Bio:

I am the Communications and Events Manager at Ecsite, the European network of science centres and museums. Among others that makes me the Editor of the Spokes magazine and one of the brains (and pairs of arms) beyond the Ecsite Conference. Before joining Ecsite in 2014, I was an exhibition developer for ten years: first on the museum side (Natural History Museum London and Royal Museum for Central Africa Belgium), then on the agency side. I'm interested in storytelling and public engagement across all media and I'm a big advocate of our field's role in shaping more open-minded and more sustainable societies. I hold a Museum Studies MA from Leicester University (UK).

Abstract:

The Story Of Spokes, Ecsite's Online Magazine For Science Engagement Professionals

Four years ago, Ecsite's magazine Spokes was a quarterly paper publication, the 400 copies of which were sent to members only. Today, Spokes is a monthly online magazine available to all, promoted by email and social media to thousands of professionals around the globe. Taking the redevelopment of Spokes as an example, I will share some of the lessons my team learnt about the specific challenges of handling the communications of a professional network like Ecsite. I will outline the strategic choices we have to make on how to best spend our limited human and financial resources. I will be discussing questions such as: Do you concentrate on members or try to reach the whole science engagement community and its multiple stakeholders? Do you spend energy building channels for members to spread their own news, or do you put efforts in curating contents for them? Do you address organizations or people? I will be telling this story in a fast-paced PechaKucha format, sharing both successes and failures.