Creation of new national audience development agency confirmed for 2012
Plans to create a single national organisation for audience development benefiting cultural organisations across England advanced this week, as the boards of the key agencies (All About Audiences, Audiences London and Audiences South West) have agreed plans to merge into a single national agency.
Audiences Plus [working title] will be formed of hubs in the north and south, working with a network of expert advisers across the regions. The board of Audiences South West has agreed a resolution to merge with Audiences London, as a step towards forming the southern hub, serving the South West, South East and East, as well as London from early 2012.
Audiences Plus will be sustainable without regular core funding. The boards of All About Audiences and Audiences London are confident that they have amassed the resources to make the transition to the new organisation and a commercially viable business model.
The decision to become a national agency has been scrutinised by independent consultants Anne Millman and Graeme Jennings. Their feasibility study of the proposal concluded that the new national agency offers a sound business case to deliver ‘world-class audience development services’ across England.