The Final Report, including Strategic Plan, was delivered to the SCMA on th 25th of March, 2003.
The Executive Summary outlines the findings and recommendations of the plan. The final Regional Heritage Strategic Plan is available in the [Library]? in MSWord? format and PDF.
The four strategies proposed are:
Strategy 1: Establish Heritage Leadership on the Sunshine Coast
The Sunshine Coast requires heritage leadership. The museum has the reputation, influence, experience, and some of the resources to be able to provide direction to heritage on the coast. Several factors (new organizations, existing fragmentation, policy vacuum) create a ripe opportunity for the museum to decided to move ahead along with the region.
If the museum takes on this task, it will be in control of its future, and much of the future of heritage on the Sunshine Coast. New opportunities for integrating heritage into the economy of the coast will arise. The greatest risk is that, through inactivity, the SCMA will lose its initiative, and another organization will become the pre-eminent heritage organization on the coast.
Strategy 2: Consolidate Resources
The museum is already the centre of a significant resource: a large collection, archives, photo repository, library, oral history collection. Additional resources have been identified in the course of the creation of this strategic plan. Other organizations have offered to share, or will consider sharing resources.
All of these resources must be actively managed. This means regular inventories to keep heritage knowledge up-to-date. Offers made to other organizations and to the community to support, share and coordinate knowledge resources. Organizing and managing these resources requires a conscious dedication of effort and internal resources. A balance must be struck between managing the internal assets of the museum, managing its strategies, and coordinating resources that it may not own but may be able to take advantage of. A balance must also be struck so that other organizations do not see the SCMA as overbearing.
Strategy 3: Create a Stable and Sustainable Environment for Heritage
Sustainability implies organizational effectiveness and capacity and a favourable environment in which to operate (the heritage sector). Many things combine to create these factors: internal stability and effective management; vision and planning; adequate resources; an attractive and relevant product. It also includes the involvement with community, and social attitudes towards museums. Some are easy to change and others almost impossible.
Sustainability is difficult to measure because today's activities affect the future.
Strategy 4: Market the Museum and Coast Heritage
Once the leadership is established, the resources are in place, and a sustainable product is determined, the marketing can take place. Marketing will support and inform all the other strategies, providing feedback that can allow for their adjustment: more organizations can be involved (Strategy 1); more heritage resources may become available (Strategy 2); and stability will improve (Strategy 3) as the public and governments realize the economic and social potential of heritage.
Marketing must be a continuous activity that is part of everyone's activities. The marketing position must be reviewed regularly, and often marketing results are difficult to measure or justify in the short term.
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