| January has been busy in all the ways that matter. More people sharing their experiences. More conversations that challenge assumptions. More evidence about what actually brings audiences through the door, keeps them engaged, and makes culture stick. From new research on the horizon, to live discussions and milestones to be proud of, this month’s updates all point to the same thing: good decisions start with listening, and the work is stronger when insight leads. |
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After-dark audiences have their say… |
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Chats for Change: family audiences, unpacked |
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Our latest Chats for Change last week brought arts organisations together to focus on family audiences: a broad and often hard-to-pin-down group. These chats don’t aim to give neat answers in one session, but it did surface shared challenges, practical questions, and clear areas for further work. Here’s some of the things our Sector Programme Coordinator Eve will be digging into following this informative session: Family audiences are more likely to hear about an event by word-of-mouth, but what exactly does that mean? Are key community members driving family arts engagement? The cost of living is hitting families hard, and when it comes to arts and culture, it sounds like they’re sticking to what they know – how can we convince them to take a chance on something new? Could Northern Irish arts organisations come together as a network and support each other with family audiences?
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A milestone moment for IMPACT |
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IMPACT passed 8,000 responses at the start of 2026, and we are very proud. Designed to capture what audiences actually think, feel and do after attending arts and cultural events, our post-visit survey data has created a shared evidence base for the sector. Those responses now span artforms, venues and communities across Northern Ireland, giving organisations a clearer picture of who their audiences are, what shapes their decisions, and where barriers still exist. It’s a milestone for us, sure: but more importantly, it’s a growing pool of insight that continues to inform better, more grounded choices for arts organisations. Check out our end of year reports below for IMPACT and IMPACT North West (specific insights into arts, culture and heritage audiences across Derry, Strabane and Donegal). |
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Listening before building with UNTOLD |
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This month our Client Programme Coordinator Sarah did a wonderful job facilitating the final focus groups for UNTOLD Museum, a new space opening at 28 Bedford Street that will explore the stories of Irish people in the British Army, their families and communities. Since September 2025, we’ve been working with Open Arts on an access and inclusion audit, sitting down with diverse groups across Belfast to understand what accessible heritage spaces should really look like in practice. The conversations challenged assumptions, surfaced ideas we wouldn’t have reached on our own, and reinforced the value of taking the time to get this right. This kind of listening is how museums are shaped to work for the people they’re meant to serve. A big shout out to Laura Patrick and Annie McAleer of UNTOLD Museum for all their help. |
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FUNDING OPPORTUNITY: Creative Ireland |
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Thinking of applying for Creative Ireland’s Creative Communities on a Shared Island Fund?
If you're an NI organisation, we’d love to partner with you to deliver the evaluation component of the fund.
We know our way around this stuff, as for the past year, we’ve been working on the evaluation of another Shared Island project, Circus Explored, for Irish Street Arts, Circus and Spectacle Network and strategic partners Dublin Circus Project, Galway Community Circus, Circus Factory Cork, Circusful, In Your Space Circus and Cloughjordan Circus Club
Interested in a chat? Get in touch via email or pick up the phone: he...@wewillthrive.co.uk | (0)28 9043 6480
Applications close on the 27th February 2026. |
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Welcoming to Team thrive, Verity |
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It’s great to finally make this official. A big congrats and welcome aboard to Verity Peet, thrive’s new Head of Sector Development. Verity is a familiar face to many of you, and us too. She was amongst the first to take part in IMPACT in her time with Portico, and we’ve been working alongside her (in various guises) for years: so this feels less like a big reveal and more like a natural next step. With 25 years’ experience across the arts, heritage, media and tourism sector, Verity brings a real world understanding of how organisations actually work, what pressures they’re under, and what support makes a real difference: the perfect background for her new role, where she will be working closely with organisations across the sector to shape support, partnerships and programmes that are useful and genuinely responsive. We’re very glad to have her on our team. |
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6 years of Maurane (and counting) |
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| | Earlier this month, Maurane celebrated six years at thrive.
Maurane joined thrive as a shy Communications Executive, new to Belfast and the NI arts sector, just two months before lockdown hit. Since then, a lot has changed. Her role evolved from comms into project management and delivery, and she’s now our Head of Client Development. Along the way, she’s built confidence in her skills, in herself, and in navigating the wonderfully complex world of arts management. She’s worked across countless projects, met just about everyone in the sector, and can now walk into pretty much any room knowing she’ll spot a familiar face. Handy. Especially if there’s gossip. Or tea. What’s kept her here for six years? The variety, the people, and the support around her, past and present. And a special mention to Fiona, whose encouragement, belief, and well-timed nudges outside the comfort zone helped shape the role Maurane’s grown into. Six years in. Never bored. Always fabulous. |
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| | | Borrow an iPadThanks to funding from Arts Council of Northern Ireland, we are offering iPads for free use by anyone who wants to run their own surveys on-site. It is a free of charge service available to any arts, culture or heritage organisations, or freelancer in Northern Ireland. |
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| | Visit our Knowledge HubWe create reports, case studies and everything in between, all of it created specifically to support the local arts and culture sector in better understanding their audiences. |
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| | Free Advice SessionsWhat are our free advice sessions all about? Spoiler: if you're feeling a bit stuck, that's actually a perfectly satisfactory starting point. No prep or answers needed, let’s get together and get you moving forward. |
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| | Follow us on social media to stay up to date with our latest work. thrive | Crescent Arts Centre | 2-4 University Road | Belfast | BT7 1NH |
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