we will thrive

18/06/2026

Who doesn't love a snoop at who's who?

We know a lot of folk like to see the faces behind the data - so we got some shiny new headshots taken for the thrive team.

Have a look at who does what here: wewillthrive.co.uk/about-us/meet-the-team

17/06/2026

They knew their work mattered.

They asked for our help to prove it.

Our latest case study explores how evaluation helped Donaghadee Heritage Preservation Company uncover the evidence, stories and impact behind decades of preserving local heritage through the The Sir Samuel Kelly Project.

Read more:

16/06/2026

We are so sorry about the last minute postponement of our 10,000 Responses last event week.

Given the levels of uncertainty around the "unrest" (!) and so many people travelling etc we have rescheduled the 10,000 Responses event to FRIDAY 3RD JULY.

10am - 12pm
Arts Ekta, Belfast
Still free

If you would like to register for a free place, please email [email protected]

12/06/2026

Following our recent How to Write a Survey workshop, we're sharing some of the practical resources developed to help organisations collect better audience insight.

❓ Writing good survey questions is only half the challenge (check out our Knowledge Hub for a toolkit on how to tackle it...)

👩‍👧‍👧 Getting the right people to respond is just as important.

Our new How to Send a Survey Toolkit explores the strengths and limitations of different survey methods, from email and social media to QR codes, iPads and paper surveys, helping you choose the approach that's right for your audiences and your organisation.

Download the toolkit:

Following our recent How to Write a Survey workshop, we’ve updated and expanded some of the accompanying toolkits so that anyone can access the practical advice shared on the day.

11/06/2026

📢 Delivering festivals in NI or any of the border counties?
We want to hear from you!

We’re hosting a series of in-person and online focus groups as part of Festivals Connect, to better understand the needs of people working at festivals.

Your input will directly inform the future programme of Festivals Connect around training and skills development for festivals.

🗓️ Our first session is Wednesday 17th June, 11am to 1pm at GoldenThread Gallery, Belfast.

Register here: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/FESTCONNECT

The Festivals Connect programme is led by Create, in partnership with the British Council, with support from Arts Council of Northern Ireland and The Arts Council / An Chomhairle Ealaíon, supported by PEACEPLUS, a programme managed by the Special EU Programmes Body - SEUPB - European Funding

Register to take part in one of our in-person or online focus groups

10/06/2026

🚨 LAST CALL🚨

If you want to get the low-down on the latest audience data and trends, this is your last chance to book in for our IMPACT event tomorrow.

Why come along?
- We'll be making it rain with insights (that's a thing) and you can claim the glory when you use them later to improve your audience experience
- It's the funnest and easiest to get a whole load of useful information at once - cause were you really going to go research it yourself?
- It's only 2 hours in the morning (plenty of time to do things after)
- Did we mention it's free?

Thursday 11th June | 10:00 - 12:00 | Artsekta Belfast

Register here:

We are constantly undertaking audience research to create an accurate, up-to-date picture of where our sector is at and what it needs. Find out more about our current research projects, IMPACT and IMPACT North West.

09/06/2026

📰 THRIVE IN THE PRESS

When conversations about public funding start, the same assumption often follows: The arts are subsidised.

But what happens when you look at the hours, skills, unpaid labour and personal investment that artists contribute to keep the sector running?

In her latest piece for Arts Professional, Thrive's Head of Sector Development Verity Peet explores a different question entirely: Who is actually subsidising who?

Read the article:

Much of the discussion around arts funding focuses on subsidy into the sector. But, according to thrive’s Verity Peet, their latest research raises a different question: who is actually subsidising who?

08/06/2026

What are you doing this Thursday morning?

Us? We'll be sharing the biggest findings from the last 12 months on arts audience behaviours...

Here's just some of the areas we'll be lifting the lid on...

📊 📚 Marketing methods are on the move!
Are brochures really back? Is there any point posting on Instagram? Isn't Reddit the noise frogs make? And who the heck hears about shows from watching TV? Come and find out what's in and what's out in the world of marketing at our IMPACT event...

🤷‍♂️ The Elusive Gen Zzzzzzzzzz
Where are all the young people? Is your programme the problem? Is the marketing making them snooze? Are they staying in or going elsewhere? We'll be discussing all this and more at our event...

💷 The Cost of Living (on a Prayer)
Who is feeling the squeeze? Not all generations are behaving the same. Different pressures on different age groups are having an impact on arts attendance. And you might be surprised who is most affected. Want to find out more? Come to our event....

If you work with audiences, you really should be there.

Thursday 11th June | 10:00 - 12:00 | Artsekta Belfast | Free

Register here: https://wewillthrive.co.uk/events/10000-audience-responses-you-need-to-know-about

05/06/2026

Our Project Manager vacancy closes at 10am on Monday 8th June 2026
(yes, that's this Monday coming, in case you were about to check).

If you're the sort of person who colour-codes spreadsheets, spots a typo from 50 paces, and gets a kick out of making projects move from ""great idea"" to ""actually delivered"", this could be your kind of job.

Come and help us deliver research, events, programmes and support for Northern Ireland's arts and heritage sector.

More details and application information:
wewillthrive.co.uk/opportunities/job-opportunity-project-manager"

04/06/2026

This is just one of the questions we'll be answering at our IMPACT event on 11th June.

Everybody has a theory about audience behaviour.
Fortunately, we've got 10,000 audience responses to help separate fact from fiction.

Join us as we share what we've learned from three years of audience research across Northern Ireland, next week.

🗓️ 11th June
⏰ 10am - 12pm
📍 ArtsEkta
🎟️ Free

Book now: wewillthrive.co.uk/events/10000-audience-responses-you-need-to-know-about