Delivering a world-class visitor experience for one of the UK’s greatest art collections
The Courtauld Gallery
The LVMH Great Room at the relaunched Courtauld Gallery, © Hufton+Crow
London’s Courtauld Gallery provides a public showcase for The Courtauld Institute’s stunning collection of masterpieces by artists including Rubens, Botticelli, Monet, Van Gogh and Cezanne.
In the final year of its £57m redevelopment, we provided strategic leadership for the reopening of the Gallery, ensuring ‘day one readiness’ for visitors.
Reporting fortnightly to the Director of the Courtauld Institute, we were responsible for driving progress across multiple workstreams including completion of building works, fit-out, collections installation, operations, retail, events and communications.
We met regularly with workstream leads to identify, track and overcome a succession of planning and delivery challenges, including a number arising from the Gallery’s distinctive setting within historic Somerset House.
In the run-up to reopening, we devised and ran workshops dedicated to resolving a range of issues affecting readiness. We also organised 'test days' whereby Institute staff and volunteers were able to put the Gallery and its new facilities through its paces, identifying ‘snags’ and remaining challenges.
The redeveloped galleries shortly before the installation of artworks.
Welcoming the first public visitors upon reopening; a curator talk in the newly refurbished galleries; new shop © Dan Weill
The collective hard work paid off and the Gallery reopened on schedule. Visitor and press responses to the new facilities were overwhelmingly positive.
“Brighter, roomier, friendlier... Magnificent” – The Guardian
“One of the nation's cultural jewels has been expertly polished” – The Daily Telegraph
“It is breathtaking. You have to go” – The Evening Standard
In the 6 months following reopening, we chaired monthly meetings aimed at continuous improvement of visitor experience at the Gallery, managing progress across four areas – people, protocols and processes, systems and governance. The Gallery now holds a Tripadvisor rating of 4.5 out of 5.
Subsequent additional support included the introduction of a new model for regular meetings to enhance planning regarding forthcoming exhibitions, and interim management of several teams whilst the organisation recruited a new Director of Marketing and Communications.
Services provided:
– Programme management
– Consultancy regarding systems and processes
– Communications consultancy
– Interim team management
“We were delighted to secure the support of Will Dallimore to coordinate the work of several departments and ensure that we were fully ready for visitors. This was in effect the opening of a new Gallery, with brand-new visitor services, retail and security teams, and huge institutional and public expectations. Will brought a breadth of skills and experience. We remain hugely grateful to him for his considered, careful and invaluable support.”
Professor Deborah Swallow, Professor Emirata, The Courtauld Institute