Helping you to achieve your cultural and creative potential through shared visions, strategic plans and new policies
Strategy and Policy Design
BOP enables clients to achieve their cultural and creative potential by designing new strategic approaches and policies. Creating a shared vision lies at the heart of our approach so this is the keystone of any plan or strategy.
We work at all levels, from local creative organisations or clusters, to regeneration agencies, and Mayors, to regional and national governments. We work in many ways: through commissions and enquiries, stakeholder consultations, advice to ministers and mayors, comparative policy analysis, advice on legislation, exchange and knowledge platforms.
Our Approach
Our approach is always rooted firmly in evidence and an understanding of the dynamics of a particular place or organisation. For this we draw on our depth of knowledge and experience in research and evaluation. In many cases strategy and policy design follow on from work we have done to demonstrate the potential of culture and creativity to local stakeholders.
The next step in the process is to bring stakeholders together and to align them around a set of common objectives. This is an ongoing and iterative process.
Our mantra is ‘Ask not what others can do for culture, ask what culture can do for others.’ In other words, the best way to galvanise stakeholders and unlock investment is to embed culture and creativity into broader plans for sustainable growth and development.
Relevance
This process of alignment is even more important in the post-COVID age, where climate action and social justice are now at the forefront of many planning and investment decisions.
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Visitor experience
We use our expertise to help cultural organisations and capital projects optimise their visitor experience including operational planning and delivery, business development, contract development, retail, and catering.
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Business and operational planning
Whether it is an individual cultural organisation or a public agency we create business and operational plans for established as well as new entities or initiatives.
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Scenario planning
At this time of radical uncertainty we use scenario planning techniques to analyse the drivers of change, identify risks and opportunities, develop options, and plan for a range of situations.
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Sector and cluster strategies
We devise strategies for sectors at a national and local level. Our national level work is related closely to policy design. We have a particular expertise in devising local cluster strategies which are rooted in local circumstance but respond to the wider global forces shaping the industry.
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Policy design
We work with policy-makers, funders, investors, and sector leaders to design new policies, which help to foster growth in the cultural sector. This can be on the level of advocacy, funding, partnerships, or legislation.
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Cultural and creative strategies – for cities and regions
We devise cultural and creative strategies for cities and regions, often building on the insights generated from our research and mapping work. Our approach is open, consultative, and vision-driven, with an emphasis on unlocking resources and investment, and achieving maximum impact by aligning culture and creativity with wider social, economic, and environmental imperatives.
Our Services
Strategy and Policy Design
Image Credit
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Featured Projects
Strategy and Policy Design
The Green World Cities of Tomorrow: Culture and Sustainability – Special Report Prepared for WCCF Global Conversation
The report on how global cities tackle climate change with cultural policies and programmes. Insights from the World Cities Culture Forum's latest report.
World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF)
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Our strategy will guide the creation of a new digital service aiming at supporting and developing the creative scene in Downtown Kingston.
Leveraging the creative potential of Downtown Kingston through technology
Inter-American Development Bank - IDB
Chengdu's vision to be a global cultural city through the Belt and Road Initiative. Explore our report on its international cultural position and opportunities.
Building a global cultural city
Chengdu Media Group
Our work unlocked £1 million in government funding, aiding the London Symphony Orchestra in planning a new concert hall by forecasting economic impact.
Planning for a New Concert Hall
The City of London
Ensuring that the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation activities are aligned with impactful evaluation metrics, ensuring a purpose-driven cultural foundation.
Strategy development for a world-famous cultural foundation
Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation
We built a strategy around seven key ideas to double the value of UK creative exports from £15bn to £30 bn
International strategy for the UK's creative industries
UK Trade & Investment (UKTI)
Ensuring the online archives are open and accessible. Founded in 2000, Asia Art Archive manages and preserves a valuable collection of contemporary Asian art.
A digital strategy for Asia Art Archive
Asia Art Archive (AAA)
Our work helped pave the way for an application to Arts Council England for funding. Kettle's Yard secured £3.65 million in funding for gallery redevelopment.
Options appraisal and business plan for Kettle's Yard
Kettle’s Yard, Cambridge
Sustainable approach to China’s museum and performing arts boosting international competitiveness through infrastructure development in China’s cultural sector.
Sustainable cultural infrastructure development in China
UK Trade & Investment (UKTI)
The World Cities Culture Report (WCCR) 2022 builds on the ground-breaking 2018 and 2015 Reports. It gives insights on the major challenges world cities facing.
World Cities Culture Report 2022
World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF)
Unique case guide is co-produced with the participating cities of WCCF, highlighting city examples and a global cities approach to evidenced-based policymaking.
Culture Counts: New Approaches to Evidence Based Cultural Policymaking in World Cities
World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF)
The report on how global cities tackle climate change with cultural policies and programmes. Insights from the World Cities Culture Forum's latest report.
The Green World Cities of Tomorrow: Culture and Sustainability – Special Report Prepared for WCCF Global Conversation
World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF)
SELECTED CLIENTS
For over 25 years, BOP has grown a dynamic global community of interest driven by a belief in the transformational power of culture and the creative industries. We have worked in over 50 countries with clients from international agencies to national and regional government departments, to city Mayors and regeneration bodies, and individual cultural and creative businesses.
Featured Articles
Strategy and Policy Design
November 4, 2021 at 11:00:00 PM
How are major cities around the world responding to climate change through cultural policies and programmes?
The Green World Cities of Tomorrow: Culture and Sustainability
Paul Owens
April 3, 2024 at 11:00:00 AM
Summit in West Kowloon District sends message of international collaboration.
International Cultural Summit Hong Kong
Marianna Lemus-Boskovitch
November 22, 2023 at 12:00:00 PM
Co-founder Paul Owens joined by regional panel to discuss the Gulf’s rapidly growing sector and exciting possibilities for international collaboration.
BEYOND Conference, Ambition and Transformation: Emerging Creative R&D Practice in the Gulf
Callum Lee
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ABOUT US
EXPERTISE
A global research and consulting practice for culture and the creative economy
Exploring a Creative Worker Income Guarantee
JOB TITLE
BOP Consulting was appointed to outline a pilot for a Creative Worker Income Guarantee focusing on Brighton & Hove, working on behalf of the University of Sussex and the ABCD Cultural Recovery Programme.
University of Sussex
Creative Industries and the Climate Emergency: The Path to Net Zero
JOB TITLE
In 2022, the UK’s Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre published for the first time a sub-sector by sub-sector overview of the Creative Industries and net zero.
Creative Industries Policy and Evidence Centre
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World Cities Culture Report 2014
JOB TITLE
This report examines the cultural offer of 24 of the world’s greatest cities. It gathers evidence on 60 cultural indicators, assessing both the supply of and demand for culture, and reports on the thinking of cultural policymakers in those places.
World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF)
Culture Counts: New Approaches to Evidence Based Cultural Policymaking in World Cities
JOB TITLE
This Case Guide is co-produced with the participating cities of WCCF. All of the city examples in this document are presented as ‘use cases’ of cultural data in which we highlight relevant questions and outcomes, and direct readers to further readings.
World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF)
The Green World Cities of Tomorrow: Culture and Sustainability – Special Report Prepared for WCCF Global Conversation
JOB TITLE
The report published by the World Cities Culture Forum looks at how major cities around the world are responding to climate change through cultural policies and programmes.
World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF)
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World Cities Culture Report 2018
JOB TITLE
This is the most comprehensive report ever published about culture and the role it plays in shaping life in major cities worldwide. The report is based on extensive data and practice research to reveal how 35 major global cities are in the vanguard of policymaking.
World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF)
Culture and climate change handbook for city leaders
JOB TITLE
How can cities integrate environmental sustainability into cultural policymaking? Our new Handbook for City Leaders, highlights the role of culture in addressing the most important global challenge of the twenty-first century.
World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF)
Making Space for Culture – A Handbook for City Leaders
JOB TITLE
Our new ‘Making Space for Culture’ handbook for City Leaders explores how world cities across the globe are answering this question, from San Francisco to Shenzhen.
World Cities Culture Forum (WCCF)