Resilient approaches from museums in Scotland

Many museums and galleries are building resilience by developing innovative responses to a wide variety of social, economic, and environmental challenges.  

We’ve collated a selection of resilience stories from across Scotland’s museums and galleries to highlight some of this work and inspire other organisations. These examples demonstrate collaboration, innovation, skills development, audience development, and entrepreneurial thinking.  

With funding support from MGS, ANGUSalive undertook the project ‘Exit through the gift shop’, which involved appointing a museum retail consultant to create a tailored strategy for retail and donation income across the organisation’s three sites.

The proposal outlined a four-phase approach that consisted of a scoping exercise to assess the visitor experience and retail spaces, as well as a review of the current offerings and visitor dwell time. Based on these insights, a product development strategy was created, highlighting the need for a more compelling and commercial narrative.

Guided by the strategy, ANGUSalive ordered a range of bespoke products developed from suggestions by the front of house team, feedback from visitors, and discussions with the collection team.  This was complimented by a selection of products sourced from ethical Scottish suppliers, focusing on the themes of maritime, nature and local history.  A pricing structure was developed by the consultant to ensure a good mark up.

The retail proposal also placed significant emphasis on improving the retail space itself. Gift shop furniture, merchandise displays stands, and signage were all sourced and purchased. Additionally, reporting mechanisms for stock control, donation income, and profits were implemented, which included the acquisition of SumUp compatible contactless donation devices and Point of Sale (POS) accessories for each museum.

Working closely with the organisation’s marketing and communications team, a marketing plan and promotional materials for each gift shop were developed. This included plans for a launch featuring press and social media activity.  A donation strategy was also created, involving  the front of the house staff who devised tag lines incorporated into the production of new posters with phrases such as “Just £10 keeps our Pictish Stones standing strong”, and, ‘Just £5 helps us keep creepy crawlies away from our collections.”

Working with a retail consultant and establishing a clear strategy across ANGUSalive’s three sites has led to several positive outcomes:

• A measurable increase in shop sales compared to the previous year.
• An enhanced visitor experience, evidenced by feedback which indicates notable improvements in overall satisfaction. Many visitors commented positively on the upgraded gift shop layout, product range, and connection to the museum collections, and ease of making donations.
• Professional retail operations, whereby involving the front of house team in research and input into the development of retail operations has helped to build new skills and confidence. Retail is now integrated more strategically into the organisation, leading to a better understanding of margins, profit, and stock levels in general across the cultural team.
• Stronger brand identity, with the introduction of bespoke product lines, which has deepened the connection between the shop and the unique identity of each site.
• Commitment to sustainability, with the commercial offering now more aligned with the organisational values.

Grantown Museum has successfully harnessed its team’s skills and creativity to develop ‘Adventures in Costume’, a unique dressing and photography experience inspired by tourist trends, including the hugely popular ‘Outlander’ series.

Originally funded by MGS’s Recovery and Resilience Fund in 2020, the museum has continued to adapt the offer over time to develop a model that works well for both the organisation and its visitors. It has since become a reliable source of income for the museum.

The initial funding allowed the museum to create a collection of high-quality replica costumes and to transform a gallery space into a dedicated area where visitors can try them on with the help of a dresser. The collection of costumes has become a significant asset, with wider potential for use in displays, learning, and additional income-generating activity.

By offering a distinctive, bespoke museum experience, Grantown Museum has attracted a wider audience, including visitors willing to pay a premium for something truly memorable.

In 2022, City of Edinburgh Council was awarded over £23,000 by MGS to support a strategic review of income generation opportunities at their museums. This involved an analysis of existing income streams and visitor survey data, training staff, analysis of digital opportunities such as retail and donation touchpoints, benchmarking, and peer learning with other visitor destinations. It also enabled the exploration of future revenue-generating opportunities such as charging, donations, temporary exhibitions, fundraising, philanthropy, and venue hire.

The outcome has been a stronger focus on income-generating infrastructure and training staff to increase donations and retail income.

Paxton House, a historic property, with a Nationally Significant collection of Chippendale and Trotter furniture, has benefited in recent years from MGS funding, including £50,000 in 2020 from the Recovery and Resilience Fund.

This has enabled them to add a property to their self-catering portfolio as part of a long-term business plan. The additional revenue has helped to support the House/Museum and long-term curatorial and educational goals. The funding has also enabled them to bring in external marketing expertise to launch a new awareness campaign, increasing revenue and providing a more secure financial base.

Social media can be a low-cost and effective way to raise your museum’s profile and grow your audience, both vital for long-term financial resilience. This example highlights the volunteer-led Royal Burgh of Lanark Museum and the impact of their first foray into online audience development.

As a member of Lanarkshire Heritage Forum, Lanark Museum took part in developing a revised Forward Plan for 2023-24. One of the priorities identified was training on social media.

With funding support from MGS for Forum training and networking, the Forum engaged a digital marketing agency to design and deliver a bespoke social media training programme. Two volunteers from Lanark Museum attended, both new to social media. While they found the content challenging, the course was designed with beginners in mind, so it proved to be effective.

Following the training, the museum identified Facebook as the most suitable platform and began planning a regular series of four to five posts per week. They aimed to build their following and create an online presence that showcased the museum’s collections and activities, and to hopefully encourage more visitors.

As a result of the new content strategy, the museum has increased its Facebook following to over 1,200, with many posts reaching far beyond that. Crucially, there has been a notable impact on footfall. During the 2024 season (April to September), visitor numbers were up by over 62% from 2023.

The Scottish Maritime Museum is a strong example of a museum that has successfully pivoted by creating a meaningful space for community engagement. This includes their local makers market, which has transformed the museum’s reputation into that of a valued community asset.

The museum has also established good links with diverse audiences. A notable example is ‘The Secret of Success’, a co-produced community exhibition funded by MGS. This was developed in close partnership with the North Ayrshire Ukrainian Community, who have been displaced by the war in Ukraine. Through community-led idea sessions and workshops, the museum created a space for people to share their voices and experiences and invited them to be involved in the creation process. The result has been a lasting impact on engagement, with real value for those involved. The project also helped engage members of the local community who had never visited a museum before or hadn’t visited in many years.

MGS has supported the Trimontium Museum with Recovery and Resilience funding over recent years. This has been invested in bringing about , including skills development for the wider team.

A staff member’s blog excerpt below shows the benefit of investment in staff: