About Our Program
The Association of Midwest Museums welcomes members and colleagues to join us in Columbus, OH, for an interdisciplinary conference developed for professionals at any stage of their career.
We’ll kick off the event with a virtual day on Wednesday, July 24, hosted in collaboration with the Ohio Museums Association. Then, we’ll gather in-person at the Hilton Columbus at Easton from July 31-August 3 for sessions, networking, and museum exploration.
About the Theme – “The Way Forward”
As the title suggests, the AMM 2024 Conference will investigate the ways in which Midwest museums are preparing for the future – seeking relevance, viability, and sustainability. For each organization, The Way Forward varies. Whether they are rebuilding or growing operations, forging new or fostering existing community partnerships, or crafting new strategic or master plans, museum leadership and staff are preparing to take on what is yet to come.
Let’s come together in Columbus to exchange knowledge and ideas and work on building the skills that are essential for sustaining museums, expanding reach and impact, leading and supporting internal change, and navigating an ever-evolving landscape. What does that mean? Refocusing our attention on relationship-building.
Every goal we set hinges on the relationships we build with people – staff, volunteers, leadership, community members, and other internal or external stakeholders. Whether you work in a visitor facing role like the call center or admissions, coordinate cross-departmental exhibit teams, lead fundraising efforts, manage your museum’s social media channels, or develop public programs, your capacity to build and sustain relationships is key to your success.
The relationships we nurture today and how we work together will pave The Way Forward.
We invite proposals for sessions, workshops, posters, and conversation stations that focus on approaches to relationship-building in new projects, programs, and initiatives. Proposals that touch on the theme, such as the following topics, are ideal but not required. All ideas welcomed!
- Access and inclusion
- Advocacy (personal and organizational)
- Collaboration and teamwork
- Communication, conflict resolution, and psychological safety
- Community outreach and engagement
- Emotional intelligence and cultural competence
- Evaluation, feedback, and reflection
- Partnerships and business development
- Risk assessment and risk-taking
Call for Session Proposals
The 2024 Call for Proposals is now closed. Thank you to all who submitted proposals!
Program and Session Information
Our team is actively developing the conference program plans. We look forward to sharing our plans with you in early 2024. If you are a Columbus-area museum or cultural organization and wish to participate in planning or as a host, please contact us today.