Overview of AmbITion project and proposed event+Guardian support outline

1. Guardian & ACE London
AmbITion event for London’s digitally developed arts
organisations: Hannah Rudman with Bill Thompson & Rachel
Baker, ACE London
Friday, 3 April 2009

2. Background
• Arts organisations have • This means the
a low technology base, sector will struggle to
lack of digital skills and engage with digital
cross-sector content initiatives like
collaboration skills 4iP, and be
sustainable and
• Sector needs holistic resilient into 21st C
digital development:
• End of AmbITion
• Artistic project, Digital Britain
report and ACE’s new
• Organisational focus on Digital
Opportunities all
• Business provide a platform to
talk to arts sector
• = AmbITion.
Friday, 3 April 2009

3. The pilot organisations
Friday, 3 April 2009

4. (Approach trialled with Bluecoat Arts Centre)
Friday, 3 April 2009

5. The AmbITion approach - guaranteeing
successful digital development
• Risk assessment
• Audit
• Diagnostic
• Develop a formal Business Case
• Managed implementation
• Continuous reflection
Friday, 3 April 2009

6. Why does it work?
• It’s not about the technology!
• Audit & Diagnostic is “cross-departmental”
• Business cases embeds thinking and learning
• Implementation is owned by the organisation
• Its scaleable
• This changes organisations
• They need to have capability & capacity to
cope with the changes, or risk
destabilisation
Friday, 3 April 2009

7. What digital developments?
• CRM, CMS driven websites, database
integration, intranets, wifi, remote working,
connectivity, ticketing, back-up
• Productivity tools
• Broadening digital channels
• HD Digital content capturing / recording kit
• Upgrading networks
• Digital content development
Friday, 3 April 2009

8. Show me the money?
• = £AmbITion consultancy +
• = £0, open source/free apps
• = redirected own funds
• = redirected, or chose to use G4tA funds
• = AmbITion funds, on strength of biz case
Friday, 3 April 2009

9. What else have we achieved?
• Influence on policy!
• ACE’s Digital Opportunity corporate
priority
• AmbITion Scotland tbc
Friday, 3 April 2009

10. Resources left for the sector
Friday, 3 April 2009

11. Case studies & other resources
• 15 written case studies of pre-existing good
practice
• 14 multimedia case studies
• 10 video case studies
• 4 video masterclasses
• How to... guides
• 2 academic evaluations (anthropological)
Friday, 3 April 2009

12. Content partnerships
Friday, 3 April 2009

13. AmbITion Roadshows
• To disseminate learning • In London, a tenth
and initiate knowledge roadshow for digitally
sharing networks and advanced orgs
collaborations
• “Thought it was an
• show, excite, inform excellent event. Really
discursive and
• 9 regional roadshows: extremely inspiring.
Strong networking
100+ delegates each
opportunities”
• 9 regional online social
• What would you have
networks
liked more of in the
day? “More time - i.e. a
second day!”
Friday, 3 April 2009

14. Friday, 3 April 2009

15. http://getambition-ne.ning.com/
Friday, 3 April 2009

16. What could we do with
Guardian association?
• At the second London roadshow we need more
critical and discursive dialogue
• Arts sector leaders, Peter Gregson performs,
Guardian team as panellists/chairs
• (The arts take Guardian Media & Technology
seriously as a learning source/benchmark/ideas
and horizon scanning resource)
• Widen/nationalise the debate on advocating
for the arts in relation to Digital Britain, OfCom
PSB, IP
• via this event
• supported by a Guardian blog
Friday, 3 April 2009

17. Thanks for listening!
Friday, 3 April 2009