This month’s chat was about how organisations navigate the move back to (some) on-site engagement while still continuing to deliver online learning programmes. Our pre-chat poll had indicated that the majority of respondents was looking at hybrid delivery in the coming months, but there is also still some caution around re-opening and a return to physical engagement.

With this in mind, and in preparation for this month's #DLNETChat let us know your thoughts on our quick poll…

How is your cultural organisation handling the return to in-person engagement, will you continue to do digital?

— DLNET (@DLNET) June 3, 2021

 

This might have to do with the fact that the UK home nations follow slightly different schedules, and restrictions aren’t lifted at the same pace throughout the UK. 

A1 Rules not quite as relaxed in Wales just yet (I think). To that end, we are tentatively going back to more in-person engagements, but also still using digital where appropriate. #DLNETChat

— Stuart D. Berry (@stuartdberry) June 4, 2021

In addition, not all audiences are feeling confident about in-person activities at the moment. They might feel that more hands-off visits are more within their comfort zone for the time being than a more interactive engagement, no matter how Covid-proofed they may be. 

I think we should listen to our audiences about what "normal" is now. My hypothesis is that normal has changed & flexibility of onsite or online will matter more. The crux is how do we as cultural professionals offer more without dampening the quality? #DLNETChat

— Sian Shaw (@SianLShaw) June 4, 2021

On the other hand, many organisations are similarly cautious about what the future will bring, and are programming accordingly.

No, we’re being cautious and will be going for a hybrid model. Online events will continue but slowly supplemented by in-person events. I do wonder what the amount of split between them will be and how it will change over time. #DLNETChat.

— Wilson Yau (@MrWilsonYau) June 4, 2021

After all, hybrid models have advantages too, in terms of access and in terms of geographical reach with potential audiences in the wider Anglosphere:

We're loving having visitors and school groups back in the building, but our new normal will definitely include more online and streamed content than in the 'beforetimes'. I like the opportunities for greater inclusion offered by a hybrid model. #DLNETChat

— Sarah Clarke (@museummum1) June 4, 2021

The second area we touched on in the chat was about what programming decisions are based on, given that there still is quite a bit of uncertainty around what feels comfortable for visitors and staff at the moment. 

One point was quite fundamentally that in some case it is not just a question of which kind of engagement works best in which format, but that this relies on whether a site can be re-opened in a Covid-safe way in the first place:

For some cultural teams it may depend on their ability to get their main building/site reopened, especially ones that are shared. A delayed building/site reopening will mean continued digital events unless partnership or offsite in-person events can be done. #DLNETChat

— Wilson Yau (@MrWilsonYau) June 4, 2021

Speaking of resourcing, we were interested to see how sustainable hybrid engagement models are, also given that many organisations had to reduce the number of staff over the pandemic.

Next question for #DLNETChat…

Q3 Can organisations sustain digital alongside in-person engagements or will there need to be choices made to decide between the two?

— DLNET (@DLNET) June 4, 2021

Hopefully it won’t become an either/or decision for organisations going forward, as so much has been learned about online engagement in the last year and a half, but the focus might have to move slightly away from the perception that a physical visit is more valid than a digital engagement:

A3 I'd like to see organisations doing what they can digitally and in person – using digital engagement as a way to encourage those that can, to visit, and still being a way to reach audiences further afield. #DLNETChat

— Creeture (@Creebles) June 4, 2021

The final question was quite cheekily looking for the Holy Grail of hybrid engagement and whether a truly blended approach of in-person and digital engagement could work and be efficient in time and money as well as being more accessible and more useful for audiences. I think it’s fair to say that the answers speak for themselves: we as a sector change because our audiences change. It might take a while (as it always does), but we’ll keep working on it!

Yes. And I love the optimism!
Our audiences have changed, many (not all) have now had digital experiences to some degree to enable them to choose if digital or in-person is right for them – like us, they’re learning and testing too. #DLNETChat

— Wilson Yau (@MrWilsonYau) June 4, 2021

Thanks to all the chat participants last week, it was great to see audience needs at the centre of people’s thinking first and foremost!

The next DLNET Chat will be on Twitter, Friday July 2 at 1pm, so watch this space!