During my time at the National Gallery I have implemented the Friday Late programme.
I programmed the large scale late events and I utilised my industry contacts to organise various activities ranging from; historical aphrodisiacs tasting, potion workshops and Caravaggio inspired selfies. The activities linked back to the collection and encouraged visitors to engage with the paintings in a new way, even if they had no prior knowledge of art.
The Friday Lates attracted a new audience to the Gallery who were typically young professionals living in London. Many of the attendee’s said they had never been to the Gallery before but they enjoyed the event and they would visit again. All the Lates events reported an increase in attendance, with the Halloween Late attracting a record number of nearly 16,000 visitors. During the events, temporary exhibitions sold out and shops and bars reported a dramatic increase in revenue. We also received positive social media engagement with visitors sharing their experience with friends.
The Friday Lates have become a permanent part of the National Gallery programme and have enabled the Gallery to develop new media and sponsorship partnerships as well as promoting the exhibitions and collection to a wider audience.