What has Renaissance achieved?

Renaissance has generated some excellent results since it began in 2002. On this page you will find the results of the annual hub exit survey, the data collection undertaken by hubs and reports by Morris Hargreaves McIntyre.

Latest report: Renaissance results 2006-07

Renaissance results report 2006-07 (PDF 602KB)
This report shows the results of Renaissance in 2006-07. It takes the hub data collection research and hub exit survey and interprets the results. It shows that Renaissance is increasing visit numbers as well as improving visitors' experiences. The report outlines the full results of Renaissance in 2006-07 and demonstrates some of the opportunities that have made these results possible.

Renaissance data and statistics

Headline figures for hubs 2005/06 (PDF 88KB)
The nine hubs have easily surpassed the key participation targets set for them by the Department for Culture Media and Sport (DCMS). Hubs increased contacts with children aged 5 – 16 by 50% in the three years to March 2006 – double what they had been asked to achieve. A second key target set hubs the challenge of generating an extra half million visits by new users predominantly from social classes C2, D or E, and Black and Minority Ethnic individuals. Over the two years this was being measured (2004/05 and 2005/06) hubs attracted nearly two million new users, with over 900,000 of them coming from the priority groups.

Results for the 2004-06 funding period (PDF 374KB) by Medwen Roberts of Morris Hargreaves McIntyre (MHM) provides a comprehensive account of the 2005/06 hub results including how they are worked out and further analysis of what they tell us.

Hub data collection

A lot of time and care has been taken to ensure that all hubs are counting the same things in the same way. The hub data collection guidelines used by all Hubs, testify to the scrupulous approach taken to ensuring the comparability and accuracy of the data.

Rising visit figures may not tell the whole story, but they are certainly indicative of thriving museums that are increasingly satisfying the needs of the people who use them.

Taking Stock: Achievements of the regional museum hubs (PDF 154 MB) was commissioned in 2006 to establish the achievements and successes of the hubs in their implementation of Renaissance to date, and is a helpful counterpart to the MHM report. It tells some of the stories behind the numbers and draws together the key achievements of the hubs, including links to the work of the Renaissance Designation Challenge Fund. The report also summarises a number of lessons learned from the operation of the programme to date.

Hub Exit Survey

DCMS has identified three priority groups for its Non-Departmental Public Bodies to reach: Black and Minority Ethnic individuals (BME); social classes C2DE; and disabled people. In order to tell how well the hub museums are doing when it comes to attracting visitors from these groups MLA commissions Ipsos-MORI to conduct an annual Hub Exit Survey. The visitor profile information this provides allows us to extrapolate the number of visits made by representatives of the priority groups to hub museums. These surveys also provide information on visitor satisfaction and attitudes to museums and galleries.

Hub Exit Survey 2005 (PDF 348KB)

Hub Exit Survey 2004 (PDF 310KB)

Hub Exit Survey 2003 (PDF 215KB)