Museum shops are an integral part of the visitor experience and when managed successfully, provide vital revenue streams.
Through creative case studies, shared experiences, and a master class from an industry expert, this event will explore how museum shops can create a unique identity which is commercially viable and supportive of their organisation’s culture and philosophy.
The day has been designed to inspire confidence in developing retail activity and aims to help museums identify the steps they need to take to maximise the effectiveness of their retail offer.
As well as hearing from museum retail experts, we are delighted to be able to welcome Richard Clare, from the John Lewis Partnership, who will explore what the museum sector can learn from the commercial sector. All our speakers will provide insight into how retail success can be achieved on a tight budget, identify the fundamentals of retail management, explore effective business models, look at how museums can build relationships with customers and suppliers, and share top tips on customer service, staffing and e-commerce.
The day includes workshop tours of the shops at the Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology.
There will be time to network with colleagues, share ideas, be inspired by each other and to think about what your museum needs to do next.
This event is for decision makers working in museums who have retail responsibilities.
Speakers
Richard Clare, Branch Manager, John Lewis Swindon
Richard joined the John Lewis Partnership in 2011 following a 14-year career in the Army where he served as an Infantry Officer in The Light Infantry and subsequently The Rifles. When serving he enjoyed a varied career and travel to sunny spots such as Kenya, The Falkland Islands, Sierra Leone and Iraq!
On joining the JLP as a Branch Manager Trainee he completed his training at the Salisbury Food and Home store and Marlborough. Since then he has managed five Waitrose branches of varying size and complexity. More recently he has managed a major refit in Stroud involving the implementation of new ‘Eat In’concepts of a Modern Waitrose store. Prior to this appointment he opened a new branch in Chipping Sodbury.
He is currently on secondment to the Swindon John Lewis At Home branch until April '16, which is his first appointment outside of the Waitrose trading Division of the Partnership in a branch that trades in Home and Audio TV but does not have an in store fashion offer.
Lycia Lobo, Commercial Director, Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology
Lycia joins the Ashmolean as Commercial Director in January 2016. She will be responsible for retail, publishing, licensing, catering and events. She has formally held senior positions in both high street and museum retail.
After completing her degree in Art & Design at Loughborough University, Lycia continued her career and passion for retailing with Thorntons. She managed a portfolio of shops, cafes and franchises before joining H Samuel/Ernest Jones to manage the customer experience programme. She leaves her current retail role at the V&A to join the Ashmolean.
Camay Chapman-Cameron, Managing Director, Fitzwilliam Museum Enterprises Ltd
Camay Chapman-Cameron has over thirty years experience in the appropriate commercial exploitation of heritage resources, particularly with regard to museums and historic buildings. Her diverse career spans heritage, tourism and business development.
Since February 2010 Camay has been Managing Director of Fitzwilliam Museum Enterprises, a not-for-profit subsidiary of Cambridge University, managing retail operations at the Fitzwilliam Museum and the University Botanic Garden, together with a global wholesale business in greetings cards and social stationery, a licensing programme and catering contract management. In winter 2012 she opened the Company’s first High Street store, offering a product mix from all eight of the University of Cambridge Museums.
For 2016, Camay will open a new shop for the Museum of Zoology in the new David Attenborough Building, plus a second shop at the Fitzwilliam Museum for its Bicentenary celebrations.
Camay has substantial experience of working within a multi-museum/site portfolio, and has worked as a consultant for the Arts Council Museummaker Project, SHARE and other industry partners. She has advised a spectrum of heritage venues on matters of commercial development, from an Anglo-Saxon hovel in the Suffolk countryside to the palace of Sansoucci in Berlin. Camay speaks fluent retail with a museum accent and is in demand as a trainer and speaker for the Association of Cultural Enterprises, Arts Council England, and SHARE amongst others.
Rachel Davies, Deputy Director, Compton Verney
Having studied History and History of Art at Bristol University, Rachel joined PricewaterhouseCoopers in London to train as a Chartered Accountant. After 10 years working in the private sector for organisations such as The Observer Newspaper and Walt Disney, Rachel decided to return to the arts, taking the MA course in Museum and Gallery Management at City University. This led to a role in the Tate Modern Project Team, responsible for the financial aspects of transforming a disused power station into the cultural icon it is today. Once the project was complete, Rachel joined the Tate Modern SMT before moving to the Midlands.
Rachel joined Compton Verney when it was a building project. An art gallery set in 120 acres of “Capability” Brown parkland, it has been open for 11 years, providing inspiring and engaging days out for visitors of all ages and backgrounds. Originally founded by the Peter Moores Foundation, Compton Verney is a charitable trust. As a young and independent organisation it is unfettered by bureaucracy or politics but challenged by the need to create a self-supporting operating model. In this context Rachel is responsible for developing strategy and planning and managing the resources including growing all self-generated income streams to create a sustainable future.
Oxford University Museums Partnership Team: |
This session costs £50 to help cover the costs of venue hire, refreshments and speakers' travel.
Places can be purchased via the University's online shop by following this link.