Focus Consultants has been appointed to develop a new business plan for The Wilson Art Gallery & Museum in Cheltenham.
The company joins leading heritage and conservation specialist Purcell and interpretation experts Image Makers to draw up a feasibility study for the art gallery and museum to unify its gallery buildings and maximise the use of the triple-fronted museum.
Nottingham-based Focus Consultants is creating the business plan for the development project, which aims to provide a better experience for visitors, engage more with the community, develop its audience base and increase support.
The Wilson has an important part to play in the area’s tourism market, currently attracting just over 100,000 visitors annually to Cheltenham.
Partner at Focus Consultants, Steven Fletcher, said: “As a company with wide experience of working both within the tourism, leisure and heritage sectors, and on business planning for a range of organisations, Focus Consultants is very pleased to have been appointed to support The Wilson Art Gallery & Museum as it considers the next chapter in its history.
“It has significant collections and we hope to be able to better present them to larger and wider audiences, and to identify how income and commercial success can be improved in the future.”
The Wilson Art Gallery & Museum – the town’s premier art gallery and museum – is run by The Cheltenham Trust, which also operates Cheltenham Town Hall, Pittville Pump Room, Leisure at Cheltenham and the Prince of Wales Stadium in the town.
The building underwent significant redevelopment and re-opened in 2013 to feature four new floors, a new café and a new home to Cheltenham’s Tourist Information Centre.
Julie Finch, CEO of The Cheltenham Trust, said: “Funded by the Friends of the Wilson, the study will be conducted in three stages and consultation with stakeholders will take place throughout. The project is an exciting next step in planning the future of The Wilson and we are looking forward to working with Focus Consultants and the rest of the team to explore the opportunities for the building and the collection, and for our audiences. We are grateful to the Friends of the Wilson for funding this important project.”
Focus Consultants, which also has branches in London, Leicester, Newark and Boston, has worked with many museums, attractions and heritage organisations over a number of years, including St Fagans National Museum of History in Wales, The V&A, The National Army Museum, MShed in Bristol and Brooklands Museum in Surrey.
For more information about Focus Consultants, visit www.focus-consultants.com
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