Arriving at a new client visitor attraction early yesterday morning, and not seeing an obvious entry point to the management offices, I followed an employee into the cafe kitchen, where I met the cafe manager. Introducing myself, I noted that she seemed pleased to see me. "I don't normally see anyone down here", she explained…

We may have a new Prime Minister, and a new Chancellor of the Exchequer (cue Brenda from Bristol: “ANOTHER one???”), but nevertheless it’s a fairly certain bet that 2023 is going to be a challenging year, for attractions, destinations, high streets and of course for consumers. So, assuming Christmas planning is “done”, how can we give our business the best possible start in the coming year?

For every retailer, and supplier, Christmas 2022 is hugely important: it’s a last chance to counter the genuinely unprecedented prevailing circumstances with a God-given sales spike.

Earlier this month, Stephen was ask to make recommendations for the latest Smartify ‘Museum Reset’ newsletter.

In a personal piece, Associate Dean Ford (Creative Director of The Modern Agency) shares his own experience of how the war has affected his outlook on business and what we can do to help.

In the light of disappointing Trading Company financial losses, current and foreseeable challenging circumstances, and lack of time available to focus on commercial aspects during Executive Committee and Board meetings, the Abbotsford Board of Trustees approved the setting up of a Commercial Committee in October 2022.

“I engaged Stephen to help me motivate and direct teams of staff across three different museums. Each has their own challenges to overcome to make the shops make increased contributions to the Museum. Stephen shared with us his philosophy and we could then draw on his broad depth of knowledge to help us determine our way forward. Moreover, as he has such a range of experience he was willing and able to talk with passion and enthusiasm about each of his experiences. This rubbed off onto the people being trained and by the end of the 2 day workshops they were feeling empowered and ready to make a positive contribution to their Museum.

I am currently feeding the fire of this new found enthusiasm and encouraging them to look differently at our customers and products, and really take ownership of this key service. It's early days but I'm confident through the learning we gained from Stephen's workshops our retail businesses will go from strength to strength.”

Shane Bartley, Basildon Borough Council (Chelmsford Museum) / ICT and Change Manager

“Stephen and his team played a pivotal role in helping us develop An Talla from an idea to reality. He facilitated the journey of looking closely at what could make our brand unique, who were the customers who would love it, how we fit in alongside the competition, and how we deliver the brand proposition throughout the customer journey.

Above all, his extensive knowledge and experience of developing successful niche and premium retail experiences gave us the confidence to turn the dream into a business that people love. Stephen Spencer + Associates offers an impressive breadth of experience and I'd be delighted to work with Stephen and his team again in the future.”

Freda Newton MBE, Owner + CEO

"Stephen joined us as Interim Director responsible for the day-day operation of the business (Cogges Manor Farm) at a time when we were looking to recruit and appoint a new General Manager following the departure of the previous incumbent.

During his time with us, Stephen brought stability and leadership as well as developing a business and events plan for the following year. He achieved this by rapidly gaining an understanding of the business and by providing much needed structure, encouragement and motivation to the staff team and volunteers. Stephen also ensured there was a smooth handover to the incoming General Manager thus providing continuity.”

Paul Evans, Chair

“Stephen, John and Catrina are a pleasure to work with. They bring to the table a great wealth of knowledge and experience from high-profile visitor attractions, but don’t apply a cookie-cutter approach. In order to deliver their incisive recommendations they took time to understand our business model, our building, our operations and staffing structures, our customer base, and what we were seeking to achieve.

Recommendations were delivered alongside a clear and structured path to implementation, and Stephen and his associates took time to talk this through with us and make sure we felt confident to proceed. We now have a clear, workable and measurable strategy to move forward with. We would not hesitate to recommend Stephen Spencer + Associates to other arts, culture and heritage organisations.”

Rebecca Howarth, Sales and Marketing Manager