Originally intended to be an in-person workshop for Irish cultural organisations, this workshop would have been delivered as part of our work in Dublin in March 2020. Instead, the workshop content, commentary and activities have been adapted for individuals and organisations to use online.

Developed for axis Ballymun and the Cultural Adaptations project by cultural consultant John O’Brien, the workshop takes the form of an interactive presentation, with sound clips for each slide providing an insight into the material and the questions participants should think about.

What do we mean by ‘business models’?

The term ‘business model’ has many interpretations, often varying across sector and organisational approach. John explores some common definitions, identifies how these can be made relevant to our arts and culture, and different methods for visualising your business model.

Why are we talking about business models when it comes to climate change?

Climate change, and how we adapt to it, will challenge ‘business as usual’, with physical, social, economic and legislative changes impacting how cultural organisations plan and undertake their work. In this workshop, John explains how your organisation can use your business model as a framework through which to assess the value you are trying to create, and thus how the value might be affected by the projected impacts of climate change in that region. In identifying impacts and opportunities now, we can build the resilience and diversification of the cultural sector.