When people ask me about the Sustainable AmbITion strand of the Make:IT:Happen fund (part of the AmbITion Scotland programme designed and delivered by Rudman Consulting, funded by The National lottery via Creative Scotland) they are often curious about the sort of projects other arts, cultural and heritage organisations have undertaken where digital technologies are used to assist environmental sustainability. To get your creative juices flowing, here are some of the examples I usually share – please add others as a comment to this post as you spot them!

Regional Screen Scotland is in receipt of the first Sustainable AmbITion grant. Screen Machine is an 80-seat, air conditioned and 3D-ready mobile cinema which brings the latest films to remote and rural areas of Scotland. The Screen Machine delivers an important social role in taking new film releases to some of the most rural Scottish communities. Measuring the emissions of a programme will help to raise understanding of the low carbon agenda and also identify how Regional Screen Scotland can help manage and reduce emissions across its portfolio of activity. Digital technologies will be used to gather data from audiences and to create the algorithms and formulas for calculation of the CO2 footprint of audience and Screen Machine journeys.

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The amazing new arts, music, cinema and creative industries centre, Mareel in Lerwick on the Shetland Isles, hosted our first 2012 AmbITion Scotland roadshow. On the topic of Glo/cal, the roadshow explored how local and community focussed projects can encourage global participation and engagement through utilising digital tools. Hannah Rudman gave an overview of the topic and opportunities available to the arts, culture and heritage sector through AmbITion Scotland; Gwilym Gibbons, Director of Shetland Arts gave a case study about their work including Mareel; and Lucy Conway founder of Eigg Box explained her vision with Stef Lewandowski (Eigg Box’s Geek in Residence) showing off the first glo/cal art object to be created at Eigg Box – the renowned Data Necklace. A Q&A with online and live audiences finished this great webcast masterclass.
Hannah Rudman overview of Glo/cal and AmbITion Scotland opportunities (Opposite)

Gwilym Gibbons, Director Shetland Arts and Mareel – a glo/cal case study

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The latest AmbITion Scotland case study shows the digital development journey of remote artists’ residency centre, Cove Park. I worked with Cove Park, facilitating their change journey, and am thrilled with the outcomes they have achieved through planning and implementing some digital tools; by changing their mindset and growing confidence around working digitally; and by building their own digital capabilities and capacities. They report better operational efficiencies through being able to work virtually, and more easily manage communications with each other, stakeholders and audiences; increased scale,  reach, and impact through an improved website and social media strategy; and overall increased accessibility, leverage, legacy and a sense that they are powerfully communicating what it is they do and why!

Overcoming some of the digital challenges of being in a remote Scottish location, they are now in a position to consider how their digital assets can be maximised as artistic production tools and new business models.

The story of how following a simple change management methodology (in this case, The AmbITion Approach which I authored), and undertaking that methodology within the support of a wider programme that encourages professionals to share their success (and failure) stories and case studies, network and learn online and in person, and learn and build collective knowledge online is what I’m keynoting about at Marketing de las Artes this year. Spain’s financial (pink) paper Cinco Dias quotes me as advising cultural organisations to understand what intangible assets they might have (communities of support on social networks, digital content, specific digital demographics, etc.) – exactly the exercise that Cove Park is now in the position to undertake having sorted out their strategy and infrastucture.