Collaborating to Compete

The Collaborating to Compete Conference took place at Surgeons Hall, Royal College of Surgeons, Edinburgh, Scotland, on Friday 16 September 2011.

Theme/title: In times of economic difficulties and of rapid change, ‘Collaborating to Compete’ demonstrated how museums and galleries can create opportunities for significant and dynamic change. This conference provided both an inspirational and practical insight into different ways of working both in Scotland and internationally.  It explored the wider themes of sustainability, innovation, entrepreneurship, social enterprise, partnership and resilience, and focused on 3 central themes:

• New partnerships – working in partnership can provide stronger projects and results.  New partnerships looked at how collaborative working can deliver innovative projects but also looks at how museums can attract new partners.
• Sustainability -  sustainability covers economic, environmental and social areas.  It looked at practice, projects and organisations looking to resource their organisations in new and innovative ways and being less reliant on traditional forms of public funding.
• Entrepreneurship – is about doing things innovative and differently.  It encompassed both an entrepreneurial business style and also new and effective ways of working ( through the social media, creative fundraising and resourcing, new approaches to learning, and improved standards).

Purpose: This conference was aimed at all those working in culture, heritage and the third sector and provided a platform for best practice in the 21^st century. We sought contributions from both the museum and gallery sector and beyond which demonstrated unique or innovative approaches to changing times.The conference created opportunities for knowledge exchange between museums and galleries and other sectors.

Programme: The day consisted of a mix of presentations, keynote and parallel sessions.  A museum and gallery marketplace with networking opportunities was available over lunch and the day ended with an early evening reception and entertainment.

Please visit the Conference Legacy page to view

• the conference guide
• speaker biographies
• archive of Tweets using the #mgsconf hashtag