Everyone wants a headline exhibition, but few projects get headline budgets. The Melsonby Hoard at the Yorkshire Museum proves you can still deliver a visually striking and emotionally engaging exhibition, even when costs are constrained.

In this session, Yorkshire Museums Trust and project partners PLB will unpack how the exhibition is being delivered on a reduced budget. Focusing the interpretive intent and visitor journey early in the process, to making smart choices about what to spend on and what to simplify. We will look at how a clear storyline and layered interpretation helped prioritise the final exhibition, how design decisions were shaped by conservation and security needs and how value engineering was approached without losing the wow factor.

 

The talk will explore practical approaches that can translate to other projects, including prioritising scope and design decisions, balancing bespoke and modular elements, managing graphics and content efficiently, whilst planning for maximum engagement. Expect honest reflections on what worked, what was harder than expected, and the takeaways for anyone trying to deliver a blockbuster exhibition when the budget does not match what could be spent to meet the vision.