Industry & Business

A new joint PwC/Business to Arts poll has revealed that confidence is high in Ireland’s arts and business community. The poll, carried out amongst the Business to Arts community, aims to benchmark digital opportunities and challenges in the sector.

The poll reveals that although there are plans for high levels of digital investment, there is scope for improving understanding of the opportunities that digital presents. It also highlights a need for upskilling in digital analytic capabilities.

The poll comes ahead of the Business to Arts CEO forum, presented in association with PwC Ireland. Top CEOs from across business and the arts will discuss the power of data and digital led strategies at the forum on Friday, 29 September.

The forum will focus on how Irish organisations are using data and new technologies to enhance consumer and audience experiences. Speakers will include Liam McLoughlin, head of retail banking at Bank of Ireland, Katie Molony, the chief executive of Maximum Media, and Sean Rainbird, director of the National Gallery of Ireland.

Speaking about the poll’s findings, David Lee, PwC’s technology partner, said: “The poll highlights a great deal of confidence in the future growth prospects of Irish arts organisations. Leveraging digital technologies provides great growth opportunities for this sector, particularly to further engage with customers.

“While an overwhelming majority of business and arts executives confirm they are planning to increase their investment in digital technologies, a third admit that they are not getting value from their current digital spend.

“The survey also suggests that there is more work needed by business and arts executives to understand the value presented by digital. There is a need for a step-up in digital and analytics capabilities. These trends are similar to those seen in PwC’s recent Digital IQ Survey.

“This poll suggests that many Irish arts organisations could really benefit from embedding digital technology into how consumers enjoy the arts. There is also a big opportunity from seeking greater insights from the data that they are capturing from their patrons to drive improved engagement.”

Chief Executive of Business to Arts, Andrew Hetherington said: “From contactless payment stations to centralised data sources and Virtual Reality educational experiences, it is clear that new ways of analysing data and harnessing new technologies will have a considerable impact on the Irish arts and heritage sector over the coming years.”