Thinking Big: the conceptual background to strategy, marketing and planning

About the Author

Stephen is a UK-based independent arts management consultant, trainer and author. He holds degrees in music (a BA Hons from the University of York) and in management (an MBA awarded by Durham University) and has worked in marketing and audience development posts for the past 20 years. He has held positions with organisations including the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, The Philharmonia Orchestra, the Northern Sinfonia, and, most recently, was Chief Executive of Developing Audiences in the North. He now runs his own consultancy practice based in Newcastle-Upon-Tyne, and provides a range of services to UK organisations specialising in strategic management, strategic marketing, systems analysis, and audience development (projects include: the Gateshead Council's successful Lottery application for the GBP 70million Sage Music Centre Gateshead; researching and writing a statistical audit of the UK's National Dance Agencies). He is currently working with Audience Data UK (a joint initiative of the Arts Councils of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales) to devise standard definitions, protocols and guidelines for good practice in using audience data. Stephen is the author of Thinking BIG! (the Arts Council England/UK Arts Marketing Association guide to strategic marketing for arts and cultural organisations).