AmbITion and its programme of roadshows

AmbITion is a change programme for the arts and cultural sector – helping organisations achieve their 21st century
sustainability ambitions through implementing integrated IT and digital developments.

Why the need for AmbITion? It is critical that the cultural sector not only keeps up with digital developments – such as
those adopted by the wider creative industries - but that it successfully develop its own, suitable to our content, audi-
ences and aspirations. DCMS’s Digital Britain interim report and Arts Council England’s new corporate priority of Digital
Opportunities provide the wider strategic context.

AmbITion believes that digital development is a key driver to sustaining resilient 21st century arts organisations.
AmbITion’s vision is to generate a critical mass of arts organisations that proactively consider digital development as
key to business, operational and artistic growth and sustainability.

AmbITion is impacting the cultural sector by catalysing a mindset-change and developing digital leaders: AmbITion has
worked closely with 15 arts organisations and has developed an approach that supports arts organisations through a
managed process of organisational change to enable them to use digital technology in an effective and integrated way
(across artistic, organisational and business practices) for better 21st C sustainability. Here are some of them talking
about their experiences.

The AmbITion arts organisations are: Firstsite; Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra; Ludus Dance; New Wolsey The-
atre; New Writing Partnership; DaDaFest; Oldham Coliseum; Aldeburgh Music; Britten Sinfonia; Colchester Arts Centre;
Youth Culture Action; Hoipolloi; Lantern House; Litfest; and The Poetry Trust.

The sharing of the learning outcomes of AmbITion - such as examples of good practice, the journeys of the 15 organi-
sations, practical “tools” for delivering successful digital projects – is what we are now focussing on.

AmbITion is going on a tour of England with a roadshow to disseminate lessons learnt, content, case studies and tool-
kits and so plans deliver a legacy of resources. The roadshow will visit each Arts Council England region and will be run
in partnership with them.

AmbITion Roadshows are all day events, and will take place March 2009 - June 2009. The aim is to:

• excite arts organisations about the potential of digital development and underpin ACE’s Digital
Opportunities programme;
• show good practice in approach and end results;
• share the benefits and risks of undertaking digital development work, through providing dynamic
hands-on workshops (social networks, digital video production) and masterclasses (IP, mass-
participation); and
• inform everyone about the online resources and support available for digital development.

As an example, the AmbITion Roadshow North East programme has just been released.

As well as the experience of the roadshows, AmbITion is setting up an online social network local to each region, to
ensure that the resources are easily accessible and that networking opportunities continue after the event.

AmbITion is led by Hannah Rudman and MDDA, and is funded by Arts Council England.