Data Dictionary

Count

• Count the total number of activities across all activity categories.
  

Definition: an in-progress development e.g. concept development for public artwork, script development workshop, which may include a work-in-progress showing.

Count

• Count each discrete creative period as 1 creative development.
• Count a creative process that includes presentation of work-in-progress.
• Count each overall creative development/process as 1 activity irrespective of whether it results in a finished product.

Do not count

• Do not count a public presentation or performance of a completed work; these are counted in Performances or Exhibitions.
  

Examples:

• A company workshops a new performance piece. It has a 2-week period of development in May and another development for 2 weeks in October. This is counted as 2 creative developments.
• A company engages in a creative development period over 3 months that involves a composer, a lighting designer, and a costume designer. There is a showing to staff and industry contacts. This is counted a 1 activity.
• An organisation works on a new manuscript over 2 months. The work involves research and consultation. This is counted as 1 activity.

Definition: Exhibiting the work of one or more artists, e.g. in a gallery or at a site-specific location or public space.

Count

• Count each individual exhibition as 1 activity, regardless of how many artists or individual works are included in the exhibition.

Do not count

• Displays of permanent collections unless curated as a special exhibition.

Examples

• Count an exhibition featuring the work of 3 artists as 1 activity.
• For a travelling exhibition, count the exhibition as 1 activity regardless of the number of venues on the tour.
• For a public art exhibition featured across the city, count the exhibition as one exhibition regardless of how many locations it features across the city.

Definition: a series of events that you presented, produced, or co-produced typically lasting several days e.g. concerts, performances, exhibitions, writers talks that are held together under the one banner. 

Count

• Count each festival as 1 activity.
• Count a festival featuring several artists as 1 activity.
• Count a festival delivered over several days as 1 activity.

Do not count

• Festivals that you performed in or exhibited at that were produced or presented by others.

Examples

• A music festival featuring 150 artists and bands is held over 3 days. This is counted as 1 activity.
• A writers festival featuring 30 artists talks and 10 workshops is held over a week. This is counted as 1 activity. The 10 workshops are counted under Workshops (see below).

Definition: Live works that you presented, produced, or co-produced e.g. dance, music, theatre, opera.

Count

• Count each individual performance as 1 activity.

Do not count

• Broadcasts, streamed, or digital/online presentations; these are counted as Other public activities.

Examples

• A performing arts season is made up of 5 productions with 5 performances each. This is counted as 25 performances.
• A classical music concert tours to 4 venues with 2 performances in each venue. This is counted as 8 performances.
• A local venue presents a performance which includes act by two organisations. This is counted as 1 performance.

Definition: Books, journals, art magazines, literary publications, chapbooks, one-off publications (such as major catalogues or curatorial essays), industry/sector development resources, musical scores published physically or digitally. 

Count

• Count each individual publication as 1.
• For serial publications, count each issue as 1 publication.
• Count a single issue of a journal or magazine that contains several works as 1.
• Count a single publication that is available as both a physical and digital version as 1 publication.
  

Do not count

• Membership/network newsletters not generally available to the public.
• Annual reports.
• Exhibition or theatre programs.
• News articles incidental or for promotional or marketing purposes e.g. a snippet for inclusion in a newspaper article.
• Social media and blog posts.
  

Examples

• A series of 6 issues of a literary journal contains multiple works. This is counted as 6 publications.
• A published book sells 1,000 copies in hardcopy and 500 as an eBook. This is counted as 1 publication.
  

Definition: Video and/or audio recordings e.g. sound art, music, recording of a live work intended for broadcast/streaming.

Count

• Count recordings of 1 or several works.
• Count a single recording made up of several tracks as 1 recording.
• Count a recording made for broadcast, streaming, or download as 1 activity even if it will be repeatedly broadcast, streamed, or downloaded.

Do not count

• Recordings that are incidental or for promotional or marketing purposes, e.g. a snippet for inclusion in a news broadcast, a television or radio advertisement.
  

Examples

• A music ensemble records a concert made up of five pieces from different composers. This is counted as 1 recording.
• A poetry organisation records the poems of 5 different poets as part of a radio special. This is counted as 1 recording.
• A dance performance is recorded and broadcast live on TV. The broadcast is then repeated 3 times during the year. This is counted as 1 recording. (Note: the live performance is counted as 1 in performances and the broadcast is counted as 3 in Other public activities).
  

Definition: Meetings or events featuring expert discussions and presentations available to the arts sector and/or public.

Count

• Count each conference, seminar, forum, or group information session delivered as 1 activity, regardless of the duration of the conference.
• For conferences, seminars, and forums delivered over multiple, non-consecutive days, count each individual event as 1 activity.
• Count a forum, conference, or seminar repeated for different groups of people as separate activities.

Do not count

• Seminars/Conferences/Forums where you attended as a key note speaker or on a panel. This should be counted in Other activities.
• Seminars/Conferences/Forums you attended but did not have a role in delivering.
• Seminar/Conferences/Forums you delivered or organised that were only available to your own staff.
• Workshops; these are counted in Workshops.
  

Examples

• A series of three different seminars was delivered to 1 group of people over two months. This is counted as 3 activities.
• An industry forum is repeated 3 times for a different group of people each time. This is counted as 3 activities.
• A full day industry forum with a program of 6 individual sessions. This is counted as 1 activity.

Definition: Advice/ consultation, resources, evaluations, auspicing, other professional services provided to your membership base and/or the arts sector.

Count

• Count each significant advice or consultation session as 1 activity.
• Count each resource provided e.g. equipment, sector development materials, venue/space as 1 activity.

Do not count

• Contact primarily focussed on providing basic information about your own organisation and activities.
• Minor advice or enquiries, e.g. enquiries lasting less than 15 mins.
• Sector development workshops; these are counted as Workshops: Sector.
  
• Hire of equipment and venues; only count sector-development-related provision of resources.

Examples

• An organisation provides auspicing services to an artist on three separate occasions. This is counted as 3 activities.
• An organisation develops resources on working with children. 10 organisations contact the organisation seeking advice on working with children and are provided with the resources. This is counted as 10 activities.

Definition: Tours undertaken or delivered by you to present work in Queensland, interstate, or overseas, i.e. outbound tours only. 

Count

• Count each tour you deliver as 1 activity.
• Count a performing arts tour, travelling exhibition, or other touring event delivered in several locations as 1 activity.
  

Do not count

• Touring performances or exhibitions ‘hosted’ by your venue, i.e. inbound tours.
  

Examples

• An exhibition, book tour, or performance season travels to 10 locations on a single tour. This is counted as 1 activity.
  

Definition: Activities targeted to kindergartens and schools for students, teachers, and other educators. Include both incursions and excursions.

Count

• Count workshops and residencies delivered on campus of a kindergarten or primary/secondary school, i.e. incursions.
• Count workshops delivered off campus targeted to kindergarten and/or primary/secondary school students and/or educators, i.e. excursions.
• Count workshops and mentorships delivered to teachers and/or other educators to support skill and professional development.

Do not count

• Holiday programs delivered at a school; these are counted in Workshops: Public. 
• Workshops targeted to the arts sector; these are counted in Workshops: Sector.
• Workshops targeted to the general public; these are counted in Workshops: Public.

Examples

• An organisation delivers a workshop in a school to 3 classes of students. This is counted as 3 workshops.
• A company tours work to regional venues and offers curriculum-aligned workshops at the touring venues for secondary students. Count each workshop as 1 activity.
• An arts organisation is in-residence at a school for 2 weeks engaging students in arts-based activities. This is counted as 1 activity.

Definition: Workshops and classes delivered to the general public including community workshops, cross-sector activities, corporate workshops.

Count

• Count workshops or classes delivered to the general public/community as 1 activity.

Do not count

• Workshops targeted to school students and/or teachers; these are counted as Workshops: Education.
• Workshops targeted to the arts sector; these are counted in Workshops: Sector.
  

Examples

• An organisation delivers a series of 5 workshops at a local school during school holidays. This is counted as 5 workshops.
• A visual arts company runs art-making classes for the general public. Each class is counted as 1 activity.
• An organisation delivers weekly rehearsals with community participants. Each rehearsal is counted as 1 activity.
• A company is engaged by an accounting firm to deliver arts workshops to employees. Each workshop is counted as 1 activity.
  

Definition: Workshops, classes, residencies, training, and formal mentorships delivered to the arts and culture sector to support professional development. Formal mentorship includes internships, structured programs of professional development, secondments, work experience.

Count

• Count workshops, classes, training, residences, and formal mentorships delivered to arts and culture sector organisations, artists, creatives, and artworkers focused on skills development (artistic or arts business related).
  

Do not count

• Workshops, classes, training, or mentorships that your staff or your company received.
• Workshops targeted to school students and/or teachers; these are counted as Workshops: Education.
• Workshops targeted to the general public; these are counted in Workshops: Public.
  

Examples

• A service organisation delivers a range of workshops statewide to support cultural competencies in arts organisations. Each workshop is counted as 1 activity.
• An organisation delivers a formal training program to emerging artists to develop their skills. This is counted as 1 activity.
• A publisher takes on an intern to develop their proof-reading and editing skills. This is counted as 1 activity.
  

Definition: Other public-facing activity including film/screen-based activity, broadcasts, streaming, open studios 

Count

• Count any other significant and externally-facing activities you delivered that are not captured by the other activities in this section, e.g. film screenings, broadcasts, streaming, open rehearsals, and open studios.
  

Do not count

• Internal organisational activities such as strategic planning, administration, board meetings, staff meetings etc. The activity must be public facing.
  

Examples

• A performing arts company has an open day that includes viewing a rehearsal. This is counted as 1 other public activity.
• A visual arts company opens its 10 studios to the public for a day. This is counted as 1 other public activity.
• A dance company presents a dance on film work at a dance film festival. This is counted as 1 other public activity.
• A museum or gallery hosts a series of public programs. Count each public program as 1 activity.
  

Definition: Brand new works, new or different interpretations of existing work, and new or different exhibitions of existing work presented publicly.

Count

• Count each brand-new work or exhibit that is presented publicly.
• Count each significant reinterpretation of an existing work that is presented publicly.
• For exhibitions: only count new exhibitions, not the number of new works in the exhibition.
• For festivals: count new work produced, commissioned, or presented at the festival.

Do not count

• Creative developments or work that has not been publicly presented.
• Remounts of work.

Examples

• A music organisation commissions a composer to write a brand-new piece of music and performs the work to a public audience. This is counted as 1 new work presented.
• A gallery presents an exhibition of works made by local artists from 1925 to 2025 for the first time. The exhibition includes artworks that have been exhibited before and new works. The exhibition is counted as 1 new work presented.
• A publishing company releases a new book. This is counted as 1 new work presented.
• A visual arts organisation reinterprets a Shakespeare play as part of a new exhibition. The exhibition is counted as 1 new work presented.
• A festival program includes a new work co-produced with a Queensland company as well as two new works by companies. This is counted as 3 new works presented at the festival.
• A dance organisation presents the same piece each year. This is not counted as a new work presented.
• A company presents an existing work that has not been significantly reinterpreted, e.g. Shakespeare, Swan Lake. This is not counted as a new work presented.

Definition: individuals who attend activities and events as audience members e.g. to see an exhibition or watch a performance in a live or digital/filmed context; and individual readers and listeners of recordings, broadcasts, and publications.

Count

• Count people who attend live activities and events as audience members in each (postcode) location.
• For ticketed activities, count each ticket holder as 1 attendee (paid, unpaid, or complimentary tickets); for non-ticketed activities, count each person as 1 attendee.
• Count the broadcast/streamed audience for your work, activity, event as reported by the broadcaster/streaming service/cinema/radio. Select digital or broadcast as the location.
• If your activity/work is within a broader event e.g. festival, count only people who attend your specific activity, not the entire festival.
• For publications and recordings available to purchase, count the total number of publications and recordings sold in physical or digital format.
• For free publications and recordings, count the number of publications and recordings distributed, streamed, broadcast, or downloaded.

Do not count

• People who are in the general vicinity of your activity but do not purposely attend, e.g. people who walk past an outdoor performance but do not stop for a substantial amount of time to view or watch.
• Broadcast interviews or snippets of a work that appear on the news or other program or as advertising; count only broadcasts where the principal purpose of the broadcast is presentation of your work in full.
• Readership of documents not counted in the definition of Publication (see above), e.g. annual reports, membership/network newsletters, exhibition or theatre programs, social media/blogs, news articles about your work (printed or online).

Examples

• 100 people attend a live performance or exhibition. This is counted as 100 attendees.
• A concert is broadcast live on television. The concert is also available on the channel’s ‘catch-up service.’ The broadcaster reports a viewing audience of 400,000 and 20,000 views on its catch-up service. This is counted as a broadcast audience of 420,000.
• A radio play attracts 5,000 listeners in its first radio broadcast and a further 2,000 listeners when repeated a week later. This is counted as an audience of 7,000.
• A journal consisting of 6 issues is sent to 20,000 subscribers. A further 10,000 individual issues are sold to non-subscribers. Readership is counted as 130,000 ((6 x 20,000) + 10,000).
• A publisher sells 10,000 hard copies and 20,000 audio-book copies of the same publication. This is counted as 30,000 attendees.

Definition: individuals who actively participate in an activity, e.g. attend a class to make something, sing in a choir, engage in a training workshop; and members of your organisation.

Count

• Count each individual at each (postcode) location who actively participates in an in-person activity.
• Count online participants who actively participate in a digital or broadcast activity (select digital or broadcast as the location).
• For single activities delivered over consecutive days with the same group of people, only count each person as 1 participant.
• For different activities delivered as part of a series with the same group of people, count each person for each different activity that makes up the series.
• Count the total number of members (as defined in your organisation’s constitution).
• Count the number or people/organisations that used your resources, e.g. equipment, materials, professional services.

Do not count

• Staff and volunteers.
• Do not count subscribers to newsletters as part of your membership base.

Examples

• 10 people participate in an art class delivered over a 2-day weekend. This is counted as 10 participants.
• 15 people participate in 3 different workshops delivered as part of a series. This is counted as 45 participants; each person is counted once per workshop (15 x 3 = 45).
• 30 members of a service organisation access individual professional advice sessions. This is counted as 30 participants.
  

Definition: Number of people who have engaged in promotional material related directly to the funded activity. Promotional material may include media releases, social media. It is acknowledged that the measure is an estimate.

Count

• Count number of people likely to read a media release.
• Count the number of people who engage with a social media post.

Do not count

• Live participants and attendees
• Do not count subscribers to newsletters as part of your membership base.
  

Count

• Count each person who is employed under an agreement or award and included in your payroll regardless of role. This may include full-time, part-time, casual and short-term employees.
• Use your organisation’s definition of full time to determine the hours equivalent to a full-time post. If your organisation does not define full time in hours, use the Australian Bureau of Statistics guide of at least 35 hours per week.
• For simplicity, Arts Queensland recommends using the following methodology for counting full time employees:  
  • Calculate the number of weeks for which each person was employed, for example 1 staff member may have been employed for a full year (52 weeks), while another may have started midway through the year and been employed for 26 weeks.
  • Add these together to get the total number of weeks worked by full time employees.
  • Divide this total by 52 weeks.
  • Round the number to 2 decimal places and enter this figure as the Total number of full time equivalent (FTE) employees.

Do not count

• Overtime worked by full time staff, whether paid or unpaid.
• External business providers engaged, such as accountants or lawyers, who are not your staff.
• Individuals paid on invoice, i.e. contractors; they are counted in Total contracted people (Headcount).
• Artists and arts workers appearing in your events and activities but not directly employed or paid by you.

Example

An organisation has employed 4 full time staff members over the course of a year. Persons A and B were employed all year. Person C worked for the first 12 weeks in the year. There was a gap of 3 weeks before person D (their replacement), started work.

FTE is calculated as: 

• Number of weeks for which each person was employed: 
  • Person A and Person B = 52 weeks each 
  • Person C = 12 weeks 
  • Person D = 37 weeks person 
• Total number of weeks = 153 (52 + 52 + 12 + 37 = 153) 
• Divide by 52: 153 ÷ 52 = 2.9423 (Round to two decimal places: 2.94 )
• FTE = 2.94 full time staff

Count

• As per instructions in Total employed people (FTE) but only count people based in Queensland.
  

Count

• Count each person who is employed under an agreement or award and included in your payroll regardless of role and employment status (full-time, part-time and casual) as 1.
  

Do not count

• External business providers engaged, such as accountants or lawyers, who are not your staff.
• Individuals paid on invoice, i.e. contractors; they are counted in Total contracted people (Headcount).
• Artists, creatives, and arts workers appearing in your events and activities but not directly employed or paid by you.
  

Example

• An organisation has employed 4 full time staff members and 2 part time staff over the course of a year. Headcount = 4 full time staff.

Count

• As per instructions in Total employed people (headcount) but only count people based in Queensland.

Count

• Count all people (artists, artworkers and administration and support) directly contracted by the funded organisation.
• Count each person contracted by your organisation as 1 including.
  • Full-time person:  Count each person once regardless of when their employment began or finished.
  • Part time person:  Count each person once regardless of when their employment began or finished.
  • Short-term staff: Count person once for each different project/activity/discrete period they are engaged for.
    

Do not count

• Employees who are employed under an agreement or award.
• Artists, creatives, and arts workers appearing in your events and activities but not directly employed or paid by you. Counted in Total engaged people.
  

Example

• An organisation employs 1 full time artist and contracts 1 administration support and 3 artists for 6 months to support a new event. Headcount for contracted people would be 4.
• A visual arts market includes 30 artists in its program. The artists are paid a fee as a result of the sale of their work through the host visual arts organisation. As the buyer rather than the host is ultimately making the payment, the artists are not counted in the Paid by your organisation headcount; they are counted in the Total Artists and arts workers engaged.
  

Count

• As per instructions in Total contracted people (headcount) but only count people based in Queensland.

Count

• As per instructions in Total contracted people (headcount) but only count people contracted as artists and artworkers.

Do not count

• Administration and support staff.
• Artists, and arts workers appearing in your events and activities but not directly employed or paid by you; they are counted in Total engaged artists and arts workers.
  

Count

• As per instructions in Total contracted people where the person is:
  • Contracted in an artist or arts workers role; and
    
  • is based in Queensland; and
  • who identify with a specific group (this may include Aboriginal peoples; Torres Strait Islander peoples; Regional Queenslanders; People with disability and People from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds.)
    

Definitions for each of groups are provided in the Diversity table.

Note: If you are unsure if a person identifies with one of the listed groups or the person would prefer to not disclose, no data needs to be entered for this person. Entered data should be based on people self-identifying and should not be assumed or based on informal knowledge. Only enter known data, even if it does not capture all paid artists, creatives, and arts workers who were involved in your programs.

Count

• Count the total number of artists and arts workers appearing in your events and activities but not employed or directly contracted by you.
  

Do not count

• Employees or contractors classified as Administration and Support workers.

Examples

• A festival pays a fee to a dance company to have the latter’s work included in its festival line up. The dance work involves 11 people: a choreographer, 8 dancers, and 2 technical staff. The 11 people are paid employees of the dance company and not the festival. This is counted as 11 engaged artists by the festival.
  

Count

• As per Engaged artists and arts workers headcount but only for people based in Queensland.
  

Count

• Count each unpaid individual who supported the delivery of your funded activity including:
  • volunteer board/committee members
  • volunteer fundraisers
  • volunteers involved in tours, events, organisational, and other operational activities.
    

Do not count

• Members and friends appearing in your events and activities but not directly employed or paid by you.
  

Definition: cumulative number of entries into an event. For instance, if one person attends an event for three days, they would be counted as three total attendees but only one unique attendee.

Count

• Information should be taken from the economic report produced for the event.

Count

• Information should be taken from the economic report produced for the event.

Definition: nights spent in Queensland by visitors whose primary purpose of travel was to attend the event.

Count

• Information should be taken from the economic report produced for the event.

Definition: total visitor expenditure generated by visitors who attended the event (includes overnight and daytrip visitors).

Count

• Information should be taken from the economic report produced for the event.
  

Subsection count

• Subsections of the measure should be reported for:
  • Overnight: visitors from outside of region who stayed at least one night more than 40km away from home.
  • Daytrip: visitors who attend the event for the day.
    

Definition: additional spend introduced to the region because of the event. It is comprised of:

• spending by overnight and daytrip visitors whose primary purpose of travel was to attend the event 
• spending by accompanying persons who did not attend the event
• spending by the event organiser sourced outside of the region. 
  

Definition: likelihood of customers recommending a company, product, or service to others.

Count

• Information should be taken from the economic report produced for the event.
  

Definition: An Aboriginal person is someone who:

• is of Aboriginal descent
• identifies as an Aboriginal person
• is accepted as an Aboriginal person by the community in which they live or have lived.

Definition: A Torres Strait Islander person is someone who:

• is of Torres Strait Islander descent
• identifies as a Torres Strait Islander person
• is accepted as a Torres Strait Islander person by the community in which they live or have lived. 
  

Definition: Regional Queensland includes all of the areas outside of the Brisbane City Council local government area. 

Definition: People who identify as a person with disability or a d/Deaf and disabled person. It is noted that disability is wide-ranging and comes in many forms including from birth or acquired through illness, accident, or the ageing process. It includes physical, intellectual, psychiatric, sensory, neurological, learning disabilities, physical disfigurement, and the presence in the body of disease-causing organisms. 

Definition: People who identify as culturally and linguistically diverse. For reporting, Arts Queensland in alignment with Multicultural Affairs Queensland defines culturally and linguistically diverse as people from migrant and refugee backgrounds, people seeking asylum, and Australian South Sea Islander people.

Definition:  People over 55 years of age.

Definition: People between the ages of 12 years and 25 years.

For reporting, Arts Queensland uses the LGBTIQA+ definition in the Queensland Government’s Pride in our Communities 2024-2032.

Definition: People who identify as Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Trans, Intersex, Queer, Asexual, plus. The ‘plus (+)’ indicates that the letters of the acronym do not capture the entire spectrum of sexual orientations, gender identities, and sex characteristics, and is not intended to be limiting or to exclude certain groups. 

Definition: arts-led programs and activities that address an identified health need or issue.

Examples

• An organisation provides dance classes for recovering stroke patients.
• An organisation partners with a hospital and health services to deliver a program of arts activities focused on improved mental health.
  

Definition: arts-led programs and activities that are focused on improving or strengthening social connection in communities.

Examples

• An organisation provides arts workshops that focus on engagement and reducing loneliness.
  

Definition: Programs and activities that deliver specific components of the Early Years Learning Framework for Australia and Australian Curriculum in kindergartens and/or schools.

Example

• A theatre company presents a new work that aligns with the Early Years Learning Framework – Drama Foundation years.
  

Definition:  Include activities that were undertaken by the organisation overseas or in collaboration with an international organisation.

Example

• A visual arts organisation exhibits and attends an overseas market.
• A performing arts organisation partners with an international organisation to co-produce a work in Cairns.
  

Definition: Arts and cultural activities and programs developed and delivered that focus on attracting visitors to the local area.

Example

• A visual arts organisation organises a pop-up exhibition in the local community that is promoted outside the area.
  

Definition: Sustainable practices adopted by your organisation and arts-led activities that engage with the natural environment and/or include an environmental focus or themes.

Examples

• A community theatre project creates a work about water management issues that facilitates new dialogue between local farmers, council, and environmental groups.
• A museum tours a collection with a focus on sustainability and the climate.
• Artists are commissioned to create visual artworks using natural materials to integrate with the natural environment.
• A live music venue introduces biodegradable plates for food service to reduce landfill waste.
• An artist is employed to integrate arts into eco-tourism initiatives.