At NEMO’s European Museum Conference 2025, Sabine Doolin and Robert Sadleir will facilitate the workshop "Unlocking the hidden value of museums" on Tuesday, 28 October.
Workshop abstract:
Unlocking the hidden value of museums
Museums make significant contributions to society’s wealth. Yet resources and funding are under pressure. How can we demonstrate the value of museums more effectively? A new approach is reframing our understanding of the value of museums by measuring their contribution to society’s wellbeing.
This workshop invites participants to explore the potential of wellbeing as a lens through which to articulate the value of culture. It will examine how wellbeing is integrated into asset management, public policy, the OECD framework, the Wellbeing Economy, the Sustainable Development Goals, and other key contexts. Participants will gain insight into the components of wellbeing that their museums already support, and engage in discussions around practical examples.
The session will also introduce methods for measuring wellbeing impact and demonstrate how organisations are using these insights to communicate their value. As a final step, each participant will be guided in creating a Wellbeing Aspiration tailored to their own institution
