North West Creative Encounters T BUS21-020

Tender description

Donegal County Council (DCC) and Derry City and Strabane District Council (DCSDC) commissioned an audience survey across the North West (NW) to better understand the barriers to cultural engagement faced by our citizens. This research was used to inform a subsequent Audience Development Plan which identified older people and families as two key audience target segments. Older people were identified as a segment that was the least engaged with culture (albeit cultural engagement across the population was high) and the partner Councils were keen to ensure that this imbalance was addressed. Families were identified as a market opportunity, an audience segment upon which the sector could focus the rebuilding of audiences and participatory engagement as we emerge from the worst of the Covid crisis. The NW Audience Survey research findings and the NW Audience Development Plan The plan incorporates a range of actions designed to encourage better engagement of the target segments. With regards to the family segment one of the identified actions related to the establishment of a support network and digital engagement methodology based on the Family Explorers model (http://familyexplorers.co.uk/about-us/). Other notable examples include https://www.dayoutwiththekids.co.uk/ and https://fantasticforfamilies.com/. DCC and DCSDC wish to establish a similar initiative for the NW and for the purposes of this procurement exercise the project is provisionally entitled ‘Creative Encounters’. This project is supported by the Arts Council of Northern Ireland (ACNI) Challenge Fund. The proposed Creative Encounters Project is consistent with the DCSDC Arts and Culture Strategy 2019 – 2024 actions; • 3C - ‘Establish an arts, culture and heritage marketing infrastructure across the North West…’ • 3D – ‘Enable everyone to easily access information about arts and culture in the North West through one central online directory…’ In essence the project is designed to make it simpler for families to plan days out by providing all the practical information in one place. Please refer to CfT docuemnt for further details