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Continuing Professional Development 
October 2016 – June 2018 
October 2018 
Melissa Bentley 
Marketing Department 
 
 
 
 

Contents 
 
1.  Executive Summary  …………………………………………………………………………………………….     2 
 
 
2.  Methodology and introduction………………………………………………………………………………  3 
 
 
3.  Evaluation Results   
 
3.1 Participants’ response ………………………………………………………………………………………  5 
 
3.2 Marketing  .………………………………………………………………………………………. .………………  14 
 
3.3 Participant Information……………………………………………………………………………………… 16 
 
Appendices …………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….……  18 
Appendix 1: What did you like the most about the course you attended? 
Appendix 2: Can you give an example of something new you have learnt or done? 
Appendix 3: Most and Least useful sessions 
Appendix 4: Are there any ways you feel this course could be improved? 
Appendix 5: Any other comments? 
Appendix 6: In terms of training needs, what areas / topics would you like to see in the future? 
Appendix 7: How do you think the course has impacted on your way of thinking and what key messages 
will you take away from it?  
Appendix 8: Rest of UK region 
 
 

 

1. Executive Summary 
•  Participant ratings of the CPD courses and workshops were very positive, with all areas being rated 
good or excellent by over 90% of participants. 
o  Quality of facilitators and speakers received the highest ratings with 99% rating this good or 
excellent (79% excellent) 
o  Enjoyment received the next highest rating at 98% good or excellent (70% excellent) 
o  The organisation and facilities received 97% good and excellent ratings (69% excellent) 
o  Content level and relevance received 96% good and excellent ratings (69% excellent) 
o  93% of participants rated new knowledge or skills gained as good or excellent (58% excellent) 
 
•  The top 2 cited by participants as being liked most were: the content or how informative course was 
(42%) and the fact that the courses were led by practitioners and their openness (23%). 
 
•  98% of respondents were able to give an example of something new they learnt or did – most of 
these stated a particular skill, activity or area of knowledge. 
 
•  Participants were asked which sessions they found the most and least useful. The responses to both 
of these questions was overwhelmingly positive. Only 12 participants named a session that they 
found least useful. In terms of most useful session: 71% named a session, 23% said everything and 
2% commented on the size of group being useful. For the least useful session, 41% answered 
everything was useful, 32% said none or n/a and 20% named a session. 
 
•  73%  of any other comments were positive – most of these comments gave general positive 
comments and offered thanks or said how much they enjoyed the course. 
 
•  Participants were asked if any improvements could be made, 64% of respondents had suggestions 
most of these fell into the categories of content (38%), structure or timings (17%) and requesting 
more practical or hands-on elements (15%). 
 
•  Some suggestions for improvements were also received to any other comments, again these were 
mostly linked to content or format. 
 
•  Over half of participants travelled from London or the South East (36% London and 19% the South 
East). 12% were from the rest of the UK and 33% overseas. 87% of participants were female. 1 
 
•  74% of respondents were current V&A visitors (had visited in the last year), 18% were lapsed visitors 
(had visited over a year ago) and 9% were new to the V&A. 
 
•  The V&A website was the most frequently cited method of hearing about the course, at 40%, this 
was followed by word of mouth / recommendation (33%), programme leaflet / booklet (9%), V&A e-
newsletter or postcard (6%) and V&A mail out (5%). 
 
 
                                                             
1 These questions were only included on a smaller sample of the evaluation forms so these results are from a much 
smaller number of participants so may not be as representative as other data. 

 

2. Methodology and introduction 
 
Paper self completion evaluation forms were given to participants at end of each CPD session. The table 
below shows the number of participants and forms collected at each session. In total 485 forms were 
collected from 43 events, this represents 87% of total participants at these events. At all events (apart from 
1) over half of participants completed forms, at 32 of the 43 events over three quarters of participants 
completed forms. Therefore this data can be seen as robust and representative across the programme. 
Number of 
surveys 

Number of 
Course name 
Date 
collected 
participants 
Planning and Writing your interpretation  
8-9 Sept 2016 
19 
21 
Getting it there in one piece: Museum Courier Training 
08-Nov-16 
16 
17 
Creating the Visitor Experience  
12-13 Oct 2017 


Creating Digital Learning Programmes 
13-Oct-16 
13 
19 
Documentation Nightmares and Due Diligence  
31 oct-1 Nov 2016 


How to Organise an Exhibition 
17-19 Oct 2016 
14 
15 
Creating Family resources, backpacks and trails  
04-Oct-16 
18 
22 
How to Create Touch Tours for Visually Impaired Visitors  
22-Nov-16 


Inclusion, Participation and Outreach: Creating 
Programmes for Community Audiences 
16-Nov-17 
15 
17 
Handling Museum Objects 
07-Feb-17 


An Inclusive Museum: Gallery Interpretation and 
programming 
23-24 March 2017 
11 
11 
How to Run a Residency Programme  
17-Jan-17 

11 
Activating the Museum’s Collections for Schools: 
Creating engaging dialogue through objects and 
contemporary practice 
04-Apr-17 


Creating Digital Learning Programmes 
25-Apr-17 


How to Organise Large Scale Festivals and events 
20-21 Apr 2017 


Inside the Museum: The V&A’s Museum Skills Course  
1 Feb-26 Apr 2017 
12 
12 
Plastics in Collections 
25-May-17 
18 
19 
Running a Successful Youth Collective: Engaging Young 
People with your museum 
07-Apr-17 


Art & Law Training  
7-8 Sept 2017 
14 
15 
Getting it there in one piece: Museum Courier Training 
10-Nov-17 
18 
20 
Creating Family Resources 
07-Nov-17 


How to Organise an Exhibition 
1-3 Nov 2017 
14 
19 
Planning and Writing your interpretation 
21-22 Sept 2017 
15 
15 
Placing Performance in the Museum  
27-Oct-17 


How to run an Artist in Residence Programme 
21-Nov-17 
10 
11 
Creating the visitor experience  
12-13 Oct 2017 


Planning and Writing Interpretation 
09-Feb-17 

12 
Creating Family Resources, Backpacks and Trails  
14-Sep-17 
10 
no data 
Dichloromethane (DCM) Training for Conservators  
20-Mar-18 



 

Engaging Audiences: Writing Effective Gallery Text 
16-Mar-18 


How to Organise Public Talks and Events 
26-Jan-18 
15 
20 
Writing your Interpretation for Exhibitions, Galleries 
and Displays 
23-Feb-18 
14 
14 
Inside the Museum: The V&A’s Museum Skills Course  
21 Feb-16 May 2018 

16 
Plastics in Collections 
26-Apr-18 

12 
Presenting Skills for Gallery Talks and Tours 
18-May-18 
14 
22 
Dichloromethane (DCM) Training for Conservators  
05-Jun-18 

10 
Informing Change: Engaging LGBTQ Audiences 
15-Jun-18 
20 
22 
SEND Programming for Schools and Families  
22-Jun-18 
10 
10 
Inside the Museum: The V&A’s Museum Skills Course  
6 sept-29 Nov 2017 
15 
15 
Curating Fashion and Dress 
 
21 
21 
Generating New Income Streams 
 
14 
16 
How to Organise an Exhibition 
 
16 
18 
Creating Innovative Learning Programmes  
 


Total 
 
485 
557 
 
 
 

 

3. Evaluation Results 
 
3.1 Participant response 
Participant ratings of the CPD courses and workshops were very positive, with all areas being rated good or 
excellent by over 90% of participants. 
•  Quality of facilitators and speakers received the highest ratings with 99% rating this good or 
excellent (79% excellent) 
•  Enjoyment received the next highest rating at 98% good or excellent (70% excellent) 
•  The organisation and facilities received 97% good and excellent ratings (69% excellent) 
•  Content level and relevance received 96% good and excellent ratings (69% excellent) 
•  93% of participants rated new knowledge or skills gained as good or excellent (58% excellent) 
1  Very 


Total 
  
 
Poor 
2 Poor 
Satisfactory  4 Good 
Excellent  responses 
Count 


10 
137 
339 
486 
Enjoyment 



2.1% 
28.2% 
69.8%   
Count 


20 
129 
336 
486 
Content level / relevance 


0.20% 
4.1% 
26.6% 
69.1%   
Count 


11 
135 
333 
481 
Organisation / facilities 


0.40% 
2.3% 
28.1% 
69.2%   
Quality of facilitators / 
Count 



96 
379 
481 
lecturers 



1.3% 
20.0% 
78.8%   
New knowledge or skills 
Count 


32 
164 
280 
480 
gained 

0.2% 
0.6% 
6.7% 
34.1% 
58.3%   
 
 
What did you like most about the course you attended? 
480 responses were received to this question, a large number of comments fell into more than one category. 
The content of course and / or how informative it was so the most frequently mentioned as being liked 
most, with 42% of participants citing this. 
Very informative and thorough content. 
The content of each week was so varied, and yet every one complemented the last. The 
speakers were all fantastic, and it really helped to be able to learn in the classroom and on 
the gallery floor. 

The diversity of the content. There was such a range of topics covered, many of which I knew 
little about 


 

The courses being led by current practitioners and / or how honest and open they were in sharing 
information and experience was the second most frequently stated area. This was mentioned in almost a 
quarter of all responses. 
Professionalism and experience of tutors. Real life examples. 
The open and helpful approach of the staff. 
The honest sharing of practice and useful information. 
The candour of the speakers! It was great to have such an honest view of the opportunities 
(and political pitfalls)! 

I liked the fact the training was headed by someone who initially developed the programme 
and was visual impaired themselves so we could ask questions and get true perspective. 

The variety and quality of speakers and presentations was mentioned by 16% of participants. 
The range of topics and speakers. It was lovely and informing to hear about various sectors 
in museums and how people made their way into the industry. Every week was different and 
made me want to get out of bed every Wednesday. 

Speakers were brilliant - great mix of practical, informative, 
The courses being in a Museum, the use of galleries and access to Museum resources and collections was 
cited by 14% of participants. 
I really enjoyed being able to explore the museum and getting to consolidate new practices 
by going out to see them. 

Practical activities in the gallery. 
 
The networking opportunities and sharing of information and knowledge in meeting other professionals 
was stated by 13% of participants. 
Networking with professionals from other institutions. 
Fantastic range of people, getting to chat to others in the same sector/line of work. 
I really enjoyed the opportunity to meet other people working in the cultural sector. It was 
great to hear about other projects and to see that digital learning is a growing area. 

Also commented on by 13% of participants was liking the hands-on, practical or interactive elements of 
course. 
A chance to try out puppet pals and workshop with colleagues. 
Hands on learning, taught by people with first-hand knowledge. 
Other areas that participants liked were the structure of the course (9%), the resources, equipment or 
organisation (3%) and the relaxed and friendly atmosphere (3%). 2% of participants said they liked 
everything. 

 

Category 
Count  % 
Content / informative 
199 
41.5% 
That it is practitioners leading sessions / their honesty / 
23.1% 
openness 
111 
Variety and quality of speakers / presentations 
79 
16.5% 
Access to the Museum / Museum as the setting 
69 
14.4% 
Meeting other professionals / networking / sharing ideas 
64 
13.3% 
Hands-on / interactive / practical elements 
63 
13.1% 
Structure of course 
44 
9.2% 
Resources / equipment / organisation 
17 
3.5% 
Friendly / relaxes atmosphere 
16 
3.3% 
Everything 

1.9% 
Other 

0.6% 
For a full list of comments see Appendix 1 
 
Can you give an example of something new you learnt or did? 

458 comments were received in response to this question. 98% of comments said they had learnt or done 
something new, most of these (91%) stated a particular skill, activity or area of knowledge: 
Breathing skills. Structure. Differences to bear in mind between gallery talks and lectures. 
Basics of how to identify types of plastic. Most dangerous plastics to watch out for in 
collections. 

Creative ways of raising funds - IP branding etc. Also details of loan conditions 
internationally. 

How backpack development with outside agencies done. 
 
How to guide someone who is visually impaired, using appropriate touch and language for 
the tour. 

Practical exercise in renewing contracts - this was very interesting for me as I have no legal 
experience. 

When interpretation (and what) is appropriate. Adding human element, rather than just 
factual - text. 

 
5% of comments said everything / lots was new: 
All of it! I did not know very much about plastics. 
Lots, too many to mention. 
So many things! Great rounded overview and thorough explanation of challenges. 

 

Other comments referred to sharing knowledge or practice with others, broadening knowledge already have 
or increased confidence in knowledge or inspired ideas for future work: 
Being in a community of people who share similar ideas, philosophy, allowed me to think 
more clearly about what I want to do with fashion. 

It was more about increased confidence to work with the audience than new information. 
Came up with an idea for an experiment to roll out at work. 
 

Only one comment said they had not really learnt anything new: 
Didn't really learn anything new, except how V&A puts on events. 
 

Category 
Count 

Particular skill / knowledge / activity 
416 
91% 
All / Everything / lots 
22 
5% 
Sharing knowledge / practice with others 

1% 
Broadened knowledge / increased confidence 

1% 
Inspired ideas / future work 

1% 
No 

0% 
Other 

2% 
For a full list of comments see appendix 2. 
 
Most and least useful sessions 

Participants were asked which sessions they found the most and least useful. The responses to both of these 
questions was overwhelmingly positive. Only 12 participants named a session that they found least useful. 
108 responses were received to the most useful session question, 71% named a session, 23% said everything 
2% commented on the size of group being useful. For the least useful session question, 41% answered 
everything was useful and 32% said none or n/a. 20% named a session and 7% of comments fell outside of 
these categories. 
All of them, but enjoyed the practical session in the afternoon. The sessions complemented 
each other very well though. You needed one to make the next make sense! 

I really enjoyed all of them and found them all equally very, very useful. 
I liked it all. I like the mix of exploring galleries and learning. 
It was the combination of sessions which made the whole thing useful! 
None! I learnt new things in all of them as I had very limited knowledge of the museum 
sector and they were all very informative and engaging. 

None, really, as I think every session contributes to understanding the museum environment 
as a whole. 


 

Most useful session 
Category 
Count 

Named session 
77 
71% 
Everything 
25 
23% 
none or n/a 

2% 
other 

2% 
size of group 

2% 
 Total 
108 
100% 
 
Least useful session 

Category 
Count 

Named session 
24 
41% 
Everything was useful 
12 
20% 
None or n/a 
19 
32% 
Other 

7% 
Total 
59 
100% 
For a full list of comments see appendix 3. 
 
Are there any ways you feel this course could be improved? 

383 comments were received in response to this question, however 19% (71) said that no improvements 
could be made. Therefore, 312 or 64% of participants made a suggestion for improvement. The comments 
have been categorised in the table below, some comments are in more than one category. 
Suggestions around the content of the course were seen most frequently, 38% of suggestions fell into this 
category. 
I don't know if it's possible within a course led by a single institution but it would be great to 
include somehow experience of other institutions in London. 

More around how to reach particular audiences (who do not already engage with 
organisation). More around finding particular theme/topic - gap in the market. 

On the first morning after introductions it would be great to have a tour of commercial 
spaces as well as the volunteer led object tour 

 
17% were suggestions about the structure or timings of the course. 
First section in classroom too long - needed a break out session of some sort. 
 
Intersperse the talking with a few more practical elements/exercises. 2 hour talks a lot to 
listen to, especially after lunch. 
 
Maybe be sharper on time with first delegate presentations. 
 


 

Maybe more brief breaks to allow new material to get in. Maybe tea with staff at end 
instead of beginning, so you have more detailed questions and know who to talk to. 

 
15% of suggestions requested more time on practical activities, hands-on or discussion. 
More practical work and tasks that can help us put what we've learnt into practice. 
More interactive elements as so many presentations can be intense. 
More time to discuss current practice, and group discussions. 
 
10% of suggestions requested that the course was longer overall. 
Make it longer. 
Could be longer, even a day would allow for more opportunity to try things out. 
If possible extend to the full 2 days. 
 
9% suggested that the facilities or catering could be improved. 
Better room/facilities. 
Bigger screen please! 
I felt that lunch/refreshments were a bit light considering the cost of course. It's a long day! 
 
Other suggestions referred to resources and handouts, pre-course or course information, more time spent in 
the galleries, suggestions about particular activities and more information on how to use learnings in a 
smaller scale organisations. 
% of suggested 
Category 
Count  improvements 
No improvement needed, n /a  
71 
 19% 
 
 
 
 
Content 
118 
38% 
Timings / structure 
54 
17% 
More practical / hands-on / discussions 
48 
15% 
More time 
30 
10% 
Facilities / catering 
27 
9% 
Pre-course information 
15 
5% 
Resources / handouts 
16 
5% 
Suggestions on specific activities 

3% 
More in gallery 
10 
3% 
More on linking to smaller orgs 

2% 
Other 

3% 
For a full list of comments see appendix 4 
10 
 

Any other comments 
256 comments were received in response to this question. 73% of these were positive, 24% offered 
suggestions for improvement or were negative. 
48% of comments gave a general positive comment or offered thanks. 
Everyone was very friendly and accommodating. It was nice to meet people from other 
institutions. 

Excellent course, enjoyed access to V&A staff. 
Good use of practical, theoretical and group discussion. 
I am going to miss being here amongst the knowledge of the presenters and beauty of the 
surroundings. 

Really fascinating! I want to read about more legal cases now. 
Brilliant - thank you for sharing an insight into your fantastic work! 
 
11% expressed that they had enjoyed the course. 
It was very enjoyable overall and very knowledgeable leaders. 
Very enjoyable and good insight into how a large museum team operates. 
Very enjoyable and shall hopefully sign up for more in a similar field. 
 
7% talked of how useful or informative the course was. 
A thoroughly interesting and worthwhile day. I feel inspired to develop touch tours in my 
own museum. 

Really useful and provided lots of examples of good practice and things to try. Good to work 
with other people. 

Thanks for a very useful day. I've learned lots, and have lots of plans! 
 
7% were positive about the facilitator. 
Facilitators were great. 
Brilliantly led. The facilitators were very engaging and though there was a lot to take in, it 
didn't feel boring or irrelevant! 

Very helpful generally. Staff very open re: sharing documents/expertise. Great to see 
Nationals faced with similar issues as smaller regional ones! 

 
18% offered suggestions about the content, format or logistics of the course. 
11 
 

Could be great to have 1 session for meeting and interactive between the group like time 
building session to encourage the networking. 
 
I did not feel that I was given enough information - I felt that too much time was given to 
doing things by myself. I could have come to the Museum and borrowed a backpack without 
paying £125. 
 
I think it could be condensed into 2 days. Perhaps an earlier start and later finish with less 
time for breaks and exhibition visits. Better introductions for attendees and network 
opportunities. 
 
I thought it was a bit too heavy on details of loans. Would have been useful to have 
something on supporting events programme - not just learning. Maybe also a tour of one of 
the exhibitions by a curator - giving background insights into choices etc. 

 
2% made suggestions about the resources or follow-up activity that might be useful. 
A participants lists sent in advance so you know who will participate. 
 
Provide digital copies of all content. 

 
2% commented on catering or facilities that could be improved. 
Bit disappointed with lunch. Even though I stated my allergies beforehand, felt a little that 
no real effort was made - a protein free salad is not very filling and disappointing 
considering the cost of the course. 
 
Perhaps forward facing tables would be better as it was uncomfortable during the talks 
although I appreciate they helped discussions later. 

 
Category 
Count 

 
 
 
General positive / thanks 
123 
48% 
Enjoyment 
28 
11% 
Useful / informative 
19 
7% 
Positive about facilitators 
17 
7% 
Other 

3% 
Suggestions: Content/format 
47 
18% 
Suggestions: resources / follow-
up 

2% 
Suggestions: catering/facilities 

2% 
Expensive 

1% 
Total 
256   100% 
For a full list of comments see appendix 5. 
 
 
12 
 

3.2 Marketing 
 
Participants were asked how they heard about the course. 375 responses to this question were received. The 
V&A website was the most frequently cited method of hearing about the course, at 40%, this was followed 
by word of mouth / recommendation (33%), programme leaflet / booklet (9%), V&A e-newsletter or postcard 
(6%) and V&A mail out (5%). Other was chosen by 15% of respondents within this the Museum Association 
and GEM were frequently mentioned. 
Programme leaflet / booklet 
32 
8.5% 
V&A What’s on brochure 

2.1% 
Just came across it within the 
museum  

0.5% 
Word of mouth / recommendation  
122 
32.5% 
Social media - Facebook, Twitter or 
other 
16 
4.3% 
 V&A e-newsletter/postcard 
22 
5.9% 
V&A website     
148 
39.5% 
V&A mail out  
20 
5.3% 
Magazine advert / article / listing :  
10 
2.7% 
Newspaper advert / article / listing  

0.5% 
Other 
55 
14.7% 
 
Social Media, please specify where: 
Facebook 

LinkedIn 

Twitter 

Instagram 

Icom costume 

 
Magazine advert/ article / listing, please tell us where: 
Sharjah Museums Authority 
LinkedIn 
Art Law Seminars Newsletter 
Museums Association 
Discover South Kensington email 
MA event listing 
Conservation dist list 
 
Newspaper advert/ article / listing, please tell us where: 
Evening Standard 
13 
 

GEM listing 
 
Other, please tell us where: 
Museum Association 
17 
GEM 
16 
Google / internet search 

Ads on the underground station. 

Art Law Seminars Email 
Newsletter 

Arts Council or Collection Trust? 

Colleague saw it on registrar's 
website. 

Costume Society of America 
newsletter 

Emailed directly. 

Mailing list, but can't remember 
which. 

MDO Newsletter 

Museums website 

My manager signed me up 

Posters 

Prof Lesley Miller 

Website 

Institute of Art and Law website 

 
 
 
14 
 

3.3 Participant Information 
 
120 participants responded to this question, this is due to this question only be included on a smaller 
sample of the evaluation forms, so the data may not be fully representative. 67% of respondents were from 
the UK, 36% London, 19% the South East and 12% the rest of the UK. 33% were from overseas, 19% from 
Europe, 5% from Asia, 5% rest of World and 4% North America. 
 
For a breakdown of the UK regions participants were from in the ‘rest of UK’ category see appendix 6. 
Where have you travelled from?
Greater London (43)
35.8%
Rest of Sout East (23)
19.2%
Rest of UK (14)
11.7%
Europe (23)
19.2%
North America (5)
4.2%
Asia (6)
5.0%
Rest of World (6)
5.0%
 
The majority of respondents were female, at 87%. 91 participants responded to this question, this is due to 
this question only be included on a smaller sample of the evaluation forms and some participants choosing 
not to answer this question, so the data may not be fully representative. 
15 
 

Gender
Female (79)
86.8%
Male (12)
13.2%
 
 
74% of respondents were current V&A visitors (had visited in the last year), 18% were lapsed visitors (had 
visited before over a year ago) and 9% were new to the V&A. 
V&A Visitation
First visit (36)
8.7%
Current visitor (304)
73.6%
Lapsed visitor (73)
17.7%
 
 
 
16 
 

Appendices 
 
Appendix 1: What did you like the most about the course you attended? 
Content / informative (199) 
Absorbing the best practice but particularly when there were tips on how to create the programme. 
It was various in ideas and content. It included a trip to another museum that is very different than the 
V&A. 
Learning new tools to use during my daily practice. 
Materials provided. Clarity. Content. 
Very informative and thorough content. 
Clear information, well presented. 
Really thorough. Precise and clear information. Delivered in a concise manner. 
The knowledge that I get all the information about health and safety. 
The content of each week was so varied, and yet every one complemented the last. The speakers were 
all fantastic, and it really helped to be able to learn in the classroom and on the gallery floor. Personally, 
having a 'behind-the-scenes' look at the muse 
Practical tips - 10 point guide to writing interpretation. 
Full of information, illustrated with lots of real examples. 
Very clear and informative. Good illustrative photos. 
Very thorough and diverse. 
Enjoyed learning how a huge museum functions. Also looking at various aspects of the museum. LGBT 
tour. 
So much info shared. I feel I can go away and talk confidently to my committee. 
Hearing about variety of digital engagement at V&A. 
Inspiring in terms of the sheer range of possibilities to use tech, and the sharing of knowledge in terms 
of resources/contacts. 
Variety of ideas and examples; expertise; opportunity for creative exploration. 
The comprehensive content and the friendly delivery by the speakers. 
Dealing with diligence. 
Excellent overview for me/refresher of collections management. 
To get to think about how I would 'thing' by talking to others. 
A fantastic introduction to the variety and scope of resources/backpacks/trails. 
Lots of practical advice that can be taken away - great resources provided. 
The different types of residencies. The mix of presentation/case studies - show and tell of [unclear]. 
Quite comprehensive - discussion of a variety of residency approaches. 
Content and its relevance. 
Relevant and practical information. 
I learnt so much that I can take with me. It has made me think differently about how I would write a 
panel. 
17 
 

Element of the [unclear level?] of "planning" interpretation. 
Thinking about presenting information in an organised fashion. 
I enjoyed learning about new ways to engage new audiences. 
The LGBTQ tour and talk was excellent. Great speakers. 
Getting inspiration and ideas. 
The variety of subjects. 
The range of the talks. 
Learning about HOW to approach new audiences. 
Varied topics, honest, relevance, gave really good practical ideas and advice. 
The variety of the content and information. 
The variety of skills and subjects covered. 
The variety of topics and talks, ability to meet others and share ideas. Great stuff! 
The range of subjects covered. The mix between presentation and on-site visits around the galleries. 
The personal insights and case studies. 
Breadth of material and topics covered. 
The variety of ways we looked at the subject - different approaches to the issues as well as 'class-based' 
and gallery-based ways we experienced the subject. 
The breadth of content. Loved the LGBTQ tour! Fascinating. 
6 degrees of separation. 
6 degrees - great. Understanding the V&A's experiences. 
Different ways of using object - 6 steps and art activity. Time to consider new ways of doing things. 
Trialling Puppet Pals in the gallery - first session. 
Very informative. 
The opportunity to talk and hear about Interpretation, a difficult topic. 
The scope of the course was excellent and I enjoyed hearing from different professionals involved in 
putting together and managing the exhibitions. 
The variety and insight into a huge institution - that actually try new things and challenge the norm. 
Not a second was lost - packed full with content; quality of the presenters - across the board. 
It covered all aspects of the process - very comprehensive. 
The variety of case studies, the flow of the course. 
Information shared. 
Amount of topics covered and quality of presentations. 
Overview of the exhibition process and timeline. 
I was able to get new ideas. 
The content is very useful and a lot of case studies help understanding. 
Really useful to learn more about contract law and due diligence - particularly for my job. 
Majority of talks were really interesting and I feel I have taken away something from each session. 
Hearing case studies. 
Particularly enjoyed sessions 2, 3, 4 and the first day, and 1st three on second day. I did find the last 
session of the 2nd day informative as I have no practical knowledge of export clients. 
All the talks by the IAL and V&A collections/curatorial speakers were really useful, with solid legal 
content and case studies. 
18 
 

The range of topics were all really interesting. I preferred the topics which were less specific to the V&A 
because these were more relevant and transferable to museums outside of the V&A. 
Talks from Institute of Art & Law and the case studies of cases. 
Diversity of course content and listening to other comments/experiences from audience. Very open 
and welcoming to comments and questions from audience. 
Varied topics. Very interesting to listen to GC of V&A and the various work to he undertakes. Gift vs 
loan and acquisition and loss of title lectures were very useful. 
Tort of conversion. Immunity from seizure. 
Very good and knowledgeable speakers. Discussions and exercises. 
Very good balance of theory and practical cases - this is especially good when based on real knowledge 
and real scenarios. Very knowledgeable presenters. 
Troubleshooting case studies. 
The detail of presentations. 
Very thorough - nice mix of practical and taught sessions. Relaxed but very informative. 
Comprehensive coverage of subject. 
The large scope of topics based around being a courier. 
Very clear step-by-step run through of start to finish of the process. Answered many of my questions 
and made me feel less anxious about my first trip. 
Very detailed overview of the role of being a courier and the ability to ask questions to experience 
Registrars. 
Covered aspects of couriering I wanted to know. The examples were very helpful. 
Thinking through logistics. 
Seeing all the resources - would have been nice to see all the packs (maybe not enough time!) 
The diversity i.e. talk/discussion/hands on/walk around the V&A to brainstorm etc. etc. 
How to create a backpack. 
Getting a great deal of relevant information from a wide variety of professionals and experiences. 
Practical knowledge shared. Informality/relaxed 
The vast areas of topics that were covered. 
Finding out about the adult learning programme. 
Personal - informing - inspiring - professional helpful people. 
Very thorough and diverse. 
Enjoyed learning how a huge museum functions. Also looking at various aspects of the museum. LGBT 
tour. 
The diversity of the presentations and the other students. It was fun and really interesting. 
Wonderful insight into life behind the scenes at a world famous museum. 
A good balanced programme. 
It gave a really good background and insight into working in a museum. 
The variety of material and subjects touched upon. Especially the visit to Blythe House. 
Object handling. 
It was very informative and well-rounded and taught myself many new skills in museum 
interpretation. 
It's provided me with a new and more focused way of looking at interpretation and how to approach it. 
19 
 

Great overview of the various approaches to interpretation - taking into account different audiences 
and design approaches. Practical and theoretical balance was just right. 
Great content. 
Range of content was great and great mix of practicalities and bigger picture discussing. Great to have 
number of spaces for [unclear]. 
Detail included, pack of info very useful, visits to studios. 
Clear information, well presented. 
Very informative and thorough content. 
The course was clear and our presenter was very thorough and happy to answer our questions. 
Really thorough. Precise and clear information delivered in a concise manner. 
The knowledge that I get all the information about health and safety. 
New knowledge gained. 
The complete breadth of every facet being represented by the best possible person from each 
department. 
Nice people! Finally I could find out what I would like to do and get advice how I can achieve it. I really 
like that we could see how does museum work, how many different skills we can use in a museum. 
The overview of different roles in the museum and the day to day tasks of those that do them. The 
sense of optimism from hearing the different ways each speaker had come into their role. Also a sense 
of motivation and not to give up or think oneself inexperienced 
The flow of the curriculum. Each week was so interesting and extremely relevant. Each session linked 
really well to the previous sessions subject. It was excellent to learn about the inner workings of such 
an established institution! Loved the course! 
That I learned the background of every speaker. Visiting and learning more about the permanent 
collection. 
I really enjoyed knowing more about what it means to work in a museum, and I feel like I've realised 
what my future job would be like. But most of all, all the people who came to talk gave us a feeling that 
if you work hard and pursue your passion, you ca 
Comprehensive coverage of the subject. Thought provoking. 
It was very informative and gave ample opportunity for discourse with other participants. 
Interactive, conversational, thorough. 
Case study approach. Hearing from the wider exhibition team. Seeing the exhibitions. 
I thought there was a good range of speakers, good range of subjects covered. 
I like the content of the course, from developing the general concept to practical examples, like the 
quality of the presentations and openness of the presenters. 
Range of speakers. Details speakers went into - very practical, very good! 
It covered all the different aspects of an exhibition. 
The talks. Exhibition visits. 
The level of information presented. 
Very informative. All topics are relevant to my interest. 
Strong context, explained clearly, fantastic resources. 
Activities, mixed with theory and going back into the museum. 
Quantity of examples. 
Very relevant, practical content, delivered with experience and confidence. 
20 
 

Professional, relevant, contemporary. 
Looked at all aspects and their programming and performance. 
Insight and inspiration. 
Curation talk. 
It gave me a better understanding of the classification of the materials and it also gave me food for 
thought. 
Talking about plastics with like-minded people. 
Informal, interesting, hands on. 
It was very useful to learn about the ways each plastic deteriorates and the different requirements for 
storage. 
Broad sweep of plastics; history; manufacturing; examples. 
Learning new information. Practicing the identification methods. 
Comprehensive and informative. 
Review of COSGG - DCM use and practice. 
Cash gave us some really interesting and relevant points which can be applied to my place of work. Her 
experience and knowledge has given me lots of ideas and food for thought. 
It covered different types of SEND. 
School session. Skill sharing. Cash facilitated well. SEND backpack was interesting. 
Experiencing the SEND boxes as a workshop. 
Ideas for planning re visits and tactile ideas for sessions. Realisation that there are resources we already 
have that could work for SEND groups. 
Good case studies/examples of LGBTQ artwork, and how some areas have been improved e.g. training. 
Informing change: engaging LGBTQ audience. 
Variety of speakers and content. Very friendly and approachable. 
I felt it gave 'permission' to describe or interpret historic objects in relation to queer stories even in the 
absence of concrete evidence. 
I enjoyed learning more about different ways to make collections more representative, and thought the 
tour was great in showing this. 
Matt's talk. 
It was very much informative and relevant for my position nevertheless for my personal interest. 
It addressed the human element of giving a talk and engaging the audience emphasising the 
importance of being the 'bridge' over being the information 'lender'. 
Techniques learnt were very useful. 
Chance to discuss different approaches to storytelling and describing in a group setting with practical 
sessions. 
Content. Structure. Mix of classroom and gallery. 
Broad presentations of ideas, building of networks. 
The brainstorming/planning session that was held on Day 4 was extremely helpful. 
The combination of different approaches both in 'learning' (practical and listening) and different 
departments of the museum. 
1. A chance to learn procedure and ways of doing. 2. Meeting other professionals. 
The content presented and the other delegates who represented different types of institution. 
I produced great level of information. It was also interesting for networking. 
21 
 

Very specific to my job remit. It is rare to find a course so relevant. It has been massively beneficial to 
gain a detailed understanding of how a forward thinking museum operates. 
Very specific subject area and hard to find a course like this. Each section was really thorough so it felt 
like a comprehensive overview. 
The course content itself, its relevancy and its good to meet other people, likeminded people to work in 
the same field and share the ideas. 
The course not only shared achievements, best practices and also challenges faced and opportunities 
for frontline growth/further development. 
The visitor experience, marketing, retail and the catering session. I liked the dinner we had. 
I like the way that they choose the co-ordinator and the awesome information and the too long 
experiences that they gave in tours. 
To have a complete view of stakeholders about how to make an exhibition. 
The organisation was very good, and I had information not only about the moving the exhibition, but 
all the processes around it - events, publishing, staff!! 
The diversity of the lectures. Experiences sharing with V&A staff and colleagues. 
The breadth and range and volume of information shared by the V&A. 
Themes: touring, sponsorship, events and corporate hire, visitor experience, marketing. Well prepared 
and held presentations. 
Well organised, informative. 
The range of topics and speakers. It was lovely and informing to hear about various sectors in museums 
and how people made their way into the industry. Every week was different and made me want to get 
out of bed every Wednesday. 
Alex mentioned lots of resources that I wouldn't have known about prior to this. Friendly delivery. 
Exciting possibilities. 
Ruth's presentation. Guided tour. 
The variety of speakers who knew different programmes. The tour by Dan. 
Really impressed by speakers and range of new initiatives V&A have launched. Very inspiring. 
Speakers and amount of context/case studies. 
The quality of speakers was fantastic. Hearing about the diverse events. The different areas of 
expertise. 
Excellent presentation, well thought through. Covered the subject very well. Good to go into galleries 
and end with a task. 
The expertise of the speakers. The range of subjects covered. 
Zorian's presentation was fantastic. Dan's tour was interesting. 
Meeting others. Being able to see others interests in museum studies. Very thankful to hear from 
presentations of various departments in all aspects of the museum. Brilliant and thankful to have been 
available to hear so much and hear presentation from lo 
A group of diverse international delegates. It covered every aspect of the curation process, from concept 
design to conservation. 
The trips to Blythe House and the Museum of Childhood. The breadth of topics covered. The 
enthusiasm of the speakers. The practical/hands-on aspects. 
The diversity of the content. There was such a range of topics covered, many of which I knew little 
about. Also really enjoyed the practical activities that got us more involved. 
The honest sharing of practice and useful information. 
22 
 

The approach and openness, as well as the relevant contents. We are working from a museum culture 
without commercial awareness to an entrepreneurial enterprise. You gave me the tools to evolve in 
that direction. 
Well organised. Variety of speakers, generosity of knowledge, experience and data shared. 
The layout - definitions and practical was very informative. Information about the manufacture of 
different plastics was unexpected but excellent. 
Good length of day. Subjects all useful and varied and easily applicable to day to day work. Day felt 
relaxed but was informative. 
Well planned, clearly and well-presented, informative. 
I liked the structure of the course, how the topics were divided through the days and the speakers. 
Almost all areas were covered which is amazing. 
Friendly atmosphere, knowledgeable speakers, broad programme. 
Great range of speakers giving a broad knowledge and expertise on exhibitions. Really useful and 
informative. 
 
That it is practitioners leading sessions / their honesty / openness (111) 
Lots of real life examples. 
Loved the situational examples, and group work with practical info. 
The practical examples. 
Professionalism and experience of tutors. Real life examples. 
First-hand experience stories. 
Lots of examples. Small number of group - easy to ask questions. 
Very detailed and good use of practical examples. 
I found the morning with lots of examples really useful. 
Chance to hear about examples of best practice and trying an app in context. 
The playfulness and the practical advice. 
The free sharing of ideas and practical tips. 
Really useful to see examples and try out resources and talk to others. 
The honest sharing of practice and useful information. 
The candour of the speakers! It was great to have such an honest view of the opportunities (and 
political pitfalls)! 
The detail and examples - especially the contrasts etc. Variety of people who spoke. Knowledge and 
experience of the above. 
The detail about the process and the honesty and generosity of all speakers. 
I liked the fact the training was headed by someone who initially developed the programme and was 
visual impaired themselves so we could ask questions and get true perspective. 
Quality and honesty of the facilitator. 
Access to expert knowledge and range of experience. 
Hearing from expertise about the work they're doing and their generosity in sharing the knowledge. 
First-hand discussion from staff working on projects. Very honest and open discussions. Didn't try to 
present a 'we know best' attitude, but more 'this is what we learnt'. Good and bad practices. Talk from 
Barry Ginley was very informative. 
Tours. Practical examples for new interpretation of collections for diversified audience. 
23 
 

Opportunity to study V&A resources in greater detail. 
Getting expert advice on each element of creating a backpack and sharing ideas with others. 
The warmth of the team, alongside their knowledge and willingness to help. 
Good to know what a leading national museum does in terms of exhibitions - very comprehensive. 
Lots of experience from the staff to draw from. 
Anthony Misquilta's stories illustrating legal issues. 
Access to expert knowledge and range of experience. 
Facilitators passionate about their job and experiences. 
Excellent practical advice and great honesty from speakers in relaying their experiences. 
Getting to talk to V&A staff in a relaxed, casual environment about how they have tackled things that 
you are currently planning. Also very well organised! 
Security - Varna. Levi [?] - Leanne. Large scale - David. Reveal - story [?] 
It was wonderful and quite interesting, see from first hand experts, exchange their knowledge in such a 
professional and casual way. 
Passionate, experienced, approachable speakers. 
Facilitators obviously enjoy their roles! 
It was great to have examples about what the V&A do in certain situations. 
Engaging speakers, actually do what they were telling us. Sharing examples. 
I really appreciated the honesty of the speakers - the mix of what went right and at times what went 
wrong. It's so useful and refreshing. I also felt their experience, I was super confident that any question 
I had would be well answered. 
Hearing from people who work in these positions every day and hearing how they got to their position, 
their career path. Malini and Alice are lovely. 
Insight into how V&A works. Opportunity to see galleries etc. 
To learn from the inside about the residency programme in an honest/direct tone with professionals in 
the field. 
Honest and in-depth presentations, flexible discussions and willingness to answer questions, liked 
visiting the AiR gallery space. Also really liked hearing the different perspectives of the managers and 
the artists. 
All the speakers were either Head of leading their departments - so their skills and passion of the 
subject really shows. Course material given are very informative and easy to refer back to. 
Really knowledgeable speakers, willing to share recent, relevant experiences, very open to answering 
questions. 
Very hands-on knowledge. 
Practical tips and insights into subject, lots of real life examples (also negative/failed cases which 
always provide good possibilities to learn). 
Great to hear from relevant people in the museum and hear their own experiences/reflections on what 
they do. 
Direct access to the museums professionals and first-hand experience account of placing performances 
and their lessons learnt. 
The range of case studies/real life examples of activities and also how these have developed through 
learning what works/what doesn't. 
List of initiatives taken by the V&A - good to see the different areas that were working together. Tour of 
objects was interesting. 
24 
 

Chance to hear directly from practitioners. Practical information rather than a focus on inspiration 
(which I find in conferences sometimes). 
The breadth of the expertise shared from the V&A team. 
Hearing the perspective of 3 people with different roles to play at the museum. Honesty of speakers 
and addressing issues directly. 
I really liked that the speakers were so engaged and generous of their time and experience. I 
appreciated the honesty according to how it works at the V&A. I really liked the conservators 
presentation and the mounting workshop. And the lunches, and the….  
Ability to meet professionals working in different scales of institutions, different geographic locations, 
different backgrounds. Ability to see fine-grained details of operations at V&A. 
All presentations by V&A contributors have been printed for us, which makes it much more easier to 
take notes. All contributors have been generous in sharing their expertise, replying to the questions and 
tried to give us an unvarnished version of the pro 
The honesty of the staff in regards to the reality of life at the V&A. 
To see how the V&A operates today. 
The openness and honesty in the approach. A peak behind the scenes. 
I loved the candid responses from all of the instructors "V&A does not have all the answers but here are 
some tips on how we do it". 
Even if your organisation is way larger than mine all topics can be implemented in some way when I 
return. 
Transparency to share things that haven't worked out as expected and things that have been 
successful. Contact info. 
The approach and openness, as well as the relevant contents. We are working from a museum culture 
without commercial awareness to an entrepreneurial enterprise. You gave me the tools to evolve in 
that direction. 
Energy and collaborative approach. 
Well organised. Variety of speakers, generosity of knowledge, experience and data shared. 
Being able to ask questions to the speakers. Going round and seeing parts of the museum with the 
speakers. 
The generosity and honesty of all the V&A staff sharing their time and knowledge. 
Hearing from each of the practitioners about their methodology and practical experience working in 
their respective fields. 
The institutional experience and the opportunity to connect with people from all over the world and all 
the knowledge of the V&A team. 
The variety of subject matter experts brought in to speak specifically about their area of expertise, 
instead of a singular course leader. 
Honest, professional and friendly staff. 
Bryony was engaging and very approachable. Inclusion of gallery critiques. 
Quality of speakers - felt grateful that such key/senior staff gave us their time. 
All the speakers were amazing and very informative. A lot more operational knowledge what events are 
on, how to react if something goes wrong. 
All the speakers and Malini were very friendly and kind. I discovered a whole part of the V&A Museum I 
didn't know about and I really appreciated the variety of knowledge and competences behind such an 
institution. 
Small groups that enabled discussion. Practical examples. 
25 
 

Great range of speakers giving a broad knowledge and expertise on exhibitions. Really useful and 
informative. 
Practical application and ease of talking with speakers and participants. 
Talking to other delegates. Candid discussions with V&A. Group discussions. Hands-on activity. Behind 
the scenes. Long lunch for exploring museum. Temporary exhibition tickets. 
I loved the collaborative nature between both delegates and amongst the V&A staff. It was truly 
unique to have such unlimited access to the museum. 
Full of information, illustrated with lots of real examples. 
Varied topics, honest, relevance, gave really good practical ideas and advice. 
6 degrees - great. Understanding the V&A's experiences. 
The scope of the course was excellent and I enjoyed hearing from different professionals involved in 
putting together and managing the exhibitions. 
Diversity of course content and listening to other comments/experiences from audience. Very open 
and welcoming to comments and questions from audience. 
Very detailed overview of the role of being a courier and the ability to ask questions to experience 
Registrars. 
Covered aspects of couriering I wanted to know. The examples were very helpful. 
Practical knowledge shared. Informality/relaxed 
The complete breadth of every facet being represented by the best possible person from each 
department. 
The overview of different roles in the museum and the day to day tasks of those that do them. The 
sense of optimism from hearing the different ways each speaker had come into their role. Also a sense 
of motivation and not to give up or think oneself inexperienced 
I like the content of the course, from developing the general concept to practical examples, like the 
quality of the presentations and openness of the presenters. 
Range of speakers. Details speakers went into - very practical, very good! 
Cash gave us some really interesting and relevant points which can be applied to my place of work. Her 
experience and knowledge has given me lots of ideas and food for thought. 
Very specific to my job remit. It is rare to find a course so relevant. It has been massively beneficial to 
gain a detailed understanding of how a forward thinking museum operates. 
The diversity of the lectures. Experiences sharing with V&A staff and colleagues. 
The breadth and range and volume of information shared by the V&A. 
Being able to access the galleries and having the chance to learn from the person who actually is 
responsible for interpretation at the V&A. 
It was a window onto a new world for me, as I'm pretty new to this field. I enjoyed engaging with new 
spaces at the V&A and hearing the stories and experiences shared by the facilitators. 
Being in V&A and hearing real life experiences of event management. What works and how to manage 
challenge. 
Opportunity to tour galleries with someone involved in their creation. 
Glimpses of the museum. Knowledgeable and super-friendly staff. Really helpful advice from staff and 
co-participants. 
Getting to see 'behind the scenes'. Getting to hear from very significant people who work all across the 
museum in different roles and departments. 
It was fascinating to go behind the scenes and hear from so many different members of staff. 
Practical aspects and realism. 
Hands on learning, taught by people with first-hand knowledge. 
26 
 

I think the course is very practical. A lot of first-hand experience and knowledge. Something that I can 
apply to my own work after the class. 
The most was the real and practical information and examples. It was not theory, it was your real 
experience that you show on the screen. And all staff were very accessible and open to questions. 
Well organised and structured. I enjoyed the 'true life' stories of what has happened! 
How each week had a different theme: the chance to speak to all the different professionals and have 
hands on workshops. 
Very good balance of theory and practical cases - this is especially good when based on real knowledge 
and real scenarios. Very knowledgeable presenters. 
 
Variety and quality of speakers / presentations (79) 
The course was clear and our presenter was very thorough and happy to answer our questions. 
Nickos Gogolos. Adrian Deakes. But I have to say I loved every single speech. 
Knowledge and enthusiasm of all the presenters. Ability to get behind the scenes, handle objects, and 
explore other areas of the V&A. Blythe House, MoC. 
There are so many professional speakers to talk about their career and skills, it's really helpful to a 
student in the creative industry. 
The range of topics and speakers. It was lovely and informing to hear about various sectors in museums 
and how people made their way into the industry. Every week was different and made me want to get 
out of bed every Wednesday. 
The speakers delivered their topics well and engaged us. 
Lots of practical experience shared in lively and accessible presentations. 
The trainers were fabulous - all so relevant and interesting. 
The delivery/speakers. 
The speakers were very informative and brought up questions I hadn't thought of. 
Very informative - great speakers, very well presented, imparted so much useful knowledge. 
Personal, informing, inspiring - professional, helpful people. 
Friendly, knowledgeable speakers - informal atmosphere. 
Alex mentioned lots of resources that I wouldn't have known about prior to this. Friendly delivery. 
Exciting possibilities. 
The open and helpful approach of the staff. 
The level of attention and engagement/feedback Harriet gave to all the participants. 
Speakers, great quality and experience. 
Great course leader, relevant tasks and useful to use examples from our own explorations in the 
museum. 
High quality speakers, relevant content. Very welcoming staff, open and honest chat, 
Ruth's presentation. Guided tour. 
The variety of speakers who knew different programmes. The tour by Dan. 
Really impressed by speakers and range of new initiatives V&A have launched. Very inspiring. 
The intervention of Leanne Manfredi and Ruth Dewa-Ayu. 
Range of knowledgeable speakers. In gallery context - being in the gallery enhanced the experience. 
Speakers were clear and showed us lots of examples. Discussion about our own ideas, pros/cons. 
27 
 

The knowledge/experience of leaders. 
Great speaker, [unclear], and good supporting handouts. 
Engaging speaker, friendly set up. Informative. Helpful. 
Bryony was engaging and very approachable. Inclusion of gallery critiques. 
Excellent, insightful presentation, all well prepared and given. 
Experience and knowledge of the speakers. 
The high quality of the presentations. 
Quality of speakers - felt grateful that such key/senior staff gave us their time. 
Speakers and amount of context/case studies. 
Level of expertise of speakers. 
The diversity of the talks/events and meeting others in similar roles to me. 
The quality of speakers was fantastic. Hearing about the diverse events. The different areas of 
expertise. 
All the speakers were amazing and very informative. A lot more operational knowledge what events are 
on, how to react if something goes wrong. 
Good speakers, well prepared and friendly. 
Excellent presentation, well thought through. Covered the subject very well. Good to go into galleries 
and end with a task. 
Hearing from artist in residence Silvia Weidenbach. 
Quality of speakers. Opportunities to look at studios and meet artists. Handouts. Opportunity to look at 
museum. 
All the speakers and Malini were very friendly and kind. I discovered a whole part of the V&A Museum I 
didn't know about and I really appreciated the variety of knowledge and competences behind such an 
institution. 
The expertise of the speakers. The range of subjects covered. 
Good pace, approachable facilitator. 
Speakers very knowledgeable. 
Clarity of speakers. 
The presentation was excellent. 
Very professional delivery. 
Really knowledgeable speaker who went above and beyond to inform us. 
I learnt a lot from Cash of what I can take into the classroom. 
Zorian's presentation was fantastic. Dan's tour was interesting. 
Speakers were brilliant - great mix of practical, informative, love Matt's approach to everything. Good 
amount of time, 1/2 day. 
The teacher. 
Style of presentation was stimulating, fast moving and confidence building. Very re-assuring person 
with loads of knowledge. 
The talks of Alex Stitt, Geoffrey Marsh, Rachel Cartmall, Kati Price, Olivia Strout. Feeling as part of the 
V&A, making synergies with other colleagues. 
I like the speaker who very pleasant to share the idea and planning in detail. Mostly of speakers are 
friendly and enjoyable to share their experience. 
10.30-4.30 timeslot - no fatigue. Opportunity for exchange with lecturers and peer attendees. Barry's 
vast experience, approach to teaching and knowledge of broad practices. 
28 
 

Ideas! Lots of new ones. Good to talk to fellow professionals. Good lunch too. Alex was a very 
knowledgeable, warm and friendly tutor. 
A small focused group with excellent teaching. 
The content of each week was so varied, and yet every one complemented the last. The speakers were 
all fantastic, and it really helped to be able to learn in the classroom and on the gallery floor. Personally, 
having a 'behind-the-scenes' look at the muse 
The comprehensive content and the friendly delivery by the speakers. 
The LGBTQ tour and talk was excellent. Great speakers. 
Not a second was lost - packed full with content; quality of the presenters - across the board. 
Amount of topics covered and quality of presentations. 
Very good and knowledgeable speakers. Discussions and exercises. 
Personal - informing - inspiring - professional helpful people. 
The course was clear and our presenter was very thorough and happy to answer our questions. 
School session. Skill sharing. Cash facilitated well. SEND backpack was interesting. 
Excellent variety of speakers and topics, all had relevance to and supported the work I am doing 
developing the LLL programme. It was great to find I am on the right track with different aspects of the 
programme and have so many ideas for different ways o 
The participating aspect. Wonderful speakers. Inclusive group work, opportunities to share thoughts, 
experiences. 
The detail and examples - especially the contrasts etc. Variety of people who spoke. Knowledge and 
experience of the above. 
The detail about the process and the honesty and generosity of all speakers. 
Well-structured and excellent speaker. Didn't feel like we were being lectured at, lots of opportunities 
for discussion and idea sharing. 
Friendly, knowledgeable speakers - informal atmosphere. 
Relaxed, open tone. Great examples. Great speakers. Change of pace with gallery tour. 
Handouts, and great presentation by all lecturers. 
Well organised, excellent speakers. Lots of useful information. 
 
Access to the Museum / Museum as the setting (69) 
29 
 

Small class size. Location. Slide notes given out. 
I really enjoyed being able to explore the museum and getting to consolidate new practices by going 
out to see them. 
Gallery activity. 
Practical activities in the gallery. 
Good size group - not too many - and had opportunity to go and see how labels etc. worked in galleries 
as well as time in study/teaching area. 
Being in the V&A and using the galleries teaching too & Bryony's diagrams! 
On gallery tasks - really helps me get involved. 
Being able to access the galleries and having the chance to learn from the person who actually is 
responsible for interpretation at the V&A. 
Going to see the exhibitions and then speakers referring to them. 
It was a window onto a new world for me, as I'm pretty new to this field. I enjoyed engaging with new 
spaces at the V&A and hearing the stories and experiences shared by the facilitators. 
Behind the scenes V&A experience. (Delicious éclairs!) - Joke, to show I was listening! 
Being in V&A and hearing real life experiences of event management. What works and how to manage 
challenge. 
The trips to Blythe House and the Museum of Childhood. The breadth of topics covered. The 
enthusiasm of the speakers. The practical/hands-on aspects. 
Having a guided tour through Blythe House. The discussions within the group. Practical activities. 
Opportunity to tour galleries with someone involved in their creation. 
Glimpses of the museum. Knowledgeable and super-friendly staff. Really helpful advice from staff and 
co-participants. 
Getting to see 'behind the scenes'. Getting to hear from very significant people who work all across the 
museum in different roles and departments. 
Looking around the galleries and assessing the interpretation. 
It was fascinating to go behind the scenes and hear from so many different members of staff. 
The setting; it allowed for good practical evaluation of what we were learning. 
Exploring the galleries was useful. 
Chance to see different forms of interpretation in action. 
Being in the museum and using it during the tasks. 
Chance to get out into the galleries and put learning into practice by looking/thinking about the 
galleries. 
Practical tour through the museum. 
Opportunity to explore galleries in more in depth ways. 
Tour of the galleries, see in action what's been discussed. 
Loved the LGBTQ tour - Dan Vo is a museum hero! Why is he not paid!? 
The opportunity to do tours on gallery and see other people use different techniques. 
The opportunity to interact with objects from the V&A galleries. Learning from others experiences. 
The Clothworkers' Centre. 
Visit to Blythe House, networking. 
Knowledge and enthusiasm of all the presenters. Ability to get behind the scenes, handle objects, and 
explore other areas of the V&A. Blythe House, MoC. 
30 
 

Great course leader, relevant tasks and useful to use examples from our own explorations in the 
museum. 
Range of knowledgeable speakers. In gallery context - being in the gallery enhanced the experience. 
Quality of speakers. Opportunities to look at studios and meet artists. Handouts. Opportunity to look at 
museum. 
Knowledge exchange and getting out into the collections to think practically. 
Chance for discussion and chance to visit galleries. 
Discussion around galleries and the experience to look at examples within the gallery. 
Informal discussion element, sharing ideas and chance to visit galleries to critique those ideas. 
Good variety of speakers and case studies. Visits to the exhibitions to see is all 'in practice'. 
The diversity of the participants and Clothwork. 
It was various in ideas and content. It included a trip to another museum that is very different than the 
V&A. 
The variety of ways we looked at the subject - different approaches to the issues as well as 'class-based' 
and gallery-based ways we experienced the subject. 
The diversity i.e. talk/discussion/hands on/walk around the V&A to brainstorm etc. etc. 
The variety of material and subjects touched upon. Especially the visit to Blythe House. 
The flow of the curriculum. Each week was so interesting and extremely relevant. Each session linked 
really well to the previous sessions subject. It was excellent to learn about the inner workings of such 
an established institution! Loved the course! 
That I learned the background of every speaker. Visiting and learning more about the permanent 
collection. 
Case study approach. Hearing from the wider exhibition team. Seeing the exhibitions. 
The talks. Exhibition visits. 
Activities, mixed with theory and going back into the museum. 
Relating theory to practical experience. The range of objects to look at was fantastic. 
I really enjoyed the hands on sessions like object handling and the tours of the museum, including 
Blythe House. 
The practical workshops - Blythe House visit and object handling. 
Dress mounting hands on experience. Blythe House and information on coming exhibitions and their 
work in progress. 
Insight into how V&A works. Opportunity to see galleries etc. 
Honest and in-depth presentations, flexible discussions and willingness to answer questions, liked 
visiting the AiR gallery space. Also really liked hearing the different perspectives of the managers and 
the artists. 
List of initiatives taken by the V&A - good to see the different areas that were working together. Tour of 
objects was interesting. 
The openness and honesty in the approach. A peak behind the scenes. 
Being able to ask questions to the speakers. Going round and seeing parts of the museum with the 
speakers. 
Combinations of classroom: in museum learning: activity. 
Excellent presentation, well thought through. Covered the subject very well. Good to go into galleries 
and end with a task. 
All the speakers and Malini were very friendly and kind. I discovered a whole part of the V&A Museum I 
didn't know about and I really appreciated the variety of knowledge and competences behind such an 
institution. 
31 
 

Talking to other delegates. Candid discussions with V&A. Group discussions. Hands-on activity. Behind 
the scenes. Long lunch for exploring museum. Temporary exhibition tickets. 
The content of each week was so varied, and yet every one complemented the last. The speakers were 
all fantastic, and it really helped to be able to learn in the classroom and on the gallery floor. Personally, 
having a 'behind-the-scenes' look at the muse 
The range of subjects covered. The mix between presentation and on-site visits around the galleries. 
The personal insights and case studies. 
Detail included, pack of info very useful, visits to studios. 
Content. Structure. Mix of classroom and gallery. 
Relaxed, open tone. Great examples. Great speakers. Change of pace with gallery tour. 
 
Meeting other professionals / networking / sharing ideas (64) 
I highly enjoyed meeting all the professionals in the culture/museums field. It's a great learning 
opportunity and wonderful to learn from each other's experiences. 
Sharing experience. 
Meeting others. Being able to see others interests in museum studies. Very thankful to hear from 
presentations of various departments in all aspects of the museum. Brilliant and thankful to have been 
available to hear so much and hear presentation from lo 
Seeing the similarity of issues between the V&A and the rest of us. 
Knowledge exchange and getting out into the collections to think practically. 
10.30-4.30 timeslot - no fatigue. Opportunity for exchange with lecturers and peer attendees. Barry's 
vast experience, approach to teaching and knowledge of broad practices. 
Intimate, room for discussion and thinking time. 
Networking with professionals from other institutions. 
Fantastic range of people, getting to chat to others in the same sector/line of work. 
Ideas! Lots of new ones. Good to talk to fellow professionals. Good lunch too. Alex was a very 
knowledgeable, warm and friendly tutor. 
I really enjoyed the opportunity to meet other people working in the cultural sector. It was great to hear 
about other projects and to see that digital learning is a growing area. 
Chance for discussion and chance to visit galleries. 
Networking, hearing others' experiences - discussions. Questions asked by others gave a varied group 
discussion. 
Sharing ideas. 
Hearing about other institutions experiences and resources. Time and space to reflect on own 
resources. 
Right size of participants. 
Small groups that enabled discussion. Practical examples. 
Discussion around galleries and the experience to look at examples within the gallery. 
Informal discussion element, sharing ideas and chance to visit galleries to critique those ideas. 
The conversations that emerged. 
Good variety of speakers and case studies. Visits to the exhibitions to see is all 'in practice'. 
Great range of speakers giving a broad knowledge and expertise on exhibitions. Really useful and 
informative. 
32 
 

Good opportunity for networking and learning about ideas on interpretation around the county. 
Practical application and ease of talking with speakers and participants. 
Detailed info about plastics and how to recognise them and prevention/[unclear]. 
Learning about the different types of plastics. 
A small focused group with excellent teaching. 
Open structure and ability to discuss and ask questions. 
Opportunity to discuss techniques on presenting. 
A group of diverse international delegates. It covered every aspect of the curation process, from concept 
design to conservation. 
Talking to other delegates. Candid discussions with V&A. Group discussions. Hands-on activity. Behind 
the scenes. Long lunch for exploring museum. Temporary exhibition tickets. 
The diversity of the participants and Clothwork. 
I loved the collaborative nature between both delegates and amongst the V&A staff. It was truly 
unique to have such unlimited access to the museum. 
Speakers were clear and showed us lots of examples. Discussion about our own ideas, pros/cons. 
The diversity of the talks/events and meeting others in similar roles to me. 
The talks of Alex Stitt, Geoffrey Marsh, Rachel Cartmall, Kati Price, Olivia Strout. Feeling as part of the 
V&A, making synergies with other colleagues. 
Inspiring in terms of the sheer range of possibilities to use tech, and the sharing of knowledge in terms 
of resources/contacts. 
The variety of topics and talks, ability to meet others and share ideas. Great stuff! 
It was very informative and gave ample opportunity for discourse with other participants. 
Broad presentations of ideas, building of networks. 
1. A chance to learn procedure and ways of doing. 2. Meeting other professionals. 
The content presented and the other delegates who represented different types of institution. 
I produced great level of information. It was also interesting for networking. 
The course content itself, its relevancy and it’s good to meet other people, likeminded people to work in 
the same field and share the ideas. 
Everything! I learned so much, heard new things, saw beautiful objects and exhibitions and met 
inspiring people, colleagues. 
Having a guided tour through Blythe House. The discussions within the group. Practical activities. 
The opportunity to interact with objects from the V&A galleries. Learning from others experiences. 
Visit to Blythe House, networking. 
33 
 

A chance to try out puppet pals and workshop with colleagues. 
Practical activities and chance to share ideas with other professionals. 
Practical activities. Group discussions and idea sharing. 
I enjoyed trying to write labels so I find it very challenging. I also enjoyed discussing it with a group as 
well as looking at examples in the museum. 
Very practical and helpful. Shared experiences. 
Practical skills and lively engaged debate. 
The participating aspect. Wonderful speakers. Inclusive group work, opportunities to share thoughts, 
experiences. 
Getting expert advice on each element of creating a backpack and sharing ideas with others. 
Ability to meet professionals working in different scales of institutions, different geographic locations, 
different backgrounds. Ability to see fine-grained details of operations at V&A. 
The institutional experience and the opportunity to connect with people from all over the world and all 
the knowledge of the V&A team. 
Welcoming environment. Great to share experiences. 
A wonderful sense of inclusivity, warmth and open-ness, it's amazing to be in a room with so many like-
minded people who want to engage diverse audiences. 
Glimpses of the museum. Knowledgeable and super-friendly staff. Really helpful advice from staff and 
co-participants. 
Really useful to see examples and try out resources and talk to others. 
Well-structured and excellent speaker. Didn't feel like we were being lectured at, lots of opportunities 
for discussion and idea sharing. 
Very concise, easily retained info mixed with non-scary (!) practice. The balance of interaction and 
information and friendliness made it fund and professional.  Also: all attendees had current, relevant 
responsibilities. 
 
Hands-on / interactive / practical elements (63) 
Relating theory to practical experience. The range of objects to look at was fantastic. 
The practical identifying plastics session as it allowed us to put the fantastic theory info from the 
morning session into practice. 
The practical workshop at the end of the day. The manufacturing process. 
The diversity of the content. There was such a range of topics covered, many of which I knew little 
about. Also really enjoyed the practical activities that got us more involved. 
The real examples of courier trips. 
A chance to try out puppet pals and workshop with colleagues. 
34 
 

Trying out the backpacks and seeing range of resources - sparking ideas. 
Experience the backpack in group. 
Practical activities and chance to share ideas with other professionals. 
Practical side of the day - testing backpacks. 
Practically using backpacks, time for reflection. 
We were given time to actually think and create and play! It wasn't just spoon fed to us. 
Opportunity to trial examples of resources. 
Practical aspects and realism. 
Practical applications. 
Very practical advice and activities. 
Testing out the touch tours! 
Hands on learning, taught by people with first-hand knowledge. 
Being guided around the museum and guiding. 
Guiding each other blindfolded. 
Very relevant to my work, very useful and practical. Updated my skills and refreshed my approach. 
Very inspiring. Good to relate back to my own museum and think of ways to use the whole place. 
Practical - got to try out lots of activities and workshop tasters! 
Practical activities and pace of course. 
Practically focused. Inspirational. Thank you!! 
Practical activities. Group discussions and idea sharing. 
Practical activities and workshop nature. 
That it gave me ideas - practical. 
Put the theory into practice ie. Lectures and gallery visits. 
Practical examples of labels, tasks, first-hand knowledge. 
I enjoyed trying to write labels so I find it very challenging. I also enjoyed discussing it with a group as 
well as looking at examples in the museum. 
Practical examples. 
Practical methods - frameworks to own. 
Very practical and helpful. Shared experiences. 
Using the backpack myself. 
Trying out the backpacks. 
I really enjoyed the hands on sessions like object handling and the tours of the museum, including 
Blythe House. 
I think the course is very practical. A lot of first-hand experience and knowledge. Something that I can 
apply to my own work after the class. 
Practical information and tips for putting a programme into place. 
Practical advice and examples. 
The practical workshops - Blythe House visit and object handling. 
Practical elements. 
Practical skills and lively engaged debate. 
Hands on workshop. 
Practical session, range of objects available. 
The practical on identification techniques. 
Hands on experience. 
35 
 

The participating aspect. Wonderful speakers. Inclusive group work, opportunities to share thoughts, 
experiences. 
The hands-on activities. 
Lots of practice of talking/thinking about how to speak. 
The practical ones. 
Dress mounting hands on experience. Blythe House and information on coming exhibitions and their 
work in progress. 
The most was the real and practical information and examples. It was not theory, it was your real 
experience that you show on the screen. And all staff were very accessible and open to questions. 
Lots of practical experience shared in lively and accessible presentations. 
Informal, interesting, hands on. 
The topics covered were very broad and vast and one could pick out what is relevant to their 
organisation. The practical sessions. 
The setting; it allowed for good practical evaluation of what we were learning. 
Loved the situational examples, and group work with practical info. 
Really useful to see examples and try out resources and talk to others. 
Chance to hear directly from practitioners. Practical information rather than a focus on inspiration 
(which I find in conferences sometimes). 
Balance of lecture and tour - very practical approach. Open, honest and useful. 
Informality. Presentations, practicality. 
Talking to other delegates. Candid discussions with V&A. Group discussions. Hands-on activity. Behind 
the scenes. Long lunch for exploring museum. Temporary exhibition tickets. 
Having a guided tour through Blythe House. The discussions within the group. Practical activities. 
 
Structure of course (44) 
The layout - definitions and practical was very informative. Information about the manufacture of 
different plastics was unexpected but excellent. 
Combination of lecture and practical application. 
I thought it was a very good mix of lecture/presentation and practical. It allowed us to try identifying 
the plastics which showed how difficult it actually is. 
Well organised and structured. I enjoyed the 'true life' stories of what has happened! 
Very well structure, informed and great resources. 
The layout covered background information as well as a large variety of useful tools and ideas as to 
how to conduct a touch tour. 
Perfect balance of taught information vs. practical activity. 
36 
 

Practical and creative ideas - good mixture of each. Made me feel able to go back and start planning 
and producing our own family resources. 
The format allowed for discussion and questions. 
Well-structured and excellent speaker. Didn't feel like we were being lectured at, lots of opportunities 
for discussion and idea sharing. 
Great energy. Interesting and practical. 
Pace and interaction. 
Good length of day. Subjects all useful and varied and easily applicable to day to day work. Day felt 
relaxed but was informative. 
Discussions and activities where we were encouraged to apply the legal and ethical codes to situations: 
good practice! 
Well planned, clearly and well-presented, informative. 
Experimenting and exploring. Good background to development. 
How each week had a different theme: the chance to speak to all the different professionals and have 
hands on workshops. 
Combinations of classroom: in museum learning: activity. 
Mix of practical, theoretical and actual. 
Full day allowed it to be immersive. 
The structured approach with lots of examples. 
Good balance of background info and hands on learning. 
Both parts of the course were very interesting, but the tour really brought to life the experience. 
Balance of lecture and tour - very practical approach. Open, honest and useful. 
Very concise, easily retained info mixed with non-scary (!) practice. The balance of interaction and 
information and friendliness made it fund and professional.  Also: all attendees had current, relevant 
responsibilities. 
A mix of activities. 
The organised nature of the topic and variety of expertise in terms of the background of the lecturer 
and the attendees, 
I liked the structure of the course, how the topics were divided through the days and the speakers. 
Almost all areas were covered which is amazing. 
Speakers were brilliant - great mix of practical, informative, love Matt's approach to everything. Good 
amount of time, 1/2 day. 
Style of presentation was stimulating, fast moving and confidence building. Very re-assuring person 
with loads of knowledge. 
Intimate, room for discussion and thinking time. 
Hearing about other institutions experiences and resources. Time and space to reflect on own 
resources. 
The different types of residencies. The mix of presentation/case studies - show and tell of [unclear]. 
The range of subjects covered. The mix between presentation and on-site visits around the galleries. 
The personal insights and case studies. 
The variety of case studies, the flow of the course. 
37 
 

Very good balance of theory and practical cases - this is especially good when based on real knowledge 
and real scenarios. Very knowledgeable presenters. 
Very thorough - nice mix of practical and taught sessions. Relaxed but very informative. 
Range of content was great and great mix of practicalities and bigger picture discussing. Great to have 
number of spaces for [unclear]. 
Content. Structure. Mix of classroom and gallery. 
Good size group - not too many - and had opportunity to go and see how labels etc. worked in galleries 
as well as time in study/teaching area. 
The practical identifying plastics session as it allowed us to put the fantastic theory info from the 
morning session into practice. 
Getting to talk to V&A staff in a relaxed, casual environment about how they have tackled things that 
you are currently planning. Also very well organised! 
Resources; time to think. 
The materials and the reflections proposed together with the possibility to visit the museum and to see 
interpretation in situ. 
 
Resources / equipment / organisation (17) 
Visual presentation and ease note-taking with additional information sheets. 
Handouts, and great presentation by all lecturers. 
Well organised, excellent speakers. Lots of useful information. 
Resources; time to think. 
The materials and the reflections proposed together with the possibility to visit the museum and to see 
interpretation in situ. 
Brilliant handouts! Especially the samples but also the reference material. 
Very practical handout explained during session and clear enough to do on own. 
Great speaker, [unclear], and good supporting handouts. 
Materials provided. Clarity. Content. 
Lots of practical advice that can be taken away - great resources provided. 
Detail included, pack of info very useful, visits to studios. 
Strong context, explained clearly, fantastic resources. 
Small class size. Location. Slide notes given out. 
All the speakers were either Head of leading their departments - so their skills and passion of the 
subject really shows. Course material given are very informative and easy to refer back to. 
All presentations by V&A contributors have been printed for us, which makes it much more easier to 
take notes. All contributors have been generous in sharing their expertise, replying to the questions and 
tried to give us an unvarnished version of the pro 
Very well structure, informed and great resources. 
Quality of speakers. Opportunities to look at studios and meet artists. Handouts. Opportunity to look at 
museum. 
 
38 
 

Friendly / relaxes atmosphere (16) 
Informal but still informative. 
Welcoming environment. Great to share experiences. 
The organisers were very nice and friendly. 
Jenny and Malini very welcoming and engaging. Great catering! 
Friendly, knowledgeable speakers - informal atmosphere. 
Friendly atmosphere, knowledgeable speakers, broad programme. 
Informality. Presentations, practicality. 
Relaxed, open tone. Great examples. Great speakers. Change of pace with gallery tour. 
A wonderful sense of inclusivity, warmth and open-ness, it's amazing to be in a room with so many like-
minded people who want to engage diverse audiences. 
Friendly and relaxed atmosphere. An understanding that people would/might feel self-conscious in the 
'classroom'. 
High quality speakers, relevant content. Very welcoming staff, open and honest chat, 
Engaging speaker, friendly set up. Informative. Helpful. 
Very thorough - nice mix of practical and taught sessions. Relaxed but very informative. 
Variety of speakers and content. Very friendly and approachable. 
Very concise, easily retained info mixed with non-scary (!) practice. The balance of interaction and 
information and friendliness made it fund and professional.  Also: all attendees had current, relevant 
responsibilities. 
Friendly, knowledgeable speakers - informal atmosphere. 
 
Everything (9) 
All sessions. 
Excellent variety of speakers and topics, all had relevance to and supported the work I am doing 
developing the LLL programme. It was great to find I am on the right track with different aspects of the 
programme and have so many ideas for different ways o 
The topics covered were very broad and vast and one could pick out what is relevant to their 
organisation. The practical sessions. 
Enjoyed it all, very relevant. 
Everything. It's hard to narrow down to one element. Really enjoyed learning about the different 
programmes and feedback from Laura (the member of the collective). 
All of it! 
I like everything. 
All aspects were great; good pace. 
Everything! I learned so much, heard new things, saw beautiful objects and exhibitions and met 
inspiring people, colleagues. 
39 
 

 
Other (3) 
Knew more about other's issues. 
Malini was very helpful as I had attended a previous course and she told me it would be beneficial for 
my course. 
More weeks that not, I thought, "Yes! That's what I want to do!!" 
 
 
Appendix 2: Can you give an example of something new you have learnt or done? 
Particular skill / knowledge / activity (416) 
1. Travelling exhibitions. 2. Educational programs. 3. Exhibition tools. 
1/2 litre can kill. 
6 degrees of separation. 
A better organisation and a way to collaborate on large museum teams. 
Acquisition strategies. Pin-ups of exhibition for discussing with conservators. 
Add human element! 
All the (protection of ) Cultural Heritage Acts! Info on IP contracts and collab. Info on laws 
pertaining to gifts, etc. and how to access 'mystery objects'. Detailed info on Immunity of Seizure. 
Always have an extra volunteer to keep the fire alarm silent. Expect the unexpected. 
Always wanted to be the person to write the description of the object - I thought I was crazy but 
it's actually someone's job and its interpretation! 
Appreciation of the need to be flexible. 
Arranging text - putting something fun at the top to draw you in. How to structure your text. 
As above, super helpful. (Tort of conversion. Immunity from seizure.) 
Availability of helpful websites that I didn't know of before. 
Awareness of PPE - exposure. H&S issues. 
Backpacks. In gallery activities. 
Basics of how to identify types of plastic. Most dangerous plastics to watch out for in collections. 
Being able to identify different plastics. 
Best practice for text write up. How to plan interpretation for a whole space. 
Best two things: Sophie telling us about pluses and negatives of specific performances, and 
walking around spaces with Anna, seeing pictures of past events. 
Better understanding of project management aspect of planning and delivery. 
Better way to organise events. Really looking at your facility from the viewpoint of the visitor. 
Borrower's point of view. 
Breaking down Art to smaller sections not whole picture. 
Breakthrough times for gloves/masks - will research. Will review risk assessments and 
emergency/spill procedures. 
40 
 

Build and object installation. Audience segmentation. Interpretation. 
Came away with practical ideas and support to achieve. 
Cargo and freight travel - going through the procedure. 
Case studies and discussion very useful. 
Cataloguing tips and how to weave LGBTQ into tours. 
Collections management and acquisition information. 
Coming up with programme of events. Thinking about flow through building. 
Comparing with Italian situation, I think that the approach in general is new and the attention to 
learning and interpreting problems. 
Complex view of the modern exhibitions as a process of conversations, team work. 
Concealing facts to lend mystery to objects only to reveal at the end? Engaging the 5 senses in 
descriptions. 
Concept development. 
Concept of interpretation and it should be linked with audiences. 
Conservation and storage practices. How to grow a collection. 
Contingency planning - particularly re: air travel. 
Contracts and understanding torts of conversion and limitations. 
Correct gloves and RPE to use with DCM - breakthrough times etc. 
Correct gloves and RPE to use with DCM. Breakthrough times etc. 
Courier park preparations, communication in advance with venues to help plan courier tasks on 
arrival. 
Create your own handout 1: very useful questions and stages! 
Creative ways of raising funds - IP branding etc. Also details of loan conditions internationally. 
Critically using someone else's resource - very useful! 
Describing objects in detail. 
Describing objects. 
Designing something for a museum setting, taking into account all the factors. 
Details of due diligence questionnaires. 
Developing specialist tours - particularly LGBTQ, was very inspiring. 
Developing specialist tours, particularly LGBTQ, was very inspiring. 
Difference between rubber and polyurethene. Smells of different plastics. 
Different approaches to exploring LGBTQ working/projects. 
Different performance methodologies and practices. 
Different types of polymers clearly explained. 
Digital technologies in particular were new to me. 
Don't decide on the method first and potential problems of take up of digital. 
Don't put the word 'This' in front of everything. Purpose of interpretation and how it relates to 
context. 
Due diligence of UK and how we can apply it in other cases. 
Equipped with a resource, entitles you to behave more freely in a gallery. 
Evaluating labels for attractiveness. 
Evaluation behind starting and planning a new resource. 
Examples of best practice - removing dates, Latin terms, dividing and prioritising information. 
Examples of Friday Late activities which have attracted new audiences. 
41 
 

Examples of message hierarchy in action - very helpful. 
Examples such as business case proposals. 
Exhibit planning sessions very helpful. 
Exhibition management, visitor experience, the event that they do to support the exhibition topic. 
Experiencing galleries and architecture/objects in a sensory way. 
Facilities readily available for research like Blythe House, Drawing Room, NAL. .  
Facilities/space set aside for artists and what's expected. 
Family interpretation. 
Family led 'Family tours'. 
Fit test procedure for master. 
Fit test procedure for master. 
Focus on the content of labels: making labels more evocative, the personal touch. 
Followed a back pack trail. 
For the paint and furnesh conservator I now have a full understanding about solution. 
For the paint and furnish conservator I have now a full understanding about solution. 
Formulation of questions to 'engage' and 'inspire'. 
Found out about more apps available. Puppet Pals is great! 
From above: consider touring @ decision of exhibition visitor experience: resource demanding 
sponsorship: co-operations. Events: details and bespoke-level. 
From the practical side, I've learned how to move objects and what I should pay attention on 
touching them. Also, what I find very important, loans and due diligence topics helped me to 
understand how does all process work. 
Funding and how to do the trials of the ideas before going further. 
Funding, free venues (Churches etc.) 
Funding. Partnerships. Process of a residency. Public programmes. 
Gained a greater understanding of the benefits of audience segmentation, data capture and how 
that feeds into marketing strategy and commercial strategy. 
General insights into museums and events. 
General tick-lists of the wide range of factors to bear in mind. 
Generally about the different departments - I had no idea how much went into the museum. 
Getting an insight into the Learning Department and programmes was a real eye-opener. I didn't 
realise this was an option within museums and now it greatly interests me and perhaps 
something I could pursue. 
Giving consideration 'how' to make the most of the institution - the connections, the timeline for 
project and how to streamline. 
Giving human touch to labels. 
Good tips on how to focus on being concise! 
Good to be able to have a method of working that can be applied to all new projects. 
Got to grips with active caption text. 
Great to hear about the work with refugees and dementia patients, the extent of this work and 
the inspiration it has given to try out some ideas. Equally, the late events info was very interesting. 
42 
 

Great to see people thinking out of the box and open minded. The LGBTQ was very interesting. 
Greater awareness of artists using spaces in the museum and how these can be adapted. 
Handling and mounting dresses. 
Hierarchy of text. 
Historical facts about the collection and how many objects can be related to LGBTQ history. How 
difficult it is to collaborate with other departments and terms of financial resources and general 
collaboration. 
How a successful collective operates. 
How backpack development with outside agencies done. 
How exhibitions are proposed and approved at V&A. 
How important structure is and how important to plan - rather than diving straight. Importance 
of working for an audience. 
How long/scale/logistics. 
How planning an exhibition with the multi-disciplinary team from the 'get go' is incredibly useful. 
How potentially hazardous DCM is. 
How the museum engages with the blind community and has created touch tours. Examples were 
provided by Barry. 
How the V&A works behind the scenes. 
How to apply principles of writing to different audiences. 
How to approach a resource from the who, what, where, why. 
How to approach creating a tangible object alongside the digital - e.g. quilting - it's a great 
approach. 
How to approach making a digital resource - how to collaborate. 
How to approach planning interpretation. Practical/useful toolkit to apply in future. 
How to attract the youth to come and visit you. 
How to be a diplomatic courier! 
How to consider different audiences and spark their imagination. 
How to courier at airport and methods of transport and why. 
How to do History month. Outing the Post festival [?] 
How to explore museum objects through free activities, sensory materials. 
How to guide a visual impaired visitor around officially, such as arm/elbow guide etc. 
How to guide someone who is visually impaired, using appropriate touch and language for the 
tour. 
How to identify plastics in collections (very useful checklist). 
How to identify plastics. 
How to increase diversity in volunteers and impact this could have on wider audience 
development. 
How to make an exhibition from A-Z. Fosshape limbs; very useful. 
How to map out the interpretation for a (large-scale) show! 
How to plan for an exhibition and as a courier. 
How to prepare mounts, fit dress objects and display. How garments are stored and catalogued. 
How to do the preparatory work of exhibition. 
43 
 

How to put a hierarchy into your content. 
How to put together an interpretation plan. 
How to source speakers. 
How to start a tour. 
How to structure open call/nominations. Practical information, including fees and length of 
residency. 
How to think more about my audience before writing. 
How to 'unpack' the description of an artwork. 
How you build a range (price levels, leaptime etc.) Event managing. 
HUGE list of sites, apps, tools - massive toolbox of ideas! 
I feel I have learnt a lot in the Interpretation and Law courses. That's very useful to understand 
audience focused interpretation. 
I feel I learnt a lot more about how the V&A operates as well as great practical tips. 
I feel like everything Sherry Dobbin had to say was new, refreshing and very inspiring! 
I had no idea how the museum labelled and organised the objects - the sessions on the V&A's data 
systems and seeing the labels on the objects was fascinating. 
I have learned about the dress - stands from proportions and how the conservators work with 
mounting. 
I learned about the large number of plastics developed during or as a result of WW2 and I didn't 
know about albumen polymers. 
I learned how to work with my group in order to [unclear] task in a small amount of time. 
I learned to have the answers before the problem arises. 
I learnt a lot about marketing and branding, and branding, and global strategy marketing 
education. 
I learnt about retail and merchandising planification. 
I learnt about the commercial side of things as I didn't know much on that. 
I learnt about the importance of language in the communication of LGBT stories, as well as how 
we need to pay attention to all aspects of the experiences to make sure they're inclusive. 
I learnt about the variety of different ways the V&A engages young people - you have a whole 
programme. I was inspired by this. 
I learnt how to plan for an App, the process of making play digital. 
I learnt new things concerning the offerings for BSL families, performance and making. 
I learnt that artists in residence can be musician, ceramicists, digital artists etc. I learnt who to 
contact to put open calls out. 
I learnt that writing simply is important and hopefully I have learnt to make my interpretation 
more engaging. 
I learnt what indemnity means. 
I learnt what sort of information you should be prepared with when going on a courier trip. 
I learnt what works well in our existing process (in theory), and that we're on the right track with 
it, but I have identified specific ways I can make it run better across our team. 
I liked learning about how events are organised/the process and what went into the learning 
experience. 
I now appreciate the benefit of planning. 
44 
 

I particularly enjoyed the break-down of text hierarchies in the context of recent V&A exhibitions. 
I particularly learnt a lot in the retails talks learning about forecasting and figures. 
I smelled some very nasty plastic and I know that a ''tinnie' sound implies the presence of 
polystyrene. 
I very much appreciated that visiting the exhibitions was factored into the programmes. 
I was very interested by the creation process of the exhibition. But also the exhibitions tours. 
Idea of involving companies and their social responsibility aims. 
Identification of known materials. 
Identified plastics. 
Immunity from seizure. 
Immunity to seizure was an interesting subject matter that I previously had very little knowledge 
about. 
Importance of communications among different departments. 
Importance of context to tone of writing - the actual space/setting makes such a different to how 
the label/panel should be written. 
Importance of interpretation. Designing for families. Gallery design. 
Importance of making programmes based around careers advice/being flexible. 
Importance of measuring impact. 
In the museum, China Gallery 
Information about resident selection process. 
Information about things going cargo. 
Insight from resident artist. 
Insight in some very specific roles I didn't even know existed. 
Inspired to work more collaboratively with partners in running. 
Interpretation is difficult task everywhere. Even in large and experienced institutions. 
Interpretation plan - looking at different interpretation for exhibitions vs permanent galleries. 
Interpretation planning model. Label text writing. 
Interpretation, due diligence, decanting, handling, Blythe House etc. . . I loved it all! 
Interpretation. 
Interpreting an object for different audiences. A good knowledge of 'interpretation' in [unclear]. 
It was really helpful to get example of contracts and work plans. 
It was so interesting to learn about pest management and the job of a registrar (just examples) as 
these were subjects I knew little about before. 
I've learnt how many roles are involved in a museum. 
I've learnt new things about the marketing organisation around the exhibitions. 
Learn specific identification techniques. 
Learned a range of organisations and [unclear] to contact. 
Learned about systematic archiving. Importance of it. Detailed skill of conservation. 
Learning about the processes involved in palletisation. 
Learning about the youth engagement - amazed by depth and quality of programmes. 
Learning to engage new and diverse audiences. 
Learnt about family engagement programmes and ticketing. 
45 
 

Learnt about logistics. 
Learnt about the V&A approach to performance. A lot of the practical stuff was things I already 
knew/do. 
Learnt about the whole exhibition process. 
Learnt complete process of being a courier. 
Learnt how to source out contacts for programming an event. 
Learnt lots of new ideas for creative programming - LGBTQ interpretation of collections and Friday 
Lates stand out the most. 
Learnt more about the 'sensory' activities possible and how to use them. 
Learnt more about touch boxes and how these can be used. 
Learnt to give more thought to the audience and the aim of the interpretation as opposed to using 
it as a vehicle for expressing every known fact. 
Legal position/understanding of gifts and title. Most of the talks confirmed my understanding of 
various items discussed. 
Legal terminology. The two day course has given me a starting point from which I can build on. 
I've had questions answered but now have plenty more! 
Level of knowledge you should have about the artwork - good to speak to a conservator for 
example. 
LGBTQ tour - I have never been on one at the V&A despite hearing such amazing feedback. 
LGBTQ tour in galleries - great! Refugees - ideas re: engagement. 
LGBTQ tour of museum, learning more about what items the V&A holds. Learnt that there are 
specific LGBTQ objects on the collections site. 
LGBTQ tour. 
LGBTQ tour. 
Like the learning and development department, how they use and plan different kinds of events 
to engage with the audiences and communities. 
Linking objects with a partner. 
Logistics of designing backpacks. 
Logistics. 
Looked at backpack resources. I am a visual learner. 
Looked at what need to think about when considering objects for exhibitions. 
Looking at visitor experience in a different way. Creating a hypothetical learning event. 
Looking at wider industry context and practice. 
Lots of advice and policy out there to help with future programme planning. 
Lots of resources. Learned about the importance of online cataloguing for things to be searchable 
by public. 
Lots of top tips. Ideas for creative a diversity working group at my organisation. Barry great tips for 
deaf or blind visitors in the museum. Melanie was really engaged and knowledgeable. 
Lots.  The variety of different residencies that there are - tended to think about it all as one. 
Loved the 6 degrees of separation activity. Also the observational activities. 
Loved the puppet pals activity. Lots of great suggestions for apps and software. 
Mainly regarding acquisitions - ethical and due diligence and loan contracts - what to look out for 
and how to rectify/amend clauses. 
46 
 

Managing artists project - incredibly useful in helping me solve current problem. Community 
projects - really inspiring, very useful links and practice support. That creating exhibition linked 
school programmes isn't as difficult or mysterious as I though 
Manufacturing techniques of plastics. 
Merchandising is a new topic for me so this was very interesting. 
More comprehensive overview of different events and event logistics. 
More info on torts, and the other events that can change the dates. 
More thorough understanding of Government Indemnity. 
Most of it was new for me as I haven't had any formal museum training. I think the talk that stood 
out was from the designer - it made me think more about space. 
Mounting - making a padded arm. 
Mounting, but unfortunately not part of my job. 
Mounting, conservation. 
Mounting. 
Ms Gil Sanders, she speaks very clearly how she work and I never aware about it, and she spoke 
very good indeed. 
Much better idea of what a sensory back pack is and the benefits. 
Never written a label before! 
New apps. 
New platforms for media - have everything written in a nutshell. 
New technologies, websites to look into. 
New ways of approaching the exhibitions process - how different teams can work together to 
achieve a goal. The depth and diversity of roles and departments. 
New ways of using digital. 
New ways to approach text labels. Make more interesting and clear. 
Object handling was great. Each of the lectures were very informative. 
Object handling, very exciting! Visit to Blythe House. Learning in detail all the work that goes into 
putting on an exhibition. 
Object handling. 
Object-handling sessions were something new which I really enjoyed. Moreover, being new to 
museum jobs, every session was about something which I didn't know much about. 
Objects list first then onto design process. 
Opportunity to look at galleries critically from a professional viewpoint. 
Organisation structure, budget consideration and social aspect to manage. 
Paddlers, swimmers, divers - really useful and helps think about how to break up a label. 
Partnerships. Friday late events. 
Perhaps something about how small museums go about organising the whole thing - shipping 
agents, customs, loan, if they don't have registrars. 
Picking out visual elements of a work without simply describing it. 
'Pin-up' is a fantastic way to refine curatorial ideas and gain valuable feedback, Also, fine art/dress 
logistics for touring exhibitions are helpful. 
Pin-up; conservation challenges and procedures; costume mounting; including sewing a 
petticoat; new acquisitions. 
Plan for student and parent evening. 
47 
 

Planning interpretation like a story. Map the experience for different visitor segments. 
Planning is everything, be clear about how time consuming a fashion exhibition is. 
Planning process and questions. 
Planning tool. 
Plastic ID and its difficulties. 
Possible real inconveniences that I would never have thought of. 
Practical exercise in renewing contracts - this was very interesting for me as I have no legal 
experience. 
Practical things like training employees. 
Practicing ID of plastics. 
Presenting an object and contrasting and comparing it with another one. 
Procedures of freight and hand carry. 
Process of designing. 
Process of exhibition development/installation/project management. 
Programme planning sheet, great to think about everything at that early stage. 
Programming events to accompany an exhibition. Thinking commercially. 
Proper mounting - so much more than just pinning a dress on a mannequin! 
Putting you more engaging piece of information (hook) first. 
Rapid response. 
Real life scenarios and things going wrong was very helpful and put it into context. 
Realising there are so many stories behind paintings. It is very possible to find LGBTQ links to 
works in the collection even though it doesn't seem like it at first glance. 
Really enjoyed hearing from artist perspectives. 
Remember to draft a text to suit the target audience. 
Safe working practices. 
Safety for people in vicinity. 
Sense check and background of audience before developing products. Brand licensing. Because 
actually everything is new as we are a small museum and there are no this kind of art 
administration training being offered in Asia. 
Sensory back packs is a new thing for me. 
Simple tool to identify plastics. 
Six degrees. It's a really good way to engage people with museum objects that I never thought 
about. 
Smelling of plastics. 
Sniffing, tapping, looking, trying to do the ID for real. 
So many useful tips. How important it is that elements interconnect and to get all staff on board 
and understanding the narrative no matter what area they are from. 
Some app/software recommendations. 
Some plastics have built in obsolescence in form of stabilisers. 
Some strong 'aide memoire' tips for structuring and delivering. 
Specific examples of successful projects, honesty on what didn't work. 
Specifically learned about special roles held by individuals in museums - e.g. a curator/registrar 
always accompanied loaned objects on tour; or that the V&A objects are not commercially insured 
through the GIS. 
48 
 

Step by step guide to planning and implementing an overseas loan. 
Story approach to events. 
Structure of a touch tour. 
Structure of responsibility for who organises events with the museum. 
Structured methods of labelling. Possibilities that gives artist-in-residence programmes digital 
interventions. 
Systematic identification of plastic. 
Test of conversion! 
That all is about 'objects' and everything requires an enormous amount of consideration. 
That even the best organised and prepared events can go wrong. Be prepared for anything. Can 
happen even at the V&A. 
That polystyrene is not just the expanded white stuff used in packaging. 
That you can book a seat on a plane for your crate! 
The 1st day - the planning stages v. usual, as I do already write labels and text but no in practice of 
pre-planning in suggested way. 
The amount of analysis that goes on of data and the development that comes from this. Space to 
step back from my organisation and think strategically. 
The applicability of the practice for our own institutions. 
The 'asking questions' tip. I am used to doing talks for adults so would have been less likely to 
think of this. 
The breadth of departmental involvement in establishing an exhibition. 
The community presentation was new to me, as was the LGBTQ tour. 
The course helped me to acknowledge the importance of getting visitors comfortable and make 
them feel happy and confident in the museum. 
The detail and structure of exhibition planning and management. Most of the things listed are 
part of my process but the structured method and V&A's approach were a great learning 
opportunity. 
The different element to build a backpack. 
The documentation procedure in place at the V&A and how best to perform due diligence. 
The emphasis on modern art and design, particularly art institutions, was new for me. 
The entire interpretation department. I hadn't heard of it as a museum discipline before. 
The examples of documents (application forms, agreements etc.) look like they'll be really helpful. 
Hearing about projects is always inspiring but practical examples/tools are also vital. 
The experience of being visually impaired. 
The great number of ways it could be run. 
The hands on application of mount making was excellent. I also enjoyed the step by step process 
of exhibition planning. 
The hierarchy of labels. 
The importance of classifying - of language being key in inclusion. 
The importance of the exhibition managers! Always thought it would be too many staff, but it 
keeps it the high standard. I've learnt so much! Interesting use of digital in variety of exhibitions - 
how key that is becoming, 
49 
 

The information about haptic technology and the V&A's exploration of the potential of this 
technology for new forms of public engagements. A better understanding of what offering art for 
all actually entails in practical terms. 
The information about leasing was [unclear] for very [unclear] position, I was also able to get 
[unclear] lot leasing. 
The intricacies of couriering. 
The last session with public speaking engagement of the group activity. Brilliant programme so 
thankful to have been 
The law regarding ownerships. 
The level of detail that went into. 
The marketing and internal values of the V&A really stood out to me. It was really interesting to 
learn about the internal/external stakeholders, audience groups and visitor experience goals. 
The methodology and value of process and how it can be adaptable. I also learned about potential 
revenue opportunities through publication which is not something we have really experienced. 
The more advanced form of text hierarchy and standards required in large scale gallery 
exhibitions. 
The most appropriate PPE for using DCM if the only possible option for treatment. 
The most appropriate PPE for using DCM of the only possible option for treatment. 
The most important thing to me was the profit word to museum world and the engagement 
between retail and profit and the marketing, in the mean time you have to be aware about your 
image. 
The part on volunteers was really helpful and the LGBTQ tours, really like that work you do. 
The part on volunteers was really helpful and the LGBTQ tours, really like that work you do. 
The practical element of the course was new - I enjoyed the mounting workshop very much. 
The prejudice/focus on design in some exhibitions, even though the artist was queer and this 
would be important representation. 
The procedures of solving duplicate records. 
The process of establishing temporary exhibitions and the technicality of touring exhibitions. 
The process of working out what plastics were present - the questions and ticklist during the 
practical made it easy to break down the different elements and come up with likely plastics that 
an object might be. 
The process to follow when developing a new resource. 
The pros and cons of crates vs hand carry. 
The realisation that projects can be achieved on a budget. 'Go to the audience!' - sound advice. 
The retail part was quite new to me and very revealing. The possibilities of the leasing 
programme. 
The scope and challenges of a registrar were absolutely fascinating especially in the capable hands 
of Mr Gogolos. 
The standards that represent 'best practice' in the sector. 
The structure and working practices of this museum. 
The ten point guide was useful and practical. Speaker explained steps very clearly. 
50 
 

The testing you can get done at work (e.g. air monitoring and biological testing). 
The top tips for text writing were helpful. 
The tort on conversion; the importance of a deed of gift and the intention to donate. More details 
about immunity from seizure. 
The use of learning resources for schools and families such as the backpacks. 
The various properties for each plastics. The 5 problem plastics. 
The work of a registrar, conservator, keeper, curator and archivist. Also the digital aspects of 
learning programmes. 
The work that goes on behind the production of everything within the museum. Attention to 
detail. Importance of communications between departments. 
There is a lot of free software. 
Thinking about audience and spaces in different ways. 
Thinking about 'experimental' learning - Learning Lab. 
Thinking about having partners as residents which could be revolutionary for us. Great tips for 
writing an open call and reminder to also make sure balance for artist and us. 
Thinking about the importance of tagging objects with LGBTQ signifiers in our collections 
management system to make them searchable. 
Thinking about the importance of the pack having a 'narrative' - new ideas for activities - not just 
'paper and pencil' based. 
Thinking of multi-sensory objects to use. 
Tips and rules. Also gallery visit and exercise. 
To make tours into personable and use more conversational language. To not just bang out fact 
after fact. 
To use an active voice in labels - simple but effective! 
To write interpretation more creatively/ 
Tort of conversion and limitation Act. Donative intent. 
Tort of conversion and limitation period. 
Totally new where some of the materials used for conservation/mounting costume. Fosshape [?] 
for example, great to know about! 
Touched the Ming Vase - even though I've seen it before, enjoyed it in context of this course. 
Thought actively about my practice as you shared yours. I loved the back pack - my favourite! 
Touring exhibitions. Business case. 
Training and information for visitor experience. Seeing V&A backpacks as inspiration. 
True cases/examples are always good. 
Trying out the backpack. 
Trying to think about more 'active language' on the spot is always a challenge but I was sort of 
getting the hang of it at the end and it was useful to hear the instructors/other participants 
[unclear] and interpretations. 
Types of residency programmes. 
Understanding of how interpretation can be a collaborative process between many departments. 
Understanding of parameters and framework in detail. 
Use emotional triggers to build bridge between visitor(s) and object. 
Use of existing app rather than build own. 
51 
 

Useful to have a break-down of the different transport options, some of which not so familiar 
with. 
Using a sensory backpack. 
Using Art in the School programme! 
Using collections to expand accessibility and audiences. 
Using props for multi-sensory experience, e.g. box with rose powder smell. 
Using senses, touch, smell, sound etc. to identify plastics. 
Using the flow chart as an identification method. 
Was useful to get insight into range of models and pros/cons. 
Ways of managing a large scale project for collections/documentation. Reminder re: legislation 
and practice. 
Ways of using patterns. 
Ways to include residencies as part of other programme strands for example research. 
What is necessary to know about the object before it arrives to the exhibition. The order of the 
preparation: what goes after what and who to manage the timetable. Curatorial way of working, 
What to do when you meet unexpected situations, and how to act as both courier and borrower. 
What's happening at other organisations, such as Glasgow Museums re-cataloguing project. 
Origins of LGBTQ and programming at V&A. 
When interpretation (and what) is appropriate. Adding human element, rather than just factual - 
text. 
Where the responsibilities of the lending and borrowing institutions lie. How to properly prepare 
as a courier and how to respond if things go wrong. 
Will ask other people to come up with ideas and concepts rather than limit to small number of 
people. 
Work of registrar. Collections managements. Visit to Blythe House. 
Wrote an interpretation plan from scratch for a single object. 
Yes, I will use the strategy to build resources. 
A vocal exercise during the presentation session with Adrian helped build confidence. 
Breathing exercises. 
Breathing skills. Structure. Differences to bear in mind between gallery talks and lectures. 
Editing text panels. 
How to physically guide a person who is visually impaired as well as be guided. 
 
All / Everything / lots (22) 
A lot of things, overview of the museum operations, challenges and opportunities in all aspect of 
the museum business. 
All aspects of the museum. 
All new to me. 
All new to me. Very informative. Amazed at all the technologies. 
All of it was relevant as I am new to giving tours. 
All of it! I did not know very much about plastics. 
52 
 

All three speakers were fantastic. 
Almost everything was new to me when it came to learning programmes. 
Engaging audiences, Residency Programmes, Visitor Research and Evaluation - all sessions, I learnt 
a lot. 
Every presentation contained new information. I particularly liked hearing about the V&A outside 
of South Kensington. The community and outreach programme is very inspiring. 
Everything to do with couriering! 
Everything! 
Everything. 
I learned so much! It's so difficult to pick one thing. I loved Jill's talk and the opportunity to ask 
heaps of questions of all presenters. 
Lots of new information. 
Lots, too many to mention. 
Many. I will email you. 
So many things! Great rounded overview and thorough explanation of challenges. 
So many things! Learning about the main problematic plastics was really helpful! 
The variety of tips. 
Too many to mention! Every week I went home and told everyone what I had learnt/done! 
Too much! 
 
Sharing knowledge / practice with others (4) 
Always learn loads talking to colleagues. 
Being in a community of people who share similar ideas, philosophy, allowed me to think more 
clearly about what I want to do with fashion. 
Brainstorming ideas in a team - working solo it is a new experience. 
Worked as a group to create a specific activity for families. 
 
 
Broadened knowledge / increased confidence (4) 

Broadened my thinking and approach around interpretation. 
It was more about increased confidence to work with the audience than new information. 
Nothing totally new, but a fresh look at things was very useful. 
Reinforced the relationship between design and interpretation; emphasised the significance of 
context i.e. physical environment and distinction between permanent and temporary displays. 
 
 
Inspired ideas / future work (4) 

Came up with an idea for an experiment to roll out at work. 
From each presentation I generally took away an idea that I thought I could scale down and take 
back with me e.g. encouraging all members of staff to give ideas for exhibitions. 
New ideas. 
Working in a university means that public programmes are often an afterthought. I've come away 
from this training knowing we're on the right track, and have got lots of new ideas too. 
 
53 
 

 
No (1) 
Didn't really learn anything new, except how V&A puts on events. 
 
 
Other (7) 

A LGBTQ tour. How is Dan a volunteer? He should have a great job, he's amazing! Great hearing 
about Matt's projects. 
Enjoyed the hands on aspects of the course. 
Enjoyed the puppet pals app - will definitely be trying this. 
I think more than actually learnt anything practical I realised that I would love to work in an 
organisation that is creative and runs events like the V&A. 
It’s never straight forward. 
Makey makey. 
Visited galleries I had not visited before. 
 
 
Appendix 3: Most and Least useful sessions 
 
Most Useful 
 
Named session (77) 

Activity was useful following the morning session. 
Afternoon practical. 
Afternoon session. 
Background about Europe Gallery and Winnie the Pooh.  Example task. Seeing examples of 
content hierarchies. 
Being on gallery - more time to familiarise with objects and write short tour. 
Blythe House visit was fantastic. A dream come true maybe even. Loved it. As I am mainly 
interested in collections management I loved the opportunity to learn from the V&A team. 
The exhibition development sessions. 
Brenda and Carien were wonderful speakers and very helpful! Room was both too hot and 
too cold. Lovely lunch. 
Brilliant and very informative course. 
Cash 
Cash in the morning. 
Cash's session. 
Classroom. 
Conservation/collection management. 
Digital contents and Exhibition Road. 
Discussions after gallery visit and interpreting task. 
Doing the gallery tours. 
Each had its unique points of interest. 
Enjoyed immensely, was very impressed by the expertise and can do attitude of speakers 
which reflects the culture of V&A - it's a good ad for you. 
54 
 

Exhibition planning, marketing and visitor experience. 
First in the afternoon. 
First session. 
Futureplan, exhibitions, marketing and branding. 
Gallery - listening to how different attendees presented objects. 
Gallery tour. 
Good balance of practical expertise and provided pointers and tips. 
How to develop interpretation was most useful to my work, but case studies in and around 
the museum was a nice addition. 
How to develop plan and case study. 
I actually found all sessions really useful but probably the Marketing in week 11 - just 
highlighted what I do as my job and direction is correct. Very reassuring. 
I loved going to Blythe House, especially to the 'Clothworkers Centre' and seeing the 
Conservation Studio for textiles - It made me want to become a textile conservator - 
something that I had never considered or even really known about before. 
In the Gallery. Presenting practice and listening. 
Initial PowerPoint/detailed plan for interpretation. 
Instruction. 
Learning focussed sessions (as it’s the department that is linked most closely to in my 
current/previous employments). 
LGBTQ Tour. 
Libraries, archives (tour of Blythe House) object handling, digital systems management, 
visitor experience. 
Making connections between objects in the gallery space. 
Marketing and visitor experience. 
Marketing, visitor experience and interpretation opportunities to compare and contrast 
exhibitions and galleries. 
Matt Smith on curating and developing/unearthing new narratives. 
Matt Smith's / enjoyed Dan's tour. 
Morning session with Cash. 
Morning session. 
Morning. 
Most sessions useful - some a reminder of previous experience but in a museum setting. 
Nickos Gogolos (Term 1) OU Registrar (I didn't know such a role existed). Adrian Deakes on 
how to use the Voice. 
Part 1. 
Playing with SEND box and Alice's presentation explaining the decisions behind the objects. 
Practical session. 
Practicalities - development and delivery. 
Practice. 
Really having to think about engaging attractive content etc. 
Talking in the galleries felt a bit more uncomfortable. 
Talking in the gallery. 
55 
 

Ten Point guide. 
The art side. 
The leads were incredibly responsive, from organising additional handouts to setting up 
impromptu meetings with colleagues who could be helpful. 
The LGBTQ Working Group - interested in talking to some colleagues about doing something 
similar. 
The one about exposition programming when we could 'prepare' our own exposition and visit 
in the storage. 
The ones about being a curator and object handling. 
The PowerPoint session in general. 
The PowerPoint session in general. 
The presentation of how the LGBTQ group was founded/historical facts. 
The talk by Bryony Shepherd because it's given me a clearer idea of what I'd like to do. 
The tour. 
The use of text variety in temporary and permanent exhibitions and modernism in the field. 
They were all great. Matt Smith was very engaging. 
They're all great. 
Thoroughly enjoyed. Thank you. 
Tour of the Blythe House archives. 
Update on H&S guidance for DCM use. 
Useful to know how to get into curatorial work - maybe good to come with ideas for 
exhibitions. 
Visitor experience and learning academy and project management. 
Volunteer experience was useful - as was the lesson on FuturePlan. I enjoyed the one on the 
library. 
Zorian Clayton. 
Zorian Clayton. 
Zorian Clayton's talk at the beginning was especially enlightening. 
Zorian's 
 
Everything (25) 

All 3. 
All of it, and also great to have time to talk to other participants. 
All of it. 
All of it. 
All of it. 
All of it. 
All of them! 
All of them, but enjoyed the practical session in the afternoon. The sessions complemented 
each other very well though. You needed one to make the next make sense! 
All of them, genuinely thank you. 
All three! 
56 
 

All useful! 
All useful. 
All. 
All. 
All. 
All. 
All. I think you need to start with the classroom session and then move on to practical trials. It 
was fine. 
Both. 
Both. 
Everything. 
Everything. 
I liked it all. I like the mix of exploring galleries and learning. 
I really enjoyed all of them and found them all equally very, very useful. 
It was all useful. 
It was the combination of sessions which made the whole thing useful! 
 
None or n/a (2) 

n/a 
n/a 
 
Size of group (2) 

Good size of group for discussion. 
It was a good size, in terms of participants. 
 
Other (2) 

Can't really decide. 
The only one - but very good. 
 
 
Least Useful 
 
Everything was useful (12) 

All of them were useful. 
All useful. 
All useful. 
All useful. 
All useful. 
All was useful. 
All were very useful. 
I loved all of them! 
None! I learnt new things in all of them as I had very limited knowledge of the museum 
sector and they were all very informative and engaging. 
None, really, as I think every session contributes to understanding the museum 
environment as a whole. 
57 
 

Sorry I can't find any fault because it's all so interesting. 
They're all great. 
 
Named session (24) 

2 marketing lectures next to each other. 
Coming up with object descriptions in pairs in the studio - I was drawing a total blank! 
Conservation and pest control. 
Definitions of 'engage', 'inspire' etc. 
Drama - simply because it wouldn't be suitable for our museum space - conservation 
issues. 
Drama. 
e-learning (puppet app). 
Going straight into quite a difficult presentation was a bit scary/disconcerting - although 
the instructor did mention it would be tough. 
I actually did quite a few internships etc. so often I already know about the basics of 
some things. But it never hurts to hear something repeated. So I enjoyed each V&A 
Wednesday these past four months. 
Learning - I have no interest in working with children/schools. 
Matt's. It was interesting but perhaps doesn't need to be so long. Good though! 
Maybe pest management. 
Pest control. 
Plastics in museums and galleries. 
Probably the Chickenshed one, but not because it wasn't great, just least relevant to our 
practice. 
Really hard to answer, maybe object handling? Although that was pretty useful! 
Test! 
Test! 
The Chickenshed/last activity. 
The introduction (although it was very good!) 
The talk about the various types of bugs and mites that threaten the collection - only 
because I'm a bit squeamish though! 
Theatre - needed more time to be useful. 
Who is the audience session. Only because I was familiar already. 
Winnie the Pooh gallery - too crowded to see labels. 
 
None or n/a (19) 

n/a x 12 
None x 4 
Not relevant. 
Nothing x2 
 
Other (4) 

It was very useful but I felt nervous presenting in studio with gallery professionals. 
n/a Info to participants at start maybe a bit long-winded and unnecessary. 
58 
 

Performance is harder in my museum, but I can use some of the ideas. 
They each had different lessons, although I wanted more info from the lecture on 
diversity. 
 
 
Appendix 4: Are there any ways you feel this course could be improved? 

No improvement needed, n /a (71) 
All was good. 
Everything was covered so no! 
I do not. 
I genuinely thought it was excellent. 
I think the course was very complete. 
I'm not sure if the V&A can improve this course. My own experience was priceless. I made a concerted 
effort to talk to everyone individually which enhanced my own personal experience and relationships with 
the other delegates. 
In many respects, I don't think, so it was enlightening but at the same time not overbearing or ponderous 
in its approach. 
It was excellent. Just keep it going! 
It was perfect. 
It was very good. 
It's perfect. 
It's very good. 
n/a x 9 
No - excellent. 
No - it's very good. 
No - very happy! 
No idea! 
No- ideal. 
No! 
No, honestly thought it was fantastic! 
No, it was very comprehensive - possibly a section on sea freight? 
No, it was very well organised and interesting. 
No, not really. 
No, perfect. 
No, really good. 
No x 22 
None at present. 
None spring to mind. 
Not really! 
Not really! 
Not really! Could do with a day on design but this could be separate. 
Not really. Lots content. Long day. 
Not that I can think of! 
59 
 

Not that I can think of. 
Nothing comes to mind. 
Nothing springs to mind. Enjoyed all elements. 
Nothing to add. 
Really enjoyed the training - not sure what to write here. 
Really great, no improvement! 
The course was very all-encompassing and a great companion course to the Museum Interpretation day 
that I attended last month. 
Very clear. 
Very complete overview on how to organise exhibition. 
 
Content (118) 
A few more curator visits inside the museum such as the Gilbert Collection week 9 would be lovely. 
A guided tour in the museum and not alone in order not to miss anything. 
A little more focus on Trails. 
A lot of the modules were introductions to things I found were slightly too general. Good refresher but I 
felt more depth could have been gone into - difficult with time restrictions though. 
A session on budgeting for your exhibition - people were cagey about costs! For those of us planning 
exhibitions, this is a major determining factor with scale of our ambitions and realising our visions. 
Acrylic paints/coatings, or acrylic or other plastic materials used by conservators could be briefly 
described/mentioned. 
Additional day on installation including practical. 
Additions of experts from the finance and legal department. 
Answer some queries relevant to collections. 
At first it didn't feel how Adrian's talk was relevant, as he was talking about workshops they offer schools. 
Second part was more relevant - talking about family pop ups and events throughout museum. Went 
really well with seeing pop up. 
Conservation industry examples of best practice for large-problematic surfaces not easily containable in 
L.E.V. 
Felt course was more about 'What culture events V&A organises' than 'How to manage'. 2nd day felt much 
more appropriate to the title of course. 
First stage can description more about V&A, the building, workflow, key persons. 
Focus perhaps a section on improving confidence and building skills to make you feel more at ease. 
For me the event was slightly basic. I would have liked more examples and tips and tricks on how to 
develop a programme from scratch. For me, marketing and audience gaining is so difficult. 
General presentation of theatre department at start. Budget, personnel etc. 
Get to try 2 backpacks instead of 1. 
Give a more clear tour of the facilities especially the shops before the lectures. 
Give small short practical test for a chance to try new knowledge. 
Go into more detail about the specifics of the process - e.g. why you select certain objects, things to 
consider when displaying them etc. 
Good to have 'borrowers' view included. Perhaps could include more from point of view of overseeing 
transfer shipments (i.e. not your loans). 
60 
 

Having a curator come in would've been nice. 
How do you evaluate/pilot projects. 
I don't know if it's possible within a course led by a single institution but it would be great to include 
somehow experience of other institutions in London. 
I felt the afternoon wasn't as helpful as the morning. The morning enabled us to go out into the museum 
and do something as a visitor would. I felt the afternoon wasn't as helpful as we were talked at as opposed 
to learning specifically about how we can apply SEND ideas to our own place of work. 
I found some of the presentations to be slightly too detailed - collections management for example. It 
would have been good to hear even more about the choice and organisation of the exhibitions. 
I personally enjoyed the conservation day and wished to gain more mounting skills.  It might be useful to 
visit another museum in London to view their dress collections. I would like to spend more time at the 
Clothworkers Centre. 
I thought it might be useful to have something on what makes a successful exhibition - standards that 
V&A applies to all exhibitions etc. 
I would like to hear more about the long term galleries where objects are up for a long time. How do the 
curators and conservators work out displays if it going to be up 2-3-4+ years. 
I'd like more on future plans/opportunities beyond what's happening now. 
Include more course-elements to engage and motivate participants to share: buzz groups, task 
assignments etc. Also: some presentation skill improvements (too much variation: excellent to poor). 
Inclusion of audience research/voice. 
Info on customs duty. 
Introduction to tech lingo (or terms explained). 
Invite other organisations to also present - full day and conference for 2019? Please Tate could host? 
IP talk didn't mention anything about legal position; it felt more like a marketing branding talk about how 
to make money at V&A. Tailor the course to the audience, we were all museum professionals, I feel a lot of 
what was discussed we would all know already. 
It may be useful to design more specifically for my own cultural space - or have more time on it. I'd also 
like to have experimented with some physical digital objects to see. 
It was perfect for me, but if you have a conversation session between curators and detail to see how they 
have to change their way of teaching. 
It was very art specific - perhaps more broadly cross-curricular, or with applications/ideas for other 
settings, or in the pre-course description make it clearer that it is mostly art and design focused. 
It would be good to have 1 to 1 sessions to see what the person's concerns are (as we were all concerned in 
different topics) 
It would be good to have a presentation of an actual V&A event - demonstrating each stage, lessons learnt 
etc. 
It would be good to have a speaker from a different institution who run artist in residence programmes to 
hear about a different approach. 
It would be nice to meet a donor or patron, why he's engaged, what are his [unclear] and expectations. 
It would have been useful to learn about copyright law reproduction rights under IP. Felt that lunch could 
have been provided or a longer lunch break. Would have liked to have longer session on loan contracts. 
Learn more about conservation treatments. 
61 
 

Less focus on children's performances maybe. 
Looking at/using some of the things mentioned. 
Maybe a little bit more concrete details, but how it is right now is also very good. 
Maybe don't end on such scary scenarios - feel a bit anxious now! 
Maybe giving more space to temporary exhibitions, organisation and students ideas. 
Maybe have one of the gallery staff to visit. 
Maybe it will be useful to invite people from contract companies as a lecturer. 
Maybe some ideas for how to transfer ideas to science museums. 
More about the backpack. 
More about trails. 
More around how to reach particular audiences (who do not already engage with organisation). More 
around finding particular theme/topic - gap in the market. 
More case studies? 
More detail on developing and delivering/Practical. 
More detail on how resources were created in detail. 
More detailed look at budgeting if possible. 
More details about each of the topics but for that the course needs to be longer. 
More dos and don'ts. More practical activities. 
More examples from events if you're happy to share, budgets, marketing plans, risk assessments. 
More examples of plastics as they are discussed to pass around. Possibly video of the processes. 
More examples of the solution treatment in actual object as I never use it before and I attend to have 
more information about the solution used in the field. 
More examples perhaps of good practice. 
More facts (like [unclear]facts). Exhibition budget. Increase of visitors. 
More focus on research and content development - how to do it/who to involve. 
More general topics rather than as many specific talks which were relevant to the V&A. Although these 
were interesting, I don't think this linked as well to the overall subject of the course. 
More help with body language and voice control ([unclear] voices, how to deal with different 
environments within the gallery space - talking when videos on, volume to pitch at etc. 
More information on packing crates/materials used etc. 
More time on interpretation and explaining 'layering'. Clearer explanation of roles with time developing 
any given exhibition. More practical explanation of communicating with designers to develop ideas. 
More tours (or longer one). 
More understanding of the [unclear] social media applies to B&PS people. 
More writing work in the class. 
Not too bothered about the IP and learning about overseas V&A development. More interested in the 
actual law. 
On the first morning after introductions it would be great to have a tour of commercial spaces as well as 
the volunteer led object tour. 
On the museum PR & Marketing course, I feel it have space to improve. Such as marketing strategies on 
building relationship with young audiences and social media. 
One-on-one sitting with a function of interest. When talking about pure retail actually get one session 
(before opening) in the shop/s. One session about how you recruit staff to Front of House. 
62 
 

Only if more examples of documents and workflows were provided, step by steps etc. 
Overall, I really enjoyed the structure of the course.  I do wish we could have heard more from curators and 
the nature of their work. Feel that the lunch session could be shortened - felt a bit long some weeks. 
Part 2 - which would be even more detailed. 
Perhaps a session dedicated to ways into the museum sector 'Foot in the door day' or suchlike. Exploring 
real current examples of available ways to join the industry. (There was a little bit of this every now and 
then but a while lesson/day focus would be great). 
Perhaps add an academic discussion on what fashion is. 
Perhaps demonstrate an example of training. Would have been nice to meet someone from the gallery 
guards and get their view. 
Perhaps one or two more external speakers to get a non V&A perspective. This said, the variety of speakers 
from the V&A was excellent. 
Perhaps some more specifics about events, AV, trouble shooting, logistics etc. 
Perhaps working more in how to make an event more cost effective. 
Personally, I would have liked to learn more about the marketing aspect, as well as the objects. 
Possibly a bit less time on corporate/commercial/income generation. 
Possibly another speaker from a different department on their approach? Curatorial? 
Possibly consider young audiences. More structure in 'how to' for the pattern workshop. 
Possibly have examples of youth programmes from other institutions e.g. it was great to hear Laura talk 
about the Geffrye - helps to compare/contrast - consider more what is possible for you. 
Rather than hearing about an artist’s work would be useful to hear more in detail about the experience of 
an artist-in-residence. Practicalities/opportunities/challenges. 
Share more examples - templates of charts and documents. 
Slightly less repetition of basic info and more time for identification skills. 
Some more specific examples. 
Speakers from multiple museums? Or perhaps more time to speak to peers or activities involving peers. 
Speakers from other residency hosting organisations. 
Talk to a performer who's done something at the V&A. Maybe bigger scale? 
The first day was maybe too practical. Maybe also visit the exhibitions earlier so that we get all the 
references. 
The group work was not that helpful. 
The IP session included nothing on law or IP in collections management - this was my main reason for 
attending! In general the V&A lawyer's talks were merely anecdotes without any actual useful legal 
content. I think few of us were here for the commercial side that we focused on. 
The most useful ones were sessions with steps - more examples of how to develop the programmes would 
be great. 
There has been a lot of attention put on labelling objects and how curators sometimes are reluctant to 
change/edit the labelling. I was impressed by the fact there was no curatorial staff involved in this 
training. I think it would have been interesting to know how they face those situations/how their 
approach is when writing the labels for LGBTQ objects. 
To have a look at work that the kids end up with rather than us doing it for so long. 
To watch a whole touch tour. 
63 
 

What to avoid in tours - common pitfalls could be discussed. 
Would be great to be able to bring an issue to ask how to manage it e.g. plastic toys in cellophane bags 
deteriorating at different rates. 
Would have been great to trial more than one backpack. 
Would have liked more discussion on cataloguing and development of curatorial content/didactics. I think 
making the 'practical' sessions longer (i.e. a full day of mounting with different types of objects) would 
provide great experience and more variety. 
Would have liked to learn more about the Access All Areas project. We got a very details curatorial view 
but little on practicalities faced, but understand this was probably due to the stage the project was at i.e. 
the concept. 
Would like to look through more of the backpacks. 
No, it was very comprehensive - possibly a section on sea freight? 
Not really! Could do with a day on design but this could be separate. 
Longer!  Insurance specifics. 
I wondered whether the lay out of the room (in terms of tables arrangement) could be slightly improved. 
The two tables in the middle felt a bit adrift. I didn't think the marketing person was as great as some of 
the other speakers - I hope this doesn't sound too mean! He was super nice but I felt he read off the slides 
and that there were slightly too many acronyms. I may just be jealous as we have no marketing. 
More focused practical activity, more case studies, longer session on marketing inc. more examples - 
maybe full day training rather than half day. 
 
Timings / structure (54) 
A little bit too long 'self-directed' - after lunch could have spent less time on own and more time discussing 
ideas with whole group. 
An introductory session when students can do presentation about themselves to others. It would help 
build a stronger rapport instantly. 
Beginner, intermediate and advanced levels. 
Better structure and time keeping.  Some points in the 10-point guide might not need to be dwelled on too 
long. 
Felt there was a lot to pack in between 10.30am-4.30pm (a bit rushed). 
First section in classroom too long - needed a break out session of some sort. 
I think it is possible to spend longer on the topic; some content was rushed. (How long is a piece of string, 
though!) 
I would have preferred if the mounting workshop was in the morning rather than afternoon (for energy 
levels). 
I would love to try two digital workshops in the day. 
I would prefer to have more peer to peer (private sessions) to get more inside information. 
Intersperse the talking with a few more practical elements/exercises. 2 hour talks a lot to listen to, 
especially after lunch. 
It perhaps didn't need the two full days, it could perhaps be condensed. 
Keep to timing and have more contingency. 
Less one way facilitation. 
Less talk on day 1 afternoon. 
64 
 

Longer lunch break or food on table in seminar. 
Longer time on practical sessions. Leave discussions open to groups rather than pairs. 
Lots happening, at times a bit short for time. 
Make it more interactive - there was clearly lots of expertise in the room but little time to learn from 
others. Some examples of good practice felt only applicable to a national museum with big budgets. 
Maybe be sharper on time with first delegate presentations and be more clear in communicating what 
you expect from this presentation advance. (Also time wise). 
Maybe divide the morning up a little to allow for an earlier lunch, or start the day a little earlier. 
Maybe less time on independent work. 
Maybe more brief breaks to allow new material to get in. Maybe tea with staff at end instead of 
beginning, so you have more detailed questions and know who to talk to. 
Maybe more discussion about variety of resources. Thinking What is a resource? What is it for? Bigger 
thinking about finding right medium to appeal to your audience. 
Maybe shorten one session and leave more time for discussion at the end. 
More balance between studio presentations and in-gallery hands on tours, experience. Many a take away 
of other resources we could refer to or look up. 
More time allocated to the more complex issues - mainly contract law. Speakers overran. Whilst I 
appreciate this was a joint venture some of the talks were too focused on the V&A. I did not find this 
relevant. Have speakers from other institutes and account for nationals and non-nationals. Not enough 
time given for lunch - provide lunch! 
More time to craft interpretation. 
Morning coffee break on 2nd day. 
Order of talks began to feel disjointed and content repetitive. Staff organisation at start would have 
helped. 
Pace out, some of the talks are very rushed. 
Perhaps a shorter time as the vocational nature meant people had to contend long distances at London 
rush hour, perhaps an academically focused speaker at the end. 
Perhaps combine Days 1 & 2 - it felt a bit heavy on exhibitions which are not so applicable due to 
differences in budget and staff. More on curatorial practice. More on categories of fashion/dress 
collections. Recommended books/reading list. Full day at Clothworkers. 
Perhaps keeping to time a bit more, but it's also good to be flexible! 
Perhaps less rushed. Very powerpoint heavy and felt the ppt was leading the day and sometimes got in 
the way of discussion. 
Perhaps less time factored in for exhibition views - either before or after course. 
Perhaps some small logistic improvements. 
Possibly better interaction between delegates. The length of lectures without a break were quite long 
towards end of course. 
Possibly it could be spaced out more. It was very intense. 
Punctuality/time keeping. Moving around a little. 
Quite dense at times - maybe more breakout time (start at 10:00 to give more time). 
Reflection time felt unstructured - it could be better to bring the speakers from the day before in to re-
cap/answer questions. 
65 
 

Short breaks between talks? Perhaps if the course had an early start time? Be sent a delegate list of names 
and occupations beforehand (the BM do this). It would be nice to have heard from a junior member of the 
exhibitions team, perhaps whilst going around Plywood. 
Some of the talks were a little slide heavy. 
Sometimes topics were not given enough time and others too much e.g. archivist session. Pest Control 
(although I enjoyed the presentation!) 
Sometimes I felt like we ran out of time as we like to discuss things quite a lot (maybe too much). 
The additional presentation by a V&A staff member was very good, but some slight overlap of content. 
Perhaps a minor point but as the day was behind schedule this seemed like a slight overlap/repetition. 
The Interpretation session was too rushed. This is an important aspect and could be given more time. 
There are a lot of people from other organisations come to the class. The class is very intense (almost no 
time for tea, loo, and very short time for lunch). If the class provide light lunch we could have time to talk 
to each other. 
Well for me personally, the part in the storage areas could have been longer but that's just a detail. 
It would have been useful to learn about copyright law reproduction rights under IP. Felt that lunch could 
have been provided or a longer lunch break. Would have liked to have longer session on loan contracts. 
Overall, I really enjoyed the structure of the course.  I do wish we could have heard more from curators and 
the nature of their work. Feel that the lunch session could be shortened - felt a bit long some weeks. 
More readable handouts (type too small). 5 key briefs/analysis to take away in our own institutions. 2 days 
not 3? 
More presentations! The days were quite short. Plus more exercises to put learning into practice. 
 
More practical / hands-on / discussions (48) 
 

Do more practical activities alongside lectures. 
I thought the course would be a little more practical and hands on. Sometimes it was a bit heavy sitting 
and listening for hours. Might be good to have theory in the morning and put it into practice in the 
afternoon. 
Less handouts, more practical tasks. More back of house, behind the scenes tours. 
Little more hands on - do and reflect after we learn from your experts and practitioners to get a bit more 
challenged actively. The excellent LGBTQ tour could have been shorter. 
Maybe a bit more open discussion? 
Maybe a more hands on experience. 
Maybe with more practical workshops. 
More discussion/practical elements. 
More discussions. 
More facilitation of sessions, less presentations and more conversations/group discussions. 
More focused practical activity, more case studies, longer session on marketing inc. more examples - 
maybe full day training rather than half day. 
More groups tasks. 
More hands on experience. 
More interactive elements as so many presentations can be intense. 
66 
 

More interactivity and less repetition between am and pm. Better lunch! 
More practical activities - to put the theory we have learnt in action. Some speakers were more effective in 
delivering their talks, 
More practical exercises/activities, including observation of V&A practice (difficult due to 
safeguarding/permissions etc. but would be great). Slightly bigger group for more idea bouncing? (Not 
entirely sure whether this would work or not!) 
More practical sessions (e.g. the session where we used an object example to plan what we would need to 
know to plan for it installation). More 'behind the scenes' views of exhibition production. 
More practical work and tasks that can help us put what we've learnt into practice. 
More presentations! The days were quite short. Plus more exercises to put learning into practice. 
More room for discussion/questions/debate. 
More structure group discussion perhaps. 
More time for discussion amongst the whole group. 
More time for surgery, in-depth discussion on interested topic for participants with relevant department. 
More time spent on physical resources. 
More time to ask questions, particularly the surgery element. Chance to book little appointments with 
speakers to have 1 on 1 conversations. 
More time to discuss current practice, and group discussions. 
More workshops to practice the knowledge learned. How the curators do the research etc. could be added 
to the course. 
Obviously, when the new facilities are available for use, the room will be nicer - a window would be great! 
I would have liked more practical activities and the opportunity to make more use of being at the V&A. 
Only to extend the practical side to greater ingrain theory. 
Perhaps a few more activities, workshops. Although already a good range, I personally learn better when 
learning hands on, such as the object handling sessions. 
Perhaps a few more activities/practical work. 
Perhaps a little more 'hands on' time. 
Perhaps more case studies and activities to reinforce learning. 
Perhaps more time to speak about specific issues in our organisation - but a lot to fit in! 
Sharing of joint ideas amongst delegates. 
Sharing of ways/practice from attendees. 
Slightly more audience participation in early parts - share an idea/experience/response etc. Was all 
fascinating, but it's hard to only listen for the first 90 minutes, when the synapses are sparking! 
Some speakers could be more interactive. 
Surgery - good idea but format neds to be thought about a bit more. Is there a way to give 1:1 access to a 
particular professional. Offer is there post course, so maybe this is not needed in the week? 
The event is very good but it need some workshop and team group to make it more excited. 
The practical was excellent and more time could be allowed for it. Perhaps? 
Want more hands on/practical stuff e.g. sharing scheduling spreadsheets, check lists, suggested 
budgets/costs. 
Would have been nice to have longer discussion to share/debate ideas between all participants. 
More dos and don'ts. More practical activities. 
67 
 

Intersperse the talking with a few more practical elements/exercises. 2 hour talks a lot to listen to, 
especially after lunch. 
Longer time on practical sessions. Leave discussions open to groups rather than pairs. 
Maybe shorten one session and leave more time for discussion at the end. 
 
More time (30) 
A full day, 
A whole day - just being greedy. 
Afternoon session a little longer in order to try and identify a few more plastics. 
An extra hour, to write some scripts with partners. 
Could be longer - a bit of a whistle-stop tour. Maybe bullet points for object facts - I struggled to read 
content about object in 5 mins then present in the studio. 
Could be longer, even a day would allow for more opportunity to try things out. 
Could probably be a longer course (1.5-2 days) to allow more time for practical case studies. 
Either editing scope for fit into only 2 days or expanding length of training. 
Excellent course. Would have been good to have the full 2 days due to expense of accommodation etc. 
Extend the brainstorming session to a full day. 
I wish we had more time but can't see how that would be possible as wouldn't have been able to miss 3 
days of work! 
I would normally take a longer time to prepare written statements (way way longer).Thinking on your feet 
a part of giving tours but people normally have more time to prepare ideas - the anxiety of having to 
prepare things so quickly was a bit distracting. A full day session? Homework before you arrive maybe? 
If possible extend to the full 2 days. 
It could have been slightly longer. It's a very big subject matter and it may have just touched the surface. 
But current experience was good value for money. 
It could start earlier - 0930 and finish at 1700? Just to get the most out of the day. Not sure if this isn't 
done because of museum opening hours. 
It was intense, especially on the first two days. Perhaps starting earlier/finishing later and having 5/10 
minutes break between speakers? 
It would be nice to have a longer course with hands-on training with all the museum teams. 
Longer and maybe with more materials to try to build prototypes and make our colleagues to try them. 
Longer for feedback. 
Longer!  Insurance specifics. 
Make it longer. 
Maybe a complete day at the storage in Blythe House. There are so many things to see and to talk about, 
and 1/2 of the day just feels like not long enough. 
More time! Would have been great to see video of some performance. 
More time. 
Need more time/days. Found out 1 week/5 days are too short. 
Perhaps slightly more time in the day but not a big issue. 
68 
 

Repeat it?! Make it last longer?! It was perfect as it was. 
Yes - it could be longer! 12 weeks has flown by! 
More details about each of the topics but for that the course needs to be longer. 
More focused practical activity, more case studies, longer session on marketing inc. more examples - 
maybe full day training rather than half day. 
 
Facilities / catering (27) 
Better room/facilities. 
Bigger screen please! 
Cleaner loos! 
Clear labels of what is veggie/had dairy would have been ace! PowerPoints hard copies available. 
Closer toilets/bigger classroom. 
I felt that lunch/refreshments were a bit light considering the cost of course. It's a long day! 
I wondered whether the lay out of the room (in terms of tables arrangement) could be slightly improved. 
The two tables in the middle felt a bit adrift. I didn't think the marketing person was as great as some of 
the other speakers - I hope this doesn't sound too mean! He was super nice but I felt he read off the slides 
and that there were slightly too many acronyms. I may just be jealous as we have no marketing. 
Just one classroom, with desks and full size screen (Hard to read text on smaller screen). 
More cakes. 
More comfortable seats. 
Nothing regarding course content but of refreshments - was not informed that lunch was not provided 
and then not given enough time to get lunch from café due to busy and long queues.  It would be 
appreciated to have this forwarded. 
Only small catering things - paper plates rather than just napkins would be more helpful. And biscuits 
passed best before date. 
Sadly soundproofing of the room was not great and large groups of school children made being able to 
hear difficult. 
Slides were not always very easy to read. 
Tables arranged to back not to screen. Cooler room. 
The classroom was a long way from the main galleries and loos. Down lots of gallery corridors blocked 
with visitors and displays. 
The layout of the room was poor - difficult to see the screen. 
The room was a little bit crowded. 
The room was really cold! The fruit on the second day for lunch was appreciated as it's nice to have a 
healthy option. 
The space - slightly awkward for the number of people in the room. 
Two comfort things for me made it trickier to learn 1) I am not auditory so struggled listening for very long 
periods. 2) Sitting side on so couldn't see properly/crick neck. 
Yes. Always open the window (if possible) during coffee breaks, make sure there are always coffee breaks 
even when talks are running late. Present case studies e.g. of producing a specific souvenir/object etc. 
Longer lunch break or food on table in seminar. 
69 
 

More interactivity and less repetition between am and pm. Better lunch! 
Obviously, when the new facilities are available for use, the room will be nicer - a window would be great! 
I would have liked more practical activities and the opportunity to make more use of being at the V&A. 
More visits to the galleries. Sometimes it was very cold in the room. 
Clarity about changes in timetable and social events. Not plan to have a film showing next door. Definitely 
provide a template pack of all documentation. 
 
Pre-course information (15) 
 

Clarity about changes in timetable and social events. Not plan to have a film showing next door. Definitely 
provide a template pack of all documentation. 
Could be useful to have some reading in advance, about the history of V&A. 
Everything is smooth! An earlier confirmation maybe? 
I had trouble finding the room! I knew it was Seminar Room 2, but not that it was the Sackler Centre, and 
other museum staff didn't know where it was! 
I think that an idea of where the course is pitched would be useful. I know that there would be likely not to 
be too much that was new to me but it was difficult to tell from the course information. 
I thought the information about our presentations was unclear. It was difficult to know what to prepare, 
especially the presentation at the last day of the course. 
I would like more information about task, as I was nervous about not being prepared. 
It would be helpful to have the program in advance and to receive slidesheets for notes. 
More advice could be given beforehand to explain the task expected of participants. 
Only to clarify the contents of the course - I thought it was more thinking about the visitor experience 
when making exhibitions (but could be just me). 
 
Pre-reads are always useful to bring more context. 
Send out a contents list before booking so you know what will be covered - I had already done most of 
what was covered. 
Short breaks between talks? Perhaps if the course had an early start time? Be sent a delegate list of names 
and occupations beforehand (the BM do this). It would be nice to have heard from a junior member of the 
exhibitions team, perhaps whilst going around Plywood. 
Nothing regarding course content but of refreshments - was not informed that lunch was not provided 
and then not given enough time to get lunch from café due to busy and long queues.  It would be 
appreciated to have this forwarded. 
 
Resources / handouts (16) 

A lot of knowledge and information to absorb. Would be great to have PDF's/PowerPoints of 
presentations given, to use as a reference. 
Bigger print on handouts. 
Handouts more readable. 
Have print outs of PowerPoint in pack to add notes to. 
70 
 

Have the PowerPoint presentations in the welcome pack. The presentation handouts need to have room 
for notes. 
I would have included in the pack a copy of or link to the Bizot Guidelines. 
List of delegates and their contact emails (if permission granted?) 
More readable handouts (type too small). 5 key briefs/analysis to take away in our own institutions. 2 days 
not 3? 
Quite happy thanks - although some of the images on the slide print outs could have been bigger. Maybe 
more on RIBA stages? 
Slides lacked key details on specific protocols (e.g. standard courier travel periods). 
Some of the slides in pack are too small to read. 
Suggested suppliers list? For bespoke items. 
Would have been helpful to have slides or basic notes from the morning. Most important slide to me was 
the list of most dangerous plastics and their effects but didn't have time to copy it all. 
Longer and maybe with more materials to try to build prototypes and make our colleagues to try them. 
Clear labels of what is veggie/had dairy would have been ace! PowerPoints hard copies available. 
Clarity about changes in timetable and social events. Not plan to have a film showing next door. Definitely 
provide a template pack of all documentation. 
 
Suggestions on specific activities (8) 
As a non-artist/performer the on gallery final session felt awkward for me. We got in the way of visitors 
and I didn't have time to lose my inhibitions. 
Being blindfolded for the description activity would have made it more realistic. 
Did not really enjoy the drama side of the event and could not see how the relevance is. Made me feel 
uncomfortable. 
Difficult questions at first sight. Maybe one suggestion: at midday put the participants around a table (like 
in the restaurant) to encourage exchange between them. Although I have to say that the participants also 
have to play a role in this. 
Doing 'in-situ' classes. Classes in the room, when we could 'see' interpretation as whole (label & design). 
Maybe by adding a sort of simulation to do in group over the entire week and ending with presentations 
of the projects. 
Next tour with blindfold please. 
The group workshop could be improved with more input from course leaders as it was a real challenge. 
 
More in gallery (10) 
I think instead of the reflections it was more beneficial when we went off script in the gallery and taken on 
a quick tour. If possible more in gallery experiences. 
71 
 

It would be better if it was more in the galleries rather than inside the classroom all the time. More 
applications, more chance for us to apply the new ideas. 
More gallery teaching. 
More time in galleries/putting what we were talking about into practice. 
More time in gallery space. 
More time in the gallery space perhaps? 
More visits to the galleries. Sometimes it was very cold in the room. 
To have more parts of the course in the museum galleries/departments. 
Understand time was limited and lots to get through, but a bit of outside time would have been lovely - 
important to engage with all areas of museum/experience context etc. No complaints - was great! 
Less handouts, more practical tasks. More back of house, behind the scenes tours. 
 
More on linking to smaller organisations (5) 
Could be more ideas for small projects. 
Discussion around how V&A approach could be applied to smaller museums. 
Focus on smaller museums/learning departments, 
How to apply to local smaller museums the way things have been turned around here. 
Make it more interactive - there was clearly lots of expertise in the room but little time to learn from 
others. Some examples of good practice felt only applicable to a national museum with big budgets. 
 
Other (8) 
Have more of them! 
I absolutely loved the course and had a great time. Maybe some sessions could be taught in the 
environment they work usually? e.g. the object handling one? 
I think there is great potential for publication of gridlines of different types of resources in conjunction 
with other organisations. 
I want more! Not necessarily an improvement, but I didn't want the course to stop. 
Look at the psychology of speaker/audience. Timekeeping excuses. 
Maybe a polite request on day 1 for people not to use their phones while speakers are talking, a lot of 
people were doing this and it is quite distracting for speakers and other delegates. 
Maybe it would be beneficial for foreign delegates if speakers could speak at a slower pace. At times voice 
levels were low but still comprehensible through presentations. Environment friendly approach by 
sending presentations via email. 
Quite expensive - NPG could only justify sending one candidate this time. 
 
 
Appendix 5: Any other comments? 
 
General positive / thanks (123) 

A fantastic day, I really enjoyed it, thank you. Excellent trainers. Lovely laid back atmosphere. 
72 
 

A real eye opener into the world of family resources. 
Best course I attended! Very practical advice on collections management. 
Brilliant - highly interactive. Very knowledgeable. 
Brilliant - thank you for sharing an insight into your fantastic work! 
Brilliant course, so inspiring. Really enjoyed meeting and working with course participants and the 
lovely V&A staff. Love my little museum but made me really want to work here as well. Such an 
amazing, innovative, creative place. I will take the V&A back to Dorset now! 
Brilliant! Thanks so much. 
Everyone has been so welcoming and encouraging and it's such an exciting environment to be 
working/learning in. 
Everyone was very friendly and accommodating. It was nice to meet people from other institutions. 
Excellent course, enjoyed access to V&A staff. 
Excellent day. Thanks. 
Excellent tea/coffee/biscuits/lunch. 
Excellent, thank you. 
Excellent, thank you. 
Excellent. 
Excellent. Difficult to get it! Problems with security? Good room. Good food. 
Fantastic - it has provoked a lot of ideas/thoughts. Will definitely go away and look at my work in a 
new light. 
Fantastic handout. 
Fantastic. So many experts in different areas, very thorough content. Greatly appreciated attending for 
free because of volunteer status! Thanks. 
Given me loads to think about! 
Good [unclear] of course over two days - good mixture of tasks and talks and interaction in the gallery 
spaces. Really liked the European Gallery [unclear] discussion. 
Good content. Thanks. 
Good mix of speakers with different museum roles. 
Good selection of participants - good discussion and networking. 
Good use of practical, theoretical and group discussion. 
Great course! 
Great day! 
Great group and staff! It was a good balance of session time and social time and great to discuss other 
people's experiences. 
Great introduction so that everybody is immediately there and included and exchanges experience. 
Great sharing event! 
Handouts appreciated - and clipboard. 
Having real life examples was really helpful and the speakers were obviously very experienced and 
knowledgeable. 
I also appreciated the brief discussion on website content - we all love working with objects but we all 
need to do more to develop interactive content online/social media. 
73 
 

I am going to miss being here amongst the knowledge of the presenters and beauty of the 
surroundings. 
I found it really great in terms of learning about all the roles in a museum, and the aims/issues 
different departments face. I feel much more informed and less confused about jobs in museums. 
Thank you. 
I learnt a lot. 
I like the practical tasks; which broke up the 'listening' time. 
I love this course in general and though it's not very relative to my work but I found it very useful. 
I really liked that all of the speakers emphasised the teamwork and the important to invite all 
professions in an early stage of the exhibition project. Also, I appreciated that several speakers talked 
warmly about the conservators and their work - the conservators are often seen as 'a pain', so that was 
really good. 
I really think that the course is perfect. 
I want to thank everyone who took time out of their schedules to talk with us! 
I will definitely look out for more V&A courses. 
In addition to the course content itself, I think another highlight is we will have the opportunity to 
taste different catering experience and have a talk delivered from the backstage. 
Interacting with the course conductors and fellow attendees was very interesting and enriching. The 
networking element was very well appreciated. 
It is much better to attend this course than to go to university, as your course deals immediately with 
practical questions and at the same time picks structure to deal with them. 
It was a great experience, well-organised and with good speakers. A bit much on conservation for my 
needs but very interesting to see how V&A works. 
It was a great learning experience. 
It was a really good introduction to the subject of art and law and is something I would like to continue 
to learn more about. 
It was a well organised course and I was thrilled to meet many V&A staff. The close relationships we 
built up with each other are to some extent more valuable than the actual skills we learnt. 
It was excellent and valuable. Would recommend V&A courses to colleagues. 
It was fantastic! Extremely well organised, professional but also friendly. Nothing was too much 
trouble. I would definitely recommend it to others and come again on other courses. 
It was great to have a presentation from the borrower's point of view (Zoe). 
It was great to interact and meet others from different organisations. 
It was great to meet other members on the course and it did inspire me to look for a new job, and 
would love one at the V&A. 
It was great to see the studios and actually meet an artist in residence here. 
It was great! 
It was well-structured, thoroughly explained, really informative and absolutely pleasant! 
Just thanks so much! The whole course was great and I would recommend it to everyone. 
Keep doing it! 
Keep doing this. 
Loved it! Wish it could go on longer. Really wonderful staff and people also signed up for the course. 
74 
 

Loved the course and it has greatly enhanced my knowledge of how to get into the heritage sector. 
Thank you! 
Lovely day - very friendly discussion, very welcoming and interesting. 
Lovely informal setting. 
Lovely organisers/facilitators; everyone was very open and accessible; beautiful environment. 
Makes you tired so a good thing. 
Malini and Alice have been fantastic. Really made the course special. 
Malini was very helpful as an out of town attendee. It inspired me to pinpoint where I was to go next 
for further training. Great job! Keep up the awesome work! Fix the toilet access. . . 
Meeting a lot of experts. 
Nice, informal course and was reassuring that questions can be asked at any time. 
Once again very informative and balanced. 
Organisation was fab - food, exhibition entry etc. also the honesty of speakers was appreciated. 
Overall a good learning experience; facilitators were excellent. 
Overall I believe it has been a positive experience, a nice mix of outings, talks and tasks. 
Really excellent day - I want to go and start an AiR programme! 
Really fascinating! I want to read about more legal cases now. 
Really good and helpful. 
Really good to have a practical course underpinned by (relevant!) academic theory and a wide range of 
examples from across the sector. 
Really good, appeals to all levels. 
Really great courses that I would definitely recommend to colleagues - Melanie was a great host in 
particular, and Sarah Campbell was one of the best speakers. 
Really great experience. Obvious expertise. Thank you. 
Really great variety of venues people have come from. 
Really insightful, felt like I have learnt a lot and that it was explained clearly and concisely. 
Really inspirational and a huge help. 
Really inspiring! 
Really surprised this is the first iteration - feels really secure and effective in structure. Well done your 
team! 
Really well organised and high quality. Very impressed and learned lots. I have lots of new ideas and 
inspiration to take back to my museum. 
Teaming delegates as small groups helped to feel at ease with each other, learn and share experiences 
and establish new networks. The professionalism of all speakers of V&A and the passion of their work. 
Thank you for a great course, it's actually nice to know we are on a similar path though on a very small 
scale in terms of visitor experience and security. 
Thank you for all the invaluable advice and tips. Hopefully we should be able to share it with our 
department. 
Thank you for being so open, warm and welcoming. 
Thank you for the Opera ticket, great to see the exhibition and see what the V&A team have been 
working on. 
Thank you! 
Thank you! 
75 
 

Thank you, the course was great. 
Thank you. 
Thank you. Take this training on the road or produce it as a media presentation. 
Thanks Malini and Alice for a great course! 
Thanks! 
The course has been phenomenal! It's been so rewarding to learn so much about the V&A and 
museums from people who are leading in their field and clearly so passionate about their jobs. There is 
so much of the industry that I had no idea about before doing the course. It's been so useful to finally 
have a comprehensive overview and now be able to have a career path to follow. Thank you! 
The course has given me lots of new ideas in planning and writing interpretation. I have no previous 
training in the area and I now feel I have a good grounding from which to work. 
The last minute volunteer add in was really valuable. 
This has been a great time and great to have the opportunity to learn from your work. Thank you. 
This was a really warm and inclusive training session. Thanks to Melanie, Barry, Ruben and others 
involved to make it full of different ideas but also a space for discussion. Thank you! 
Using your senses - a learnt skill with practice and experience. Great hands on session. 
Various aspects have been covered, from design challenges to rights and images, from storytelling to 
conservation, from collecting to packing - it gave a broad vision of what it takes to make a fashion 
exhibition on display. 
Very engaging - great to have different speakers. 
Very good exercises, examples and presentation. 
Very happy overall. 
Very inspiring for me - helped me reconnect with my passion for museums and good customer service. 
I feel inspired to bring back some of these ideas to my organisation - also very useful for my 
professional development. 
Very interesting to try this approach with expert hand holding. Thank you very much! 
Very reasonably priced considering content and engagement. Got a lot out of it. 
Very thought provoking - thank you. 
Very well done. 
Was enlightening. 
Welcome institution - lovely well organised staff. Inspirational ideas. 
Well delivered, honest and highly informative course. 
Will recommend importance of course to colleagues. 
Will recommend to other conservators. 
Wonderful! 
Would recommend course and glad had 2 days to go into detail.  Liked practical examples of assessing 
galleries. 
Would recommend to anyone involved in loans procedure and courierships. 
You're very good at linking all your programming with your museum and schools needs. 
 
Enjoyment (28) 
Enjoyable and well structured. 
76 
 

Enjoyed the course, please do more as it's great to learn from other organisations and speak to people 
in similar positions. 
Excellent. Great organisation and thoroughly enjoyable. 
Have really enjoyed speaking with your staff - and with the other participants - very much enjoyed the 
creative and collaborative approach in the group activity. 
I also enjoyed the catering lesson, provides more knowledge and [unclear] for me. 
I enjoyed it very much! Hope for more possibilities to find out more about performances at V&A in the 
future. 
I enjoyed it very much. Learned more and gained some experience from listening to others. 
I enjoyed the fact that I could ask specific questions which I can use in my work place. Could you do a 
registrar course? 
I have found it both enjoyable and valuable. All the speakers were incredibly knowledgeable and 
engaging. Some aspect will not be as relevant due to the size of the organisation, however it has been 
fascinating. 
I have had a great time. Both for fun and also for improving my knowledge on the curatorial job. It was 
great to have such an international group with different backgrounds. 
I really enjoyed the course and have already recommended it to my friends. The context was extremely 
useful - giving us enough information to research further. 
I really enjoyed the course and it has assisted me in the Masters degree. Malini has offered me 
additional support. I have found all the great speakers to be clear and engaging the class. 
I would recommend a course here to colleagues and have thoroughly enjoyed my time here. 
It is a very enjoyable course. 
It was very enjoyable overall and very knowledgeable leaders. 
It's really enjoyable and useful. The practical contents help me understand my major better. 
Really enjoyed. Informative and light [unclear]. 
Such a fantastic on site café but lunch was M&S platters. Really enjoyed the course. Everyone involved 
very accommodating and friendly. Thank you. 
Thank you - enjoyed it and picked up lots of tips. 
This was a joy from start to finish. Enlightening, enriching and a wonderful opportunity to see people 
thoroughly enjoying their jobs and environment. Has given me ideas about how I can use my skills and 
experience in the museum environment. 
Thoroughly enjoyed it. (Wish it was longer than 3 days?) 
Thoroughly informative and enjoyable course. 
Truly enjoyed every aspect of the course and I will be able to bring a lot back to my institution. 
Very enjoyable and good insight into how a large museum team operates. 
Very enjoyable and positive, but would have liked an in-depth analysis in addition v. specific example 
e.g. Lates. 
Very enjoyable and shall hopefully sign up for more in a similar field. 
Very enjoyable. 
Very good course. Really enjoyed it. 
 
Useful / informative (19) 

A thoroughly interesting and worthwhile day. I feel inspired to develop touch tours in my own 
museum. 
77 
 

Coming from a historic house that doesn't use labels, the 2nd day was of limited use (though very well 
done). 
I found the group work very helpful to consolidating and solving my initial challenges. Also, the food 
was great! 
Interesting, informative and well thought. 
Really useful and confidence boosting. A little more time for loans in might have been good - on 
overseeing tours. 
Really useful and enjoyable, very friendly and welcoming staff! 
Really useful and provided lots of examples of good practice and things to try. Good to work with other 
people. 
Really useful and relevant. Great delivery by Bryony. 
Really useful, excellent content and presentation and yummy lunch. 
Thanks for a very useful day. I've learned lots, and have lots of plans! 
The practical workshop was really helpful. 
The second day was the most helpful to me. 
Very helpful. I would definitely recommend it. 
Very helpful; I would definitely recommend it. 
Very informative and friendly - great that it's led by the learning team themselves! 
Very informative, plenty of information and very useful! 
Very useful course, well structured. Good to have the slide handouts for notes. Group tasks were 
relevant and useful exercises. 
Very useful, maybe could be more interactive. 
Very warm welcome by all - thank you - very useful. 
 
Positive about facilitators (17) 

Alex was wonderful, so giving with his knowledge and skills. I really felt I got my moneys worth. 
Brilliant facilitators, all staff were lovely and friendly. 
Brilliantly led. The facilitators were very engaging and though there was a lot to take in, it didn't feel 
boring or irrelevant! 
Bryony was very informative and supportive. 
Excellent course, lovely trainers, really useful, practical and inspiring course. 
Facilitators were great. 
Great that it was done by people with so much practical experience of couriering. 
Great to meet and work with colleagues from other museums. Very friendly and knowledgeable 
staff/speaker. 
I'm so impressed all speakers and organisations professionalism and generosity. I don't know other 
course/institutions are so open? It's not cheap fee, but in the end I felt it was a bargain! 
Instructors are very patient with questions. 
It's just invaluable to hear from people with so much practical experience and knowledge. 
Really helpful course presenters. 
Speakers presentation were so impressive, but it seems too short (time wise) per speaker. 
Speakers were all really interesting and presented well and with passion. 
Staff were very giving of their experience, skills and knowledge and very open about their ideas and 
experience. 
78 
 

Very helpful generally. Staff very open re: sharing documents/expertise. Great to see Nationals faced 
with similar issues as smaller regional ones! 
Very well run; great speakers. Well organised. 
 
Other (8) 

A bit of frustration being the only one not employed by a museum: after this course I feel more 
disillusioned about finding a job, but very useful ideas. 
As 'behind scenes' guide very relevant, meeting incorporate many elements into tour, possible more in 
future. 
Everything was great except one course leader telling me not to take photos of kids (I took quick one of 
opera singer to remind me of performance). She pounced on me really quickly and other people were 
looking at me as she said the bit about kids. 
I suffer from anxiety which usually is no problem but the Winnie the Pooh exhibition was so crowded I 
had to exit immediately. 
I think not sending couriers unless essential is a very good point. However, I feel more training like 
today would standardise couriering rules across museums. But needs to be in conjunction with other 
museums. Allowing for being on the same page and standards. 
I was a bit intimidated by building a mannequin and using a sewing machine. Ultimately it was a good 
exercise but I won't probably sew arms or petticoats. I did find stuffing the mannequin to be valuable. I 
loved the range of presenters on this course. They are outstanding in their fields and I feel fortunate to 
have learned from them. 
It contained a lot of information. 
Promote it widely. 
 
Suggestions: Content / format (47) 

Add more examples and case studies. 
At the beginning of the day it was said that you need to pitch text to various audiences with levels of 
understanding, but most of the day focused on simplifying. I think many 'traditional' visitors to an 
exhibition would find this a bit patronising. 
At times it seemed to hover between V&A publicity to the sector and a skills development programme. 
Both good and worthwhile but perhaps the educational/skill aspect could be increased to help people 
early in their careers. 
Chance for delegates to share issues/experiences. 
Could be great to have 1 session for meeting and interactive between the group like time building 
session to encourage the networking. 
Course is obviously object focused. Would be interesting to have more chance to think about applying 
these principles to other types of panels - setting/landscapes/buildings? 
Everyone has been very supportive and lovely to deal with - an amazing experience - very productive. 
There were some logistical glitches at the outset that led to a few challenges - would have been nice to 
avoid these. 
Great staff, nice participants. Welcoming, but a bit 'little managed' - not all participants encourages to 
contribute. (Also, for pilot course: responsible person should be present to record how presentations 
were received). 
79 
 

I did not feel that I was given enough information - I felt that too much time was given to doing things 
by myself. I could have come to the Museum and borrowed a backpack without paying £125. 
I did wonder if the last activity was too focused on the V&A. There were lots of good ideas but it may 
have been helpful to use our own collections and choose one of our audiences. A gift at CPD events is 
the chance to think about ideas for my own work. 
I don't have a problem on actually starting earlier, with longer themes of sessions. Some of them got a 
bit rushed through, for example buying, merch & e-commerce (that was supposed to be two but 
became one). 
I think it could be condensed into 2 days. Perhaps an earlier start and later finish with less time for 
breaks and exhibition visits. Better introductions for attendees and network opportunities. 
I thought it was a bit too heavy on details of loans. Would have been useful to have something on 
supporting events programme - not just learning. Maybe also a tour of one of the exhibitions by a 
curator - giving background insights into choices etc. 
I wish we had more time. Everything was fine for these five days. I am planning to come and attend 
two more courses. Make sure the next course always starts at 10. We need to time to rest. Also having 
a morning reflection at new café at Exhibition Road is not a good idea, too much noise and the metal 
chairs are really cold. Please if you are planning for dates for courses such as 'Curating Fashion' or 'The 
Making of Exhibitions', please put them towards March as it is easier for me to come and take my boy 
out of school. January is too early and they won't let him take a week off. February or March are much 
better. If one course falls within Greek Easter holidays then I will be able to attend both of them next 
year. Thank you. 
I would have loved to know more about the Theatre and Performance Dept; knowing how panels are 
written (which are the guidelines) and who are the people in charge. 
I would have spent more time in the storage area. The course was great! I enjoyed myself and learned 
so much from all the lectures. The V&A colleagues are professional and knowledgeable and willing to 
share. The course was well balanced and all was well prepared like the workshop in mounting was well 
prepared. It was great to be back in a place that I love so much. Thank you! 
I would like to know more about V&A's partnership with China and the search term project the Asian 
Department is doing. 
If the class can teach some content in European Art Law and US that would be great! 
Instead of benefits from IP would have been good to hear about issues surrounding cleaning rights and 
copyright law. Have more interaction/discussion/activities for class to get involved in. A good sized 
class. Felt comfortable to speak/ask questions. 
Interesting - would like to feedback any problems with our plastics in collection for advice! 
Interpretation session too rushed and lot not covered. Orange juice at lunch/ 
It was intense so regular breaks would have broken up the sessions. Information pack included good 
information but would benefit having PP handouts already printed out. 
It's very generous of the V&A to share their best practice with other museums. It would be great to 
have more time for Q&A sessions as we always have more questions that time allows. I would have 
been happy to do 9am-5pm with coffee breaks. 
Make a guided tour of these exhibitions. Hope our group can keep in touch together. I like all staffs are 
very welcoming and cheerful. 
Maybe an extended 2-day course? This would give you a chance to develop thoughts/queries 
overnight and work on a resource for more in-depth feedback and advice. 
80 
 

Maybe if you involve speaker from different museum that will be different experience, and as I said 
before workshop, workshop, workshop and work team since sometime there was a lot of presentation 
and we feel boring. 
Maybe more on realistic budgeting/cost of events. 
Maybe shorter days, but over more than two days. A lot to take in and reflect on. 
Maybe to have more time for participants to explain their own institution. 
Maybe would have been nice to discuss ideas for real future projects/any concerns we had - although 
there was time for questions at the end, think everyone was a bit tired. 
More hands-on activities. More activities inside the galleries - looking at a real event running during 
the training time (school/family). 
More practical writing text. 
Nice lunch! Little breaks between speakers would be nice. 
Not too sure about the relevance of a 45 minute session on the legal work undertaken at the V&A, 
unless it could be tailored more to acqs/loans/disposals. 
Overall good. However, a few speakers just read the handout. Those who gave their own thoughts 
were much more interesting. 
Practical workshop began with confusing post-it note exercise but was great when we got to work 
collaboratively. Well-structured day! 
Quite a challenge to get familiar with all the plastic names and abbreviations to use them in the 
analysis exercise - in such a short time. 
Ran behind schedule. 
Some areas were lacking i.e. how to be strap down a crate in a container/pallet, pallets bowing etc. 
There were some days where there was a lot to take in which was quite full on. I also would be very 
interested if the V&A ever offered a mentoring scheme. 
Very good. Would have enjoyed examples of the school programme work. Second part of day could 
have been half hour shorter. 
Wanted a lot more hands on tasks, with less theory more practical skills i.e. when we did object 
handling etc. 
Would be interested to hear more about different approaches like pick and mix resources for example. 
Ideas for differentiation for different ages. 
Would have been good to have more talks on legal side of collection management and contracts, 
perhaps even have a contracts surgery or at least more time for Q&A and less of what the V&A is doing 
at home and abroad - this is not what I thought I paid for. 
Would have liked to have discussed the exhibitions with curators and designers of the visiting the 
galleries. 
Would have liked to spend more time on complex contract clauses rather than spending time on V&A 
corporate partnerships. The speakers were all really clear and engaging and great at explaining: good 
size group and everyone felt comfortable enough to ask questions. 
Would have loved an intro on how to use raspberry pi and other controllers. 
 
 
Suggestions: resources / follow-up (6) 
 

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A co-ordinated update from attendees a year-18 months afterwards re implications/implementation 
of lessons learned, 
A participants lists sent in advance so you know who will participate. 
If the slides could be emailed round that would be very helpful [suggested before the handout was 
given!] 
Provide digital copies of all content. 
Some pages in the handout, the text is too small to read. 
Would've been nice to get the documents on pdf instead of paper. 
 
Suggestions: Catering / facilities (6) 

Booking online not easy. No chance for invoice to be generated and sent to my institution. 
Disappointed by the lunch. Would have loved some fruit and juices etc. 
I'd assumed lunch was provided. 
Perhaps forward facing tables would be better as it was uncomfortable during the talks although I 
appreciate they helped discussions later. 
Serving spoons for the couscous at lunch! 
 
 
Expensive (2) 

Given how much this costs could lunch not have been included? 
I liked it. It seemed quite expensive for what it was though - especially as half the content was 
delivered by V&A speakers not externals hired in. Feel cheaper course would get more attendees. 
 
Appendix 6: In terms of training needs, what areas / topics would you like to see in the future? 
 

1. How to raise exhibition funding, sponsorship and partnership. 2. Travelling tour exhibition process. 
Academic institutions collections of catalogue and conservation. 
Archiving and cataloguing museum objects. 
Buildings specifications, archives, carry for collections [?], producing a business case. 
Collections management. Material types and their storage requirements. Sub-categories of Fashion & 
Textile collections. 
Conservation/mounting. Collections management. 
Curatorial studies. How to build a narrative for the exhibitions. 
Developing successful exhibition and more about visitor studies, and visitor behaviour or these days they 
try to connect science with art. 
Further on the strategic planning and business cases and feasibility of creating exhibitions. 
How to approach other museums/institutions for loans and advice concerning projects and exhibitions. 
I would enjoy to see (and participate) to V&A curatorial course. 
I would like to take part in the Fosshape course or bring the course to Holland/Belgium. 
I would prefer to know more about communication between curators and managers. 
I'd like to learn more on integrating interpretation and learning opportunities/experiences into the 
exhibition. 
I'd love more focused training on build/installation management. 
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If it is possible, to include a presentation from Theatre & Performance to show curation and conservation 
of theatre costumes. 
 
Maybe team management and art conservation. 
More about contemporary issues in curating! And how the topic of the exhibitions are chosen! 
More in terms of curatorial practice in terms of more technical areas such as object mounting, identifying 
objects, working with different materials etc. 
More mounting. 
More on business, and content management systems. 
Perhaps focus on other mediums - silver, furniture, ceramics. Course focused on 'historic costumes' pre 
1800 
Perhaps include more detailed information on fabrics - and how they survive to expand on the 'collecting 
historical and contemporary costume' component. 
Perhaps the idea of one or two modules that we could select based on our different experiences/interests 
- help with cataloguing or conservation. 
Pop culture objects. Social history and through material culture/objects. Researching/interpreting. 
See above. Lecture on fashion theory? And its use on V&A exhibits. I would be interested to come and talk. 
The current program was so comprehensive. I appreciate that you provided excellent coverage. 
The design of the exhibition. Design history. Design display. Equipment, technical issue. 
Training on how to work with different materials for mounting, hands on archiving and documenting 
records and skills for online presence. 
 
 
Appendix 7:
 How do you think the course has impacted on your way of thinking and what key messages 
will you take away from it? (34)
 
Yes, it did. 
V&A role of being an example, you take it seriously and we can implement this in our own situations. 
To understand the keywords. How successful of V&A. The make me know importance of schedule, 
planning, research, expertise and detail planning. 
Time is key for planning and proper execution. Involve everyone and keep communication flowing. 
Mount it properly. Fashion exhibits are very popular. 
The key messages are that every exhibition has not only to educate but to enjoy and give experience to 
the public, too! And we have to make this possible with all the sources! 
The curator does not work alone and from collaborations more diverse projects can be created. Key 
message: create your own institutional statement, be proactive and organised. 
The course provides inspiration and will to go ahead, to work for diverse audience and to smile! 
That curation is doable. It's a matter of following a process that works for you. 
Sometimes we operate in a bubble. That is we think that we are alone with the challenge that we face. 
Research, research, research! That all good exhibition design is firmly rooted in good research. 
Reassured me about my curatorial skills. Built confidence in using fashion and textiles collection. Inspired 
me to use collections more for exhibitions. Partnerships with HE e.g. college/university. 
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Mannequin selection/preparation, mounting, packing techniques for travelling were amazing and 
learned great amount of ideas. 
Leaving enthusiastic about my work and my role within my organisation. Understand the need to 
formalise process that are already happening but not properly managed. 
It's been a good opportunity to structure my ideas and materials on the project in order to present it to 
the peers, and then to come back to my presentation of the project reflecting on the ways of improving 
the project implementing the knowledge I get at the V&A. 
It set new goals in terms of what I want to do and how. 
It reassured me in my way of working and thinking. 
It is not easy to transpose all experience in my museum. Some key messages: to have long time to 
prepare an exhibition, communication with stakeholders, the role of marketing. 
It is not easy to hand with fashion, but worth doing it. 
It has really refreshed my thinking and given me some more energy and passion, which is often difficult 
to keep going in the midst of being bogged down in a hectic project! It has been great to pause and take 
stock of where we are and where we can go next and I feel very inspired to go back with lots of ideas. 
It has made me think about my own exhibition planning processes and which of the best practices could 
be adapted and implemented for my institution. 
It has inspired me to follow V&A as a model and adopt strategies according to my local possibilities, 
human resources and finances. Key message is to 'tell a story' and not just exhibit. 
It definitely challenged how I would interpret Asian traditional dress and contemporary fashion. I had a 
deep understanding of project managements and exhibition design. 
Increase knowledge in various topic related to the process of executing exhibitions. Broaden visit on what 
for these work that could be done at my organisation. 
I was continually inspired by my fellow delegates. Their ideas frequently inspired my own and a new way 
of thinking about my own exhibition. 
I think I became a bit more 'relaxed'. Even the V&A doesn't have anything 100% perfect. Even the V&A 
has certain problems that are very recognisable. Preparation is key. Take enough time to think everything 
through. From title, to message, to story you want to tell, design of exhibition etc. Once that is clear from 
the beginning it is much easier. 
I have realised that we, at my museum, work in a good way and in the same way as the V&A in several 
areas and that is a good feeling. It has been good to hear that even the V&A struggle with the same 
questions and difficulties as we do. 
I feel that the course had given me the confidence to discuss curatorial ideas and exhibition development 
with more 'experienced' professionals. It takes a lot of brainstorming and a huge team to create an 
exhibition and I shouldn't feel that I (or anyone) should have all the answers! 
I consider it as a brain storming it gives me so many ideas & enrich my knowledge in all museum aspects. 
I believe it has had a very real impact in reigniting my interest in the process of exhibition and reminded 
me why I got into the field. That the projects may be completed by multiple people but there is one 
common goal and how to create dialogue with colleagues to strengthen that message. 
I become open minded about how to manage the Art exhibition and looking forward to return back to my 
country to start idealism [?] with the team that I have. 
How do you think this course has impacted on your way of ... 
84 
 

Hearing honestly about challenges. 
Has given me a lot of concrete insights into processes and approaches that I was imagining/assuming. 
Key message - be willing to ask - about collaborations/partnerships/about loans/about research. 
Attitude matters. Cooperation needs work. And new energy to do my work! 
 
 
Appendix 8: Rest of UK region 
 

East Midlands 

South West 

North West 

Scotland 

Wales 

East of England 

West Midlands 

 
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