Cultural Business: Impact, Strategy and Technology management

Assessing the value of cultural heritage and determining its impact on society and the economy is increasingly coming to the forefront of policy decisions at all levels. Funds in the sector are invariably scarce, perpetually competing with other financing priorities. The costs of heritage are highly visible but the benefits are often invisible and difficult to capture. As a result, many cultural heritage managers have expressed a need for techniques and methodologies to help persuade policy makers and funding bodies of the value and contribution the sector makes to society and the economy.

Most cultural heritage sites have not systematically developed tried-and-tested techniques or processes to evaluate their socio-economic contribution. Such sites often find themselves receiving excellent rhetorical support from policy makers and public bodies for their vital role in preservation and protection, but still struggle to attract incremental financial support that would ensure the sustainability of many cultural heritage sites. There is little doubt that the profile of heritage as a potentially important driver of socio-economic benefits to communities has been increasing, but the tools, methodologies, and capabilities for evaluating the socio-economic contribution are in their relative infancy. This is where CUBIST Research will contribute to the sector.

CUBIST Research is a broad network of practitioners, researchers and consultants with members from across Europe. CUBIST Research adopts a holistic approach to addressing management problems in the Cultural and Heritage sector. The group offers specialist research and consultancy on the following areas:

• Strategic planning.
• Training.
• Marketing and revenue raising.
• Socio-economic impact studies.
• Technology strategy, project management, and impact evaluation.
• Building partnerships to deliver technology solutions from strategic vision to completion.

CUBIST Research and the EPOCH socio-economic impact research group conduct socio-economic impact assessments on cultural heritage sites across Europe. For more information on the CUBIST Research Group and its activities please contact its director Jim McLoughlin