Understanding Protests at Cultural Venues

Last year,”Just Stop Oil” and other protest groups have increasingly targeted cultural venues in the UK, Europe and Australia. In most cases, there is no direct correlation between the protest cause and the venue being attacked. Instead, it appears that high-profile venues or artworks are being targeted because of their media value to the protesters.

Irrespective of the protester’s understanding, their actions do cause damage, disruption, and financial loss to struggling cultural venues. A secondary impact that exists is the trauma and well-being of staff working in these venues, especially when many of them are volunteers and are unaccustomed to conflict.

This event discusses the different types of protests that have occurred at cultural venues, how they have changed recently, and the proactive steps that can be taken at cultural venues to better prepare for these types of incidents.

The event will be delivered by Andy Davis, the Managing Director of Trident Manor and the former chair of ASIS International Cultural Properties Community, and include the following:

• Historical review of protests in cultural venues.
• Current trends.
• Proactive management considerations.
• Question and answer session.

While we may not stop protests in cultural venues, this event will hopefully provide advice and guidance to be considered by each delegate, enabling them to make informed decisions on how they best manage protests at their venues.

Note: The organisers reserve the right to decline tickets if it is suspected that the attendee has signed up for disruptive purposes.