Our Mission

We promote commercial best practice in the cultural sector by harnessing the combined strength of our community’s knowledge and experience. We deliver education and build connections across all areas of self-generated income, for everyone at every stage of their career.

Mission of the Association for Cultural Enterprises

About the Association for Cultural Enterprises

Cultural Enterprises is a charity and membership association. We are the only trade body for the arts, heritage and cultural sector that brings together learning, experience and best practice in revenue generation, representing over 1,650 sites across the UK and beyond.

An Arts Council England Investment Principles Support Organisation (IPSO), we are uniquely placed to bring together cultural professionals from all types and sizes of organisations.

Find out more about how to become a Member, and see our current Member directory.

History

The Association for Cultural Enterprises has existed in some form since the late 1970s.

It began in 1979 with the creation of The Group for Museum Publishing and Shop Management, with its first event at the British Museum, when museum retail was still in its infancy. In the late 1970s, independent museums led the way in developing innovative retail operations to support their institutions. The Group, comprising key figures in museum publishing, aimed to provide a forum for discussion and collaboration on shop management and publishing. It worked closely with the Museums Association, offering training and contributing to initiatives like the Gulbenkian Award. Over time, the Group evolved, first becoming the Museum Trading Association (MTA) and later transforming into the Association for Cultural Enterprises. Throughout these changes, it has maintained its mission to support excellence in cultural trading and museum retail.