in and appreciating the arts. Audiences are put at the centre - they give meaning to the activities of cultural institutions by participating in events and expressing their opinions in direct interaction with the institution, and audience development has become a strategic goal. The aim is to build and multiply cultural and social capital while taking into account the objectives and values of cultural institutions, arising from the pressures of achieving public policy objectives.

Objectives and Methods: The research project was exploratory in nature. The aim was to examine whether and how cultural institutions identify the needs of their audiences, how they establish relationships with them, and how they manage those relationships. Qualitative and mixed methods were used: a diagnostic survey (CAWI) to explore the topic and select participants for in-depth research (150 responses), as well as to create a base of issues for further exploration. Dissemination: social media, mailing (own database and shared further); semi-structured interviews (individual and group) with 40 participants, selected non-randomly (also by snowball sampling). Qualitative analysis of the results was conducted using codes (keywords) and their context (MAXQDA).

Results and Conclusions: The audience, considered a key stakeholder and the institution's greatest asset, is also the ultimate goal of its activities. There is a growing need to expand competencies that help to understand the audience and manage audience development, as well as knowledge about the methods and tools that facilitate this—such as public opinion research, including surveys, observations, analysis of social media comments, and casual conversations. On the other hand, issues were diagnosed, such as: only declarative interest in audience development, a lack of competencies in conducting research, and insufficient skills in managing audience relationships.