Heritage Doesn't Need Saving. It Needs Activating.

"We're not a commercial organisation."

I've heard that phrase countless times.

In museums. Historic houses. Boardrooms. Council offices.

It almost always comes from people who care deeply about the places they serve.

I understand the instinct. Heritage exists to protect our shared history, not to chase profit.

But I think we've created a false choice.

Commercial thinking and public purpose are not opposites.

In fact, I would argue they now depend on one another.

Every heritage organisation is commercial. The question is not whether you generate income. The question is whether you do it deliberately, in a way that strengthens your mission rather than compromises it.

Over the last two decades I've worked across hospitality ,events, heritage, tourism and culture. I've led the operation of historic estates in Scotland, worked on projects linked to St Andrews, the Home of Golf, and today oversee one of the largest operational and commercial portfolios in the UK museum sector.

From visitors ,B2B and B2C The lesson has been remarkably consistent.

The organisations that thrive are not always those with the greatest collections.

They are the ones that make the greatest use of them.

We protect places because people value them

The sector has become very good at measuring what we preserve.

Buildings ,Collections ,Archives ,Landscapes.

These things deserve our protection.

But they only have meaning because people form a connection with them.

If that connection weakens, so does the case for protecting them.

That changes the questions we should ask ourselves.

Not simply: "How do we conserve this building?"

But also: "How do we make this place relevant to someone walking through the doors for the very first time?"

That is both a commercial question and a cultural one.

The two are becoming inseparable.

Heritage is about people before it is about buildings

My early career managing a significant portfolio across east lothian Scotland shaped much of my thinking.

Every site had its own history.

More importantly, every site had its own community.

Some visitors ,guests arrived because they were passionate about architecture.

Others came because of family history.

Many simply wanted a good day out.

A coffee.A walk. Somewhere to spend time together.

None of those reasons were more valid than another.

Too often we design experiences around what matters to us.

Successful organisations design experiences around what matters to their visitors.

That shift sounds simple. It changes everything.

The experience is bigger than the asset

Working on projects connected with St Andrews reinforced another lesson.

Most people associate St Andrews with golf.

Yet anyone who knows the town understands it offers far more.

History ,Hospitality ,Coastal walks ,Food ,Education Independent businesses.

The golf course may attract visitors.

The wider experience persuades them to stay.

Heritage destinations work in exactly the same way.

A collection may draw someone through the door.

The quality of the overall experience determines whether they return, recommend it to others or become lifelong supporters.

Museums compete for people's time

One of the biggest shifts in my own thinking came after joining National Museums Liverpool.

Museums do not simply compete with other museums.

We compete for people's attention.

On any given day our visitor might choose a football or rugby match.

A restaurant ,the cinema ,the waterfront and a shopping trip.

Or simply staying at home.

That changes how we should think about our offer.

The question is no longer whether our collections are important.

It is whether the experience we create is compelling enough for someone to choose us.

Research into the experience economy consistently shows that people increasingly value memorable experiences over material possessions.

That is an opportunity for heritage organisations.

Not because we need to become entertainment venues.

Because we already hold something unique.

Stories ,Authenticity and Identity.

Places that cannot be replicated.

Commercial activation begins with operations

When people ask me how to make heritage venues more commercial, they often expect me to talk about cafés, retail or venue hire.

Those are important.

They are rarely where I begin.

I start with operations.

How many hours each week is the building genuinely being used?

Which spaces remain empty?

Which assets deliver value?

Where do visitors spend their time?

Where do they leave?

Which audiences come back?

Which never return?

Good commercial decisions are built on good operational discipline.

Revenue tells you what happened.

Operations explain why.

When leaders understand both, they make better decisions.

Commercial confidence protects heritage

The biggest obstacle to commercial success is rarely funding.

More often it is culture.

There remains a concern that commercial activity somehow diminishes heritage.

My experience has been the opposite.

Commercial confidence creates freedom.

It generates unrestricted income.

It reduces reliance on grant funding.

It funds conservation ,supports education and ir creates capacity to invest rather than simply respond to financial pressure.

Commercial activity should never replace purpose.

It should enable it.

That is why responsibility sits across the whole organisation.

Curators create meaning ,Operations create experience ,Marketing creates demand ,Front-of-house teams create welcome ,Finance creates discipline and Leadership brings those strengths together around a shared purpose.

The future depends on relevance

The responsibility of heritage leaders has not fundamentally changed.

We are still custodians of extraordinary places.

What has changed is the environment around us.

Public funding is tighter.

Visitor expectations are higher.

Competition for attention has never been greater.

Stewardship today means more than protecting buildings.

It means ensuring they remain relevant.

Relevant to families, to schools, to businesses, to local communities and to the next generation.

If commercial thinking helps us achieve that, then it is not a compromise.

It is part of responsible stewardship.

Heritage doesn't need saving ,it needs activating.

When we activate it with care, integrity and purpose, we do more than preserve the past.

We create the conditions for it to matter long into the future.

Here’s to a bright future rooted in our rich past 🧔🏻‍♂️

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