Evidence Agency — 2026
25 years of face-to-face insight, thematic analysis, and visitor research. Now combining human understanding with next-generation sentiment intelligence.
We conduct research in communities, at visitor attractions, along coastlines and inside cultural organisations. Our methods are human: face-to-face conversations, facilitated sessions, and skilled thematic analysis that surfaces what surveys alone cannot.
Today we layer those foundations with digital reputation monitoring, experience friction analysis, and stakeholder perception work — intelligence that helps the organisations shaping places make better decisions.
From coastal promenades to music festivals, we apply the right mix of research methods to give you evidence you can actually use.
Intercept surveys, exit interviews and depth conversations conducted in situ where the experience is actually happening. Data you can trust because it comes from real human encounters.
Robust visitor spend and economic impact assessments using STEAM and T-STATS compatible methodologies. Numbers that hold up to scrutiny at board level and beyond.
Skilled analysis of open-ended data, stakeholder interviews and community engagement outputs. We find the patterns, name the themes and tell the story behind the numbers.
Deep intelligence for DMOs, local authorities and BIDs on how visitors experience destinations — what works, what doesn't and where investment will make the biggest difference.
Audience surveys, impact assessments and cultural value analysis for venues, festivals and arts organisations. We understand how to capture the intangible as well as the measurable.
Monitoring, analysis and structured intelligence from review platforms, social signals and digital conversation — our Evidence Insights proposition is built specifically for destinations.
Communities particularly coastal, rural and post-industrial ones are among the most complex research environments there are. They carry layered histories, divided interests and lived realities that standard survey instruments were not designed to capture.
We bring 25 years of on-the-ground experience to these contexts: facilitating genuine community voice, identifying what residents actually value about their places and producing evidence that can underpin long-term strategic planning.
One of our latest projects included nine sites across the North West coastline, working alongside the Environment Agnecy, local authorities, community groups, and tourism bodies to build a coherent picture of how people use, value and experience the places they live in and visit.
Structured methods for capturing community perspective on change, development and service provision designed to surface dissent as well as consensus.
Cross-site research designs that allow meaningful comparison across geographically distinct places while respecting local context and nuance.
Reports, infographics and presentations that translate research into decisions not just findings. Built for council chambers and funding applications as well as academic review.
"Evidence that goes beyond the numbers capturing what communities actually think about where they live."
North West Coastal Communities ProjectVisitor numbers and spend tell you what happened. Evidence Insights tells you why and what visitors are saying when no-one is officially listening.
Built as a complementary intelligence layer alongside established economic impact tools like STEAM and T-STATS, Evidence Insights brings together online reputation monitoring, sentiment analysis and experience friction mapping into a single, structured product designed specifically for Town Councils, DMOs BIDs and destination managers.
This is a curated intelligence service our analysts do the reading, the pattern-finding and the plain-English interpretation so you can act on it.
Request a pilot briefing →We have been refining our methods across hundreds of projects. The approach never cuts corners but the final report should always be something a non-researcher can act on.
Before any fieldwork begins we work with clients to understand what decisions the research needs to inform. Good research starts with a clear question not a methodology.
Survey instruments, discussion guides and sampling strategies designed specifically for the research environment whether a busy coastal car park in July or a community museum in January.
Experienced fieldworkers, face-to-face methods and quality control processes built from two and a half decades of knowing what goes wrong and how to prevent it.
Statistical analysis, thematic coding and interpretive synthesis not just tables and graphs. We find the story the data is telling and test whether it holds up.
Reports, presentations and infographics calibrated to the audience. Board members, funders, audiences and community groups all need different things from the same findings.
DMOs, tourism boards, and local visitor economy partnerships across the UK.
Specialist experience in coastal and rural research places with unique social and economic dynamics that require tailored approaches.
Venues, festivals, galleries, museums, conferences and public events of all scales from local community festivals to major regional programmes.
Strategic research to support policy, planning and investment decisions. Evidence that can withstand public scrutiny and political challenge.
Whether you're planning a new visitor survey, exploring an Evidence Insights pilot or looking for a research partner on a larger strategic project we would like to hear from you.
Based in Barrow-in-Furness, working nationally.
Independent. Experienced. Based in Cumbria.