When the real world gets in the way of your great story

Gaining the support of a high profile individual is hard work for any organisation.  Carefully stewarding that support over the years to ensure you retain it is even harder.  The hardest of all is when you turn that supporter into someone who also donates significant amounts of money.

Clearly this is something that The Design Museum has achieved in its relationship with Sir Terence Conran and the Conran Foundation.  It was announced yesterday that the Foundation is to donate £7.5m in cash plus the value of the sale of the lease of the museum’s current site, expected to be in the region of £10m.  The money will be used to help fund a move to a new site at the Commonwealth Institute.

This is a fantastic commitment from Sir Terence, although to be fair, he was involved in establishing the forerunner of the museum and establishing the museum on its current site.

So why am I blogging about it?  Because I think the timing of the announcement is at best a little insensitive.  Sir Terence is probably the foremost proponent of design and style in the home.  It was Habitat that started turning houses across the country into light, bright, stylish palaces of design.  That’s why I think the timing is insensitive. 

Just a week ago it was announced that Habitat was to go into administration as part of a sale of the name, online presence and three flagship stores to the Home Retail Group.  The sale price is £24.5m, just £7m more than the value of Sir Terence’s donation to the Design Museum.  For the 750 staff who work outside of the core business there is a very uncertain future.

Now it should be made clear that Sir Terence stopped being Chair of the Storehouse Group in 1990, some 21 years ago.  Should he have stepped in to rescue his baby which is now fully grown up and has a life of its own?  Well that’s for him to decide not me, it’s really none of my business.

I just feel the timing of this announcement is a little bit off.  As the High Street brand, that established him as a leading name in design, appears to fall apart, would I have made that announcement now?  I think not.  In the circumstances I would have left a suitable, reverent pause.  Sir Terence turns 80 in October.  Even if he’d written the cheques now (and I have no doubt this was planned well before the news of Habitat) I think I would have played it safe and used his birthday celebrations, and a four month break, to make the announcement.

I think there’s a lesson here for all of us in being sensitive to the world around us.  No matter how long it’s taken you to put together a project or media event, when you’re working with high profile individuals always be aware that the real world and news agendas can just occasionally get in the way and rather spoil the party.