Frequently Asked Questions

Is it free?

Yes! There is no charge for any Digital Culture Network support, as the project is fully funded by Arts Council England.

Who is the best Tech Champion?

Diplomatic answer on its way 🤣. What I can tell you is each brings a different perspective thanks to years of accumulated knowledge in their chosen specialisms. You can find out more about them on our Meet the Team page.

Can we liaise with more than one Tech Champion?

Absolutely. Sometimes, the Tech Champion helping you might decide that other members of the team would be able to help. In this case, they’ll handle bringing the other Tech Champions in to the conversation.

How much will you be able to do for us?

The Tech Champions are here to advise and support you. It is important that organisations build resilience and learn how to harness digital technology for themselves. Our team will guide you along your journey, but the intention is very much for them to provide you with all the knowledge you need to make things happen on your own. That said, if you aren’t sure about anything, just ask and we’ll do our best to help.

Our project involves using digital technology in the creation of art. Can we ask for your advice?

The Creative Media team at Arts Council England can give you the best advice on this. If you are looking to use digital within your creative practice, you should speak to the enquiries team at Arts Council England, or, if you have one, your Relationship Manager.

My organisation is looking to purchase new computers/mobile devices/other equipment. Can you advise us on this?

Unfortunately, we can’t make judgement calls on IT equipment. Sometimes, we might recommend updating equipment, and our team may occasionally talk about innovative pieces of ‘kit’ (for example, devices to enable content creation), but we can’t directly recommend any particular products or suppliers.

What does the Network support cover?

Our Tech Champions have specialist knowledge in a variety of subjects, all with a focus on using digital technology within a business context. These are:

• Box office systems, ticketing and CRM systems
• Content creation
• Data analytics and insight
• Digital strategy development
• eCommerce & Merchandising
• Search engine optimisation (SEO)
• Search engine marketing (SEM)
• Social media
• Websites
• Email marketing
• Digital Accessibility

There are additional areas of expertise which the Tech Champions may be able to advise on, so if you’re not sure, do ask us.

I’m not currently receiving funding from Arts Council England. Can I still get help?

Yes, you can, if you’re an creative or cultural organisation with a not-for-profit project which could be eligible for Arts Council funding. If you aren’t sure, just ask us. Just so you know, our team gets very busy at times, when we may need to focus on those currently in receipt of funding.

Who can access one-to-one support?

The Tech Champions can provide direct one-to-one support to creative and cultural organisations in receipt of, or eligible for funding from Arts Council England.

How can I get involved with the Network?

You are the network too, so share knowledge and best practice with your peers. Attend our events to join in discussions to engage with one another in open, honest discussion about what works, what doesn’t work, and what audiences and arts organisations need. Sign up to our newsletter and follow us on Twitter and LinkedIn.

How can I get help from the Network?

Access our one-to-one support from Tech Champions and make the most of our digital skills training offer of workshops, webinars and resources on this site. Hit the ‘Ask a Tech Champion’ button to submit a request for support or visit the Events page to sign up for training.

How does the one-to-one support work?

You will have an initial 30-60 min diagnostic session with either your local Tech Champion or the one which has the best knowledge for you. In advance of this meeting, the Tech Champion will familiarise themselves with your work from your website or any information you send them. If you are able to, it helps to email them a few paragraphs about your work and what you would like support with or your goals. During the diagnostic meeting the Tech Champion will have a conversation with you about what you’re doing now, what you would like support with and what you’re hoping to achieve. They’ll discuss planning and strategy development with you, prioritise areas of work and talk through potential practical next steps and activity to undertake. Next, the Tech Champion might email you support materials, point you towards useful resources and/or arrange a follow-up conversation for any further support needs. We usually have one or two follow-up conversations with you, but as our support is bespoke, it can be more or less. The same applies to the length of support. Sometimes progress can be made in just a few weeks, but in some cases, it can take a number of months. If relevant, they’ll handle arranging support from another Tech Champion. Our support is designed to be actionable and time-limited, so we may work with you to split the work into stages if it is a longer-term project. We don’t ‘do’ the work for you, but we provide guidance, best practices and practical support for you to help you achieve your goals.

Once we’ve helped you, we will send you a satisfaction feedback survey. Every response helps us improve our services, so we encourage you to complete it.

The support you get is bespoke and tailored to your needs. The team will consider your requirements, capacity, and resources. This means we can ensure that the advice we give you is practical, time-limited, and actionable.

Can you give us advice on using Art Council England’s Illuminate tool?

Digital Culture Network can provide support on the best methods and systems for capturing your audience data along with great guidance on how to interpret and use data to drive decision making. We can also look at how gathering and using audience data should form part of your digital strategy. Illuminate could be a part of this. 

If you need very specific Illuminate guidance, including technical support and advice on using Illuminate’s features you should contact their helpdesk directly. PwC’s dedicated Illuminate Help Desk is ready to support any queries you may have about using Illuminate. The helpdesk is open 9am – 5pm on weekdays (excluding bank holidays) and you can contact them via email or via telephone.
Get in touch:

• By email: uk_illuminate_support@pwc.com
• By telephone: +44 800 031 8671

If you have more general questions about Illuminate or would like to discuss your organisation’s use of Illuminate, please contact your Relationship Manager directly.