Strategic audience development at Trelissick

Strategic analysis unlocking hyperlocal growth potential at one of Cornwall's top-performing National Trust properties.

A view of the portico at Trelissick in Cornwall. — PROJECT OVERVIEW

**CLIENT:** National Trust (South West)
**ROLE:** Visitor Experience Consultant
**TIMELINE:** March - August 2023
**PROJECT TYPE:** strategic audience development / insight analysis

Outcomes and achievements

Influencing regional strategy

Cornwall identified as priority area in the National Trust South West's regional audience development plan for addressing unequal access and underserved audiences.
Clear, actionable reporting

I delivered a navigable analysis report complete with clear recommendations, interactive sections, and colour-coded evidence, making complex data easy to digest and act on.
£170K regional investment

Analysis demonstrated significant growth headroom in hyperlocal audiences, influencing a regional decision to invest £170K in We Are Shining, a Cornwall-wide cultural engagement programme.
Trelissick exhibits Story Shelter

Trelissick exhibited Story Shelter, an artwork made with Cornish community groups, welcoming 9,801 hyperlocal visitors.
Trelissick invest in Summer of Play

Trelissick invest 25K in Summer of Play programming, leading the cohort of top-performing properties for 2025.
Investing in a Cornish Christmas

The Trelissick team increased their investment in their ‘Cornish Christmas’ programming resulting in increased visits from hyper-local members.

A pathway winds between trees at Trelissick in Cornwall.

Strategic context

Pre-Covid, the National Trust business model in Cornwall had grown off the back of a thriving tourist industry, with visitor numbers at an all-time high in 2019. When the pandemic blew a hole in the international and domestic tourist market, it became clear a new and more resilient business model was required.

Membership data revealed another troubling pattern. While Cornwall boasted high local membership penetration, these people rarely ventured beyond the pay barrier, preferring instead to use their membership for free access to coastal landscape carparks.

A new approach was needed - one that built year-round local engagement and ended unequal access to Cornwall's places. Regional management focus shifted to Trelissick: one of the top-performing properties in Cornwall.

THE BRIEF

The task was conduct an in-depth review of Lanhydrock’s current and historic performance to identify potential for and barriers to business growth.

Recommendations were sought to shape an audience development plan with regional objectives to drive sustainable growth and to improve access for local Cornish audiences.

With organizational pressure to return to 2019 performance levels and a stronger national emphasis on access and inclusion, this work was strategically critical.

Audience analysis identified significant headroom to engage 'non-visiting' local members and those who visit only Trelissick's wider estate. Capturing these groups could generate between 44,000 and 64,000 additional local visits annually.
While locals visit the wider estate 3 to 6 times a year, they only cross the pay barrier to visit the house and garden an average of 2.6 times. Growth modelling suggested that increasing this repeat rate to 3.6 visits would align Trelissick's with other top-performing sites.
Audience analysis showed that seniors represent the largest lifestage group, but they often visit with grandchildren, who make up a large percentage of 'Others free' visitors, suggesting headroom for growth in the midweek Under 5s audience.

CAMILLA’S APPROACH

PERFORMANCE ANALYSIS

I conducted comprehensive data analysis using National Trust internal dashboards to examine visitor numbers, demographics, consumer profiles, repeat visit rates, seasonality, and arrival patterns. I analysed visitor feedback from surveys, social media, and TripAdvisor to identify satisfaction trends.

GROWTH MODELLING

Collaborating with central data analysts, I pulled comparative performance reports against similar properties nationally, identifying headroom for growth, historic performance spikes, and local non-visiting member profiles.

ACCESSIBLE REPORTS

I composed easy-to-navigate analysis reports for each property with actionable recommendations for audience development.

AUDIENCE DEVELOPMENT

I presented findings through workshops with the Trelissick team and regional management. We explored how evidence-based changes to their visitor experience could build a more resilient and accessible business at Trelissick.