I am gearing up for a season of conferences. Will I see you there?
My book talks continue apace (for both Seltzertopia and my upcoming Matching Minds with Sondheim), but I hit a dry spell in regards to having my museum conference proposals accepted. Then, as they say, when it rains it pours! Check out below and let me know if I will be coming to a neighborhood near you.
October 9 – Philadelphia, PA
I look forward to attending, for the first time, the Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums. The topic: Leveling Up: Designing a Community Generated Video Game Exhibition. The hat I will wear: project lead on last winter’s video game pop-up.
Exhibitions have the ability to support visitors as they explore their interests, expose them to new perspectives, and challenge their ideas and preconceptions. By engaging the community in the development process you make something that can have a lasting impact on how they see themselves, their community, and their future. Our exhibition—Video Games: The Great Connector—was developed by the Harlem Gallery of Science. It addresses inequality and under-representation of the Black and Latinx community in the gaming industry by highlighting the ways games help young people build community, explore aspects of their identity, develop and refine skills, learn concepts, and identify future career opportunities. In this session, we will explore how designing an exhibition with direct community engagement can lead to deeper and richer experiences for visitors and advance equality within an industry
October 23 – Lawrence, Kansas
My first MCN was in 2015. It has remained one of my favorite museum-related conferences and I go whenever I can. This year (my 10th?) I was thrilled to join the following panel: Clicking Refresh: Website Redesign as Institutional Reintroduction. The hat I will wear: co-founder of the Brooklyn Seltzer Museum.
Organized by Kevin McDonald, Digital Content Coordinator at the Glenstone Museum, our panel will feature a wide range of museums tackling the topic.
A website redesign is never just a fresh coat of paint: a new digital home on the web provides opportunities for institutions to reintroduce themselves from the ground up. This session encompasses a series of lightning talks that explore website redesign projects across a range of American institutions and content areas. Including projects at all stages of development, the panel explores each institution’s goals for shifting their brand, expanding their audience, or solving existing problems for their users… When the web site for the Brooklyn Seltzer Museum launched in 2023, its goals were simple: capture emails and sell tickets. Since then, it has accumulated content: press coverage, a virtual museum, a special events calendar, and more. As the Museum approaches the start of its second year, the web site needs to offer a more seamless way for visitors to explore the Museum and a more developed “voice” that expresses its character.
October 29 – Online
I missed last year’s first virtual Future of Museums Summit, but I am NOT going to miss this year’s. (I think) I am presenting Shall We Play a Game? AI’s Role in the Future of Museums. The hat I will wear: general all-around AI educator and museum designer.
I will offer an interactive and thought-provoking session that explores the dynamic intersection of artificial intelligence and museum education. We will delve into the potential and challenges of integrating AI technologies into the museum experience.
November 26 – 27 – Online
I have presented in the past at MuseumNext on topics like failing forward and games in museums. This time around I will be presenting with my colleagues at the Natural History Museum of Utah at the Museum Marketing Summit for our session: Beyond the Likes: The Realities of Influencer Campaigns. The hat I will wear is general purpose digital experience design consultant.
We plan to share our experience using social media influencers to engage middle school science teachers with our free, web-based Research Quest curriculum. Learn how we bridged influencer data with user analytics to gain a complete picture of campaign effectiveness, uncover surprising insights, and navigate unexpected challenges. This session offers practical strategies, data-driven decision-making, and real-world examples to help you achieve meaningful results in influencer marketing, especially in the education, museum, and nonprofit sectors. Discover how to go beyond the likes and drive true engagement.
Finally, below are two videos from presentations I gave earlier this year at the Expert Educator Exchange:
June 19: Gaining Visibility as a Thought Leader Through the Written Word.
How do you gain visibility as a thought leader through the written word? Do you write a blog, author books, pen articles, post frequently on LinkedIn, etc? Come connect with your peers and share best practices.
June 20: The ESSENTIAL Kick-off Meeting Agenda.
What are the key items you MUST cover in that kick-off meeting with a new client? What are the essential tools to for creative collaboration and communication? Come learn from a seasoned professional.
