Brilliant Fusion of Creativity and Commerce at TATE Modern

A while back I met with the Retail Manager at the TATE Modern in London to pick up a few of the secrets of their success in arts centre retailing. What did I discover? Lots of fantastic ‘best practice’, including staff with excellent retail sales skills and a really creative purchasing and merchandising philosophy. Wolf Ollins, one of the country’s leading brand consultancies, was appointed to develop seasonal colour palettes for the theming and display of goods and creative partnerships with great British designers such as Paul Smith have resulted in limited edition ranges of Tate Modern branded products. This creative and energetic attitude towards ‘trading’ generates vital funds for the TATE.

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The Barns-Graham Trust

By Finella | November 28, 2021

Wilhelmina Barns-Graham (1912-2004) was one of the foremost painters working in St Ives after moving there in 1940. Her paintings, alongside those of her contemporaries (including Barbara Hepworth,...

St Margaret’s Art Centre, Braemar

By Finella | May 10, 2021

Iridescence completed a feasibility study to assess the viability of £2m+ conversion of an A-listed church in Braemar into an arts centre. Working in partnership with Tourism UK, we...

Lindsay Robertson Arts Manager, City of Edinburgh Council

Finella provided us with the crucial basis for the project's business plan - and with good-humoured good sense and the occasional flash of brilliance. What more could you ask? The proof's in the Assembly Rooms project - which has been a great success.

Amanda Hart Director, Corinium Museum

Iridescence Consulting were commissioned to write the post-Covid Business Plan for the Corinium Museum using funds from the Government’s Cultural Recovery Funding. Finella worked with two other consultants to ensure the team had the breadth of knowledge and expertise to fully address all the Museum’s needs. Finella is a wonderful listener, making sure she fully understands the objectives and works closely with you throughout the project keeping you informed of progress. The Business Plan has proved a vital document in shaping the Museum strategy and we are already seeing the positive benefits of some of the changes we’ve implemented – thank you Finella!

Liz Davenport Trustee, Woodchester Mansion

Finella provided us with an invaluable business review, in a tight timescale. She was easy to work with, listened to stakeholders across the organisation, understood our problems, and delivered a well structured to-the-point report. We are now busy implementing her suggestions.

Graham McKenzie Director, CCA

Working with Finella Devitt has been a pleasure. She is focused, enthusiastic and totally committed to any task she undertakes. As someone who has dealt with more consultants than most people do in an average lifetime during the redevelopment of CCA, I feel well qualified to comment.

David Sutherland Chairman, Tulloch Construction (Project Partner)

Finella Devitt was attracted onto the team for Aviemore because of her input to the launch phase of the Lomond Shores development at Loch Lomond. Finella brought to the team zest, focus and strategic approach to the re-awakening of the Aviemore dream. Ms Devitt’s unique, refreshing approach to the marketing process re-kindled the enthusiasm of the management team to bring forward a development of equilibrium.

David Leslie Chairman, House for an Art Lover

I regard our employment of Finella Devitt as having been a major success. We were looking for a Chief Executive with imagination and enthusiasm, who would establish a new enterprise – the House for an Art Lover – as a visitor centre and as a centre for the stimulation of interest in art, design, and architecture. Finella achieved all of that and in a confident and friendly manner, placed a stamp of quality on our product which sustains the company today.

Derek Reid Chairman, Loch Lomond Shores Management Company

Finella is a very gifted marketeer. Her enthusiasm, energy and creativity are infectious for everyone who works with her. She made an outstanding contribution to the development of Loch Lomond Shores when I was Chairman and she was CEO of the Management Company.

Anthony Kimber Chair, Rye Art Gallery Trust

Rye Art Gallery Trust benefited from a business development study by experts, including Iridescence, funded by Renaissance Museums. As Chair of the Trust, I was delighted to hear about ways to improve the business. Some of the recommendations chimed with our own ideas, but took on new relevance when endorsed by the study.

Joan Riddell Projector Director, East Dunbartonshire Council

Finella came highly recommended from colleagues in Scottish Enterprise, and worked with us to develop a business case for a planned Arts and Cultural Centre. Finella showed significant flair for engaging with stakeholders, communities, the client team and others, and her work was consistently of the highest quality. This is someone who clearly understands the needs of major capital funders and how to present a compelling and winning case.

Pamela Robertson Senior Curator, Hunterian Art Gallery, University of Glasgow

I have been involved with Iridescence in the generation of two bids to the European Regional Development Fund: for marketing the Glasgow-wide Whistler Festival and a Charles Rennie Mackintosh marketing campaign. In both bids Iridescence provided informed and strategic input, which was core to the successful completion of the bids. Finella was also a pleasure to work with.

Steve Carley MD, The Beat Project

I advertised nationally to find a unique person to help me develop a very large initiative and business plan, I was very lucky to find Finella who proved to be such an asset to my future plans. Finella was a pleasure to work with and I would recommend her to anyone who wants to receive a highly professional and friendly service that goes the extra mile to ensure you end with a product better than you envisaged.

Kevin Kaley Director, Tourism UK

Finella's hands-on experience in developing and running cultural visitor attractions was invaluable in mapping out and estimating the size and value of the markets for the new Hepworth Gallery.

Lindsay Gordon Director, Peacock Visual Arts

Iridescence was a delight to work with; from genuine listening to the client’s brief, enthusiastic grasping of the driving vision behind it, through to imaginative, fresh and, most importantly, appropriate ideas for making money. I would thoroughly recommend Iridescence.

Bill Neish Glasgow Restaurateurs Association

We had been nominated by Scottish Enterprise Glasgow for a Thistle Award and Finella had been contracted by them to help us prepare a submission... Normally the time to run a mile! On the contrary she speedily got her mind to the kernel of what we were all about and was responsible for an excellent piece of work. I had to liaise with her and found her to be very professional at all times in her approach, also her calming manner helped tremendously as the deadline approached!

Brilliant Fusion of Creativity and Commerce at TATE Modern

More Insights

The Barns-Graham Trust

St Margaret’s Art Centre, Braemar

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