All exhibitions require a large commitment of curatorial time for research and development of the exhibition proposal. We consult or contract external curators or academics who work with Tate curators to develop a solidly grounded approach to the subject, taking into account recent scholarship in the area.

Before assembling a list of works for the show, curators often have to travel to examine works of art and check their condition and suitability for presentation. Their findings can often necessitate costly conservation work that is essential if the object is to be safely moved and displayed. Transport costs are ever increasing: individual travel crates often have to be built for works of art, which increases freight costs. Lenders may require one of their staff to travel alongside the works, incurring hotel and subsistence costs. Transport, crating and courier costs account for a large part of the budget in assembling the exhibition.

There are also significant costs in installing an exhibition: making screens, display cases, plinths and furniture that will improve visitors' viewing experience. Much effort goes into gallery labels, wall panels, audio-guides, the contextual material and event programming. The scale of these costs is such that Tate, like most similar institutions, has to charge admission to temporary exhibitions.

Exhibitions usually incorporate a relatively small proportion of works from the Tate collection. The greater the proportion of works included in the exhibition the greater strain on Tate's resources, as art handlers, conservators and registrars have to prepare and process a large number of works within a restricted time frame.

Gallery Directors and Chief Curators agree a programme framework on an annual basis with Tate's Director. This is discussed internally and externally when site Directors consult Trustees and other non-executive advisors via the site Councils, which meet at least three times per annum to advise Directors. The programme framework sets out what each site is aiming to achieve in terms of its exhibitions and displays as well as the cycle of public programmes and the types of exhibition or display that make up the mix. The cycle of major exhibitions worldwide plays a role too since for a number of the very major loan exhibitions that Tate hosts are devised and developed in partnership with other museums around the world.

Temporary exhibitions at all Tate galleries range from major retrospectives, historic and group shows to commissions for specific display spaces such as the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern and the Duveen galleries at Tate Britain. Tate Modern focuses on producing exhibitions of international modern and contemporary art, Tate Britain concentrates on British art from 1500 to the present. Tate Liverpool shows both British and international modern and contemporary art from 1900 to the present. Tate St Ives focuses on showing works of art that are relevant to the unique setting of the gallery and the history of artists who used Cornwall as an inspiration for their work.

At the core of Tate's mission is the intention to increase public knowledge, understanding and appreciation both of British art from the sixteenth century to the present day and of international modern and contemporary art. With this clear objective, the Marketing Department promotes exhibitions and events at Tate. The Marketing team work alongside the Press Office, Membership and Digital Programmes departments, all of whom work to communicate Tate's programme effectively, to attract new visitors, encourage repeat visits, and to maximise visitor numbers to all four galleries.

Every department at Tate contributes each year to Tate's overall plan. The Communications Department sets plans based on what they intend to achieve over the next three years, in line with the organisational objectives. This strategy sets out attendance targets, budgets and audience development objectives, with further detail regarding specific projects or audiences which will be a particular focus for the coming period. Individual strategies are then devised and written throughout the year for specific exhibitions and events, in line with the divisional plan and Tate's overall objectives.

Marketing is part of the Communications team whose role is to identify potential audiences, establish their drivers for exhibition attendance and motivate them through appropriate communication. One of the most important roles of the Marketing Department is to conduct frequent market research to gain a picture of the people who are coming, why they are coming and what they like or don’t like. Research is also consulted to identify audience segments not coming to the gallery, and what Tate can change to make the galleries more attractive to non-attenders.

The Marketing Department's communication methods largely differ from the Press Department as the majority of the media that it uses is paid for; therefore presence and message can be guaranteed, though media costs can be restrictive. Paid-for marketing materials can include press advertising, radio advertising, Underground campaigns, bus sides, leaflets, postcards, direct mail, email bulletins etc, whereas media coverage, such as press articles and television programmes, are set up by the Press Office and do not have a media cost.

As well as the paid-for marketing, Tate makes its budgets stretch further by setting up promotions that can be negotiated for free, or can get media space for little or no cost. These include media partnerships, ticket offers, competitions and third-party promotions, such as advertising on take- away coffee cups or a display in a shop window relating to an exhibition.

Advertising and Promotions
For major exhibitions, Tate uses a variety of advertising media, all chosen to target specific audience segments. Tate often uses posters on the London Underground (for its London venues), and adverts on bus sides ('outdoor' advertising). Adverts in the press are also used, especially the national broadsheet newspapers and creative and art world magazines, depending on the target audience for the campaign. Tate also produces marketing leaflets, posters and flyers, for distribution around targeted areas of London and the UK. The size and scale of the campaign is appropriate to the attendance target and the campaign budget.

A number of email bulletins provide information and news to interested subscribers (around a quarter of a million are sent out every month).

Before any advertising is booked, the Director of Media and the relevant Press Officer and Marketing Manager meet to develop a communications plan. In the case of a major exhibition, for example, this covers advertising and also press coverage, promotions, ticket offers, print production and distribution, and online promotion through the Tate website.

The plan typically includes:

• a basic outline of the exhibition
• the attendance target
• a description of the target audience/s
• the budgets available
• planned communications activity

Advertising development then begins with briefing meetings with curatorial staff, sponsorship staff, the design team (which may include an internal graphic designer or external creative agency) and the media agency. This creates a project team which can discuss target audiences and develop appropriate and persuasive themes. A written brief is then agreed, together with a selection of images, design guidelines, and any copy and sponsor credits that need to be included.

The creative agency or designer then presents their proposals, and these are discussed in detail with the project team. Designers develop advertising for each exhibition designed to appeal to the target audience for that exhibition or event. Before the advert is approved, the use of particular images has to be checked – as appropriate – by the artist, the lender of the work (if it doesn't belong to Tate) and the copyright holder.

Meanwhile the media agency will present various options on how to reach the target audience, which they have developed using the TGI system. TGI (Target Group Index) is a continuous survey where data collection runs throughout the year. The survey is based on a sample size of around 25,000 interviews per annum and yields information on usage of over 4,000 brands in 500 product areas for those aged 15+. TGI data is used to assist the understanding of target markets to aid the choices of relevant media to communicate with each target group.

Media might include Underground posters, magazines, newspapers, postcards, radio, cinema, bus sides etc. The media plan includes guideline costs and detailed information on who the campaign will reach and how often they will see the adverts. Once this is agreed with the creative agency and Tate, the media buyers negotiate with media owners to obtain the best possible spaces and prices.
Finally the adverts go into production, with careful control over quality and costs at each stage. Once they are published, file copies are sent to Tate for reference.

Tate also supplements its paid marketing campaigns with a range of promotions geared towards specific target audiences. Promotions vary from ticket offers in newspapers and magazines to third-party promotions with a variety of commercial companies.

The cycle then begins again, as visitor research tracks advertising effectiveness for each exhibition alongside other marketing initiatives, and the findings are used as a guide to the next campaign.

 

Visitor Research
Tate conducts three tranches of visitor research every year, organised by the Marketing Department. This information lets us know what sort of people we are attracting to the gallery so we can better identify who to attract in the future – who is coming and who is not. The findings are used to refine the marketing strategy, find out satisfaction levels, report back to sponsors and funders, and to refine the policy and programming of the gallery in general.

The main section of the audience research deals with the special exhibitions, and the profile of the visitors. The audience varies from exhibition to exhibition – for example, 38% of visitors to Constable: The Great Landscapes were over 60, whereas for Turner Prize 2005, the figure was only 10%. Variations are also found in place of residence, social demographics, and so on. Part of this research tracks the efficacy of the marketing communications used, by asking which marketing or press materials were consulted before visiting. Analysing our visitor profile in this way helps us when we plan for future exhibitions, as we can more accurately identify the target audience and more efficiently communicate with them.

From this information we can identify the differences, in London, in visitor profile between Tate Britain and Tate Modern. Visitors to Tate Modern as a whole will tend to be younger, more international, and will be more likely to use the permanent (free) collection displays rather than the (fee-charging) exhibitions. Tate Modern also has more first-time visitors, partly because it has a high profile as a sight-seeing destination for tourists. At Tate Britain, the percentage of people coming to exhibitions tends to be greater and the visitors are likely to have a greater knowledge of art.

Tate also conducts psychographic research, which looks at people's motivations to attend a particular exhibition or gallery. This is a particularly interesting piece of research as it helps the marketing department understand why people are coming, what they like and what they don't like. It also means that future marketing materials can be adapted to attract particular segments, such as people who want to have a sensual experience with the artworks, compared with people who come for academic research or people who come for social entertainment.

Temporary exhibitions at all Tate galleries range from major retrospectives, historic and group shows to commissions for specific display spaces, such as the Turbine Hall at Tate Modern and the Duveen galleries at Tate Britain. Whilst Tate Modern focuses on producing exhibitions of international modern and contemporary art, the programme at Tate Britain concentrates on British art from 1500 to the present. Tate Liverpool shows both British and international modern and contemporary art from 1900 to the present, as well as displays from the Tate Collection. Tate St Ives focuses on showing works of art in the surroundings and atmosphere in which they were created.

Tate’s exhibition programmes are planned three years or more in advance, and most exhibitions are the result of proposals generated by our in-house curatorial teams or collaborations with other institutions. The majority of exhibitions and commissions arise from direct invitations to artists and curators. Therefore we can only rarely accommodate unsolicited projects.

Please note that at Tate Modern we cannot accept proposals for the Turbine Hall or the Member’s Room, nor does Tate Britain accept proposals for the Duveen galleries.

If you would like to send an exhibition proposal or examples of your work this should be directed to:
Tate Modern proposals.modern@tate.org.uk
Tate Britain proposals.britain@tate.org.uk
Tate Liverpool proposals.liverpool@tate.org.uk
Tate St Ives proposals.stives@tate.org.uk

Submissions will be reviewed by staff in the respective curatorial teams, but please note the following:

• We only accept submissions by email.
• You should include a letter introducing your work/project to us, and a CV where appropriate.
• If you are proposing an exhibition, please tell us your ideal timescale for realising the project.
• Owing to the large volume of proposals received, Tate will only be able to respond to those proposals which would be appropriate for our programmes.
• Tate will endeavour to respond to those proposals of suitability within two to three months. We are grateful for your patience while we consider them.
• If you are seeking your first exhibition in the UK, you may find it more helpful to contact some smaller galleries in the first instance.
• We are not a commercial gallery, and therefore cannot represent artists or sell works on their behalf.
• Due to the pressures on Tate curators’ time, unfortunately we are not able to provide specific feedback.
• There is no need for you to send additional materials to the offices of Vicente Todolí, Director of Tate Modern, Dr Stephen Deuchar, Director of Tate Britain, or Sir Nicholas Serota, Director of Tate.

Please note that contemporary artists invited to show at Tate have normally achieved a national or even international reputation. If you are in the early stages of your career, the following information may be of help to you.

Finding an exhibition space
The magazine Artist’s Newsletter is essential reading for anyone trying to set up or apply for an exhibition. This is available monthly from most art bookshops or by subscription. The magazine features articles on all aspects of art and art practices across the UK but its most useful sections are ‘Opportunities’ and ‘Small Ads’. These sections list useful contacts for commissions, awards, open submission exhibitions, residencies, studios, materials, courses, equipment and more. The magazine is also available online by subscription. Visit their website at www.a-n.co.uk.

Artist’s Newsletter Publications also produce some of the most practical advice books available to artists, which can be obtained by mail order or from some retail outlets (e.g. ICA bookshop, Photographers’ Gallery and the Whitechapel Gallery). Some useful titles include: Directory of Exhibition Spaces, Investigating Galleries and Organising Your Exhibition.

Applying to a commercial gallery
When choosing a gallery to approach, it is vital to check whether or not they show a similar type or medium of work as your own. The books listed above should help with this information. There is also a monthly free magazine called Galleries (available from most London galleries including Tate, and online at http://www.artefact.co.uk), which has an index identifying the types of art which each gallery shows. Also useful is the free monthly guide to exhibitions at UK galleries called New Exhibitions of Contemporary Art, available from galleries and museums. The online version, at http://www.newexhibitions.com, is linked to gallery websites.

A gallery should first be approached by letter including:

• An up-to-date education and exhibition CV
• Up to 10 slides/photographs of recent work clearly labelled with your name, dimensions and medium of the work. Also remember to mark which way up they should be viewed, even if it seems obvious
• A covering letter including an artist’s statement
• An SAE for return of your materials

Hiring a gallery
If you prefer to set up your own show, a number of galleries do offer their spaces for rent. In recent years there have also emerged a number of alternative spaces for those who wish to show their work outside the formal context of the gallery. Details on these spaces can be found in the publications listed above.