Building Event Partnerships Through Museum Events
Event partnerships can be one of the most powerful tools available to museums when developing events.
Done well, they can enhance content, extend audience reach, reduce costs, and create genuinely distinctive experiences. Done poorly, they can dilute your offer, drain resources, and introduce unnecessary risk.
This blog post explores how to approach event partnerships strategically, looking at the different types of partnerships available, the pros and cons of working with external partners, and how to structure agreements that work for everyone involved - particularly in the context of museum events.
Considering external partnerships: pros and cons
In the context of museum events, a partnership is a relationship between two parties working together for mutual benefit, with the shared aim of delivering a strong event or experience.
Partnerships can take many forms, including:
Sponsorship partnerships - financial or in-kind support through donated goods or services
Creative partnerships - co-creating content or experiences together
Service partnerships - delivery of goods or services in return for a profit split rather than a fee
Media partnerships - marketing and promotion in exchange for brand affiliation and visibility
Each type of partnership comes with its own benefits and risks, so it’s important to understand why you are seeking an event partner in the first place.
When setting your event objectives, consider whether a partnership is genuinely needed. The right museum event partner can significantly elevate an event - but the wrong one can result in giving away too much for a limited return.
Partnerships can be:
Small and local, enhancing a specific element of the visitor experience
Large-scale and strategic, underpinning an entire events programme
Before approaching any potential partner, take time to weigh up the pros and cons carefully.
Understanding what you actually need
Start by being clear about your needs. Are you looking for a specific service, or are you seeking an event partner to co-create content with you?
If you simply need delivery of a service, you may be better off working with a supplier rather than a partner. A true partner will usually be involved from concept through to delivery and will contribute creatively, strategically, or commercially.
A good example of this is the yoga mornings at the Natural History Museum, where the museum partnered with a local yoga studio to co-create the experience. Rather than delivering a standard yoga class, the partner worked closely with the museum team to develop sessions that responded directly to the setting. Classes were scripted to reference the architecture and natural themes of Hintze Hall, with poses inspired by nature and the surrounding space.
Had the museum used a standard supplier, the experience would have been more generic. Instead, the partnership resulted in a unique, site-specific event that felt authentic to both brands - and highly appealing to audiences.
Media partnerships and audience reach
Media partnerships can be particularly effective, especially when marketing budgets are tight. In these arrangements, a media partner promotes the event in return for a share of profits or brand affiliation.
If you take this route, it’s essential to:
Choose a partner who can clearly demonstrate audience reach
Understand their marketing strategy and sales approach
Be explicit about what you need them to deliver, and why
Clarity at this stage helps avoid misunderstandings later and ensures the event partnership genuinely supports your objectives, rather than adding complexity without return.
The pros and cons of event partnerships
Benefits of partnerships
Access to new audiences
Content or expertise you may not have in-house
A fresh perspective that can put a unique spin on your offer
Increased visibility and credibility through association
Risks to be aware of
Profit-split arrangements can expose you to financial risk if a partner under-delivers
Partners may lose focus or become complacent over time
Larger or well-known brands may prioritise their own objectives over yours
In my experience, smaller organisations often make excellent event partners. They tend to value the relationship more highly, bring energy and commitment, and are keen to collaborate in a genuinely joined-up way.
If you’re working with a larger or more established brand - particularly on a long-running event - you’ll need to find ways to keep them engaged and accountable.
Developing an external partnership: striking the right deal
Once you’ve decided a partnership is the right approach, the next step is identifying potential museum event partners.
By this point, you should have clear objectives and a good understanding of what you want to achieve. Look for partners who not only meet your needs but will also benefit meaningfully from the collaboration.
Start by drawing up a shortlist and reaching out with an introduction to your project. Early conversations should be informal and exploratory - a chance to listen and assess best fit.
Before meeting, prepare key questions such as:
What audience reach can they offer?
Who would you be working with day-to-day?
What resources could they realistically commit?
What are their objectives?
That final question is crucial. If a partner’s objectives aren’t met, they are unlikely to want to continue the relationship in future.
Why smaller organisations can be powerful partners
Small and local organisations are often overlooked, but they can bring significant benefits. They are more likely to:
Value affiliation with your brand
Invest time and energy into the partnership
Bring a loyal, niche audience with them
Accept lower fees in exchange for visibility and credibility
For example, if you’re planning a cinema-themed event, partnering with a local cinema organisation with an established audience can give you immediate access to the right demographic while strengthening the experience itself.
Large organisations can also be valuable event partners - there’s no one-size-fits-all approach - but smaller partners often deliver exceptional results when the fit is right.
Agreeing fees, profit splits, and contracts
Once you’ve chosen a partner, you’ll need to agree on how they will be paid. I recommend offering two options:
A fixed fee
A profit split
Before offering either, ensure both options work for you financially. If a profit split is chosen, decide your maximum percentage in advance.
As a general rule, I would never recommend offering more than 50% of the profit. As the host organisation, you carry the greatest risk. Starting negotiations at around 10% and aiming for 25–30% is often a sensible approach, depending on what the partner brings to the table.
Once terms are agreed, everything should be put in writing. Contracts must be signed before anything is made public. Acting on goodwill alone exposes you to unnecessary risk - particularly once tickets go on sale.
Final thoughts on building successful event partnerships
Event partnerships can be exciting, rewarding, and transformative for museum events. They can open new doors, expand audiences, and allow you to offer richer, more engaging experiences.
The key is clarity:
Be clear about what you want to achieve
Be clear about what you need
Be clear about what your partner expects in return
When both sides understand each other’s objectives and work towards a shared goal, partnerships become far easier - and far more successful.
A note for museum professionals
If you’re a museum professional responsible for developing events, partnerships, or income - and you’re navigating these decisions largely on your own - individual coaching can offer valuable space to think clearly and strategically.
Through one-to-one coaching, I support people working in museums to:
Develop confidence in decision-making around events and partnerships
Work through complex challenges without defaulting to short-term fixes
Build sustainable approaches that balance creativity, commercial reality, and purpose
Work with me
If that sounds useful, you’re welcome to book a discovery call to explore whether individual coaching is the right support for you.