2019 Conference

 

What’s In It for Me?
101st Annual NEMA Conference
Burlington, Vermont
November 6 – 8, 2019
Session proposals are due February 28, 2019.

NEMA invites you to submit a proposal for a lively, thoughtful and interactive session. We welcome new voices from a variety of institutions, as well as from people outside the field. Presenters from all stages of their careers and from all disciplines are encouraged to submit a proposal–all you need is a good idea!

Share your knowledge of best practices or innovative approaches, strategies for building a successful organization, or how to achieve professional or personal growth. Proposals will be reviewed by the Conference Program Committee, which may have suggestions on how to strengthen your session. NEMA does not require that speakers be confirmed at the time of submission, but you are encouraged to identify speakers as early as possible. The more complete your proposal, the more appealing it is to the program committee.

Our most recent conference survey indicated that attendees desire to know the session’s format as well as its topic when choosing how to spend their time. Please communicate as much information as you can so that attendees can make an informed choice of sessions.

The Schedule
The Program Committee will meet in March, and you will be notified whether or not your proposal was accepted by mid-April. Short descriptions of accepted sessions and final speaker’s names and contact information are due in early summer. Please help us meet our deadlines so we can best share your session and others in our conference preview book and conference app in a timely fashion.

Session Formats
Sessions are a variety of lengths: 20, 30, 60 and 90 minutes long. A very few slots are available for double-length 180 minute sessions, generally best filled by hands-on, technique driven workshops. Conference sessions may be structured in anyone of the following ways, or by another means of delivery that is well thought out and described:

  • Storytelling Session: This bite-sized presentation is best for case studies and 'how we did it' stories in the style of a TED-Talk.  Your 20 minute session will be grouped with others that have a thematic similarity to provide a set of interesting and diverse perspectives within the run of a single conference session, with time for small breakout Q&A's at the end.
  • Demonstration Station: 30-minute demonstration or presentation of a technique, project, or case study. Located in the exhibit hall, these fast-paced demonstrations are a low-tech, high-energy option.
  • Debate: Find lively, knowledgeable speakers to present opposing views, plus a firm but open moderator.
  • Guest speaker: Find a true expert everyone wants to hear.
  • Showcase: Recruit 6-10 participants who will bring materials and create a browsing area on a thematic topic. Sometimes called poster sessions, these benefit from great visuals or interactive elements.
  • Panel Presentation: Panels will be limited to no more than 3 speakers plus a chair to ensure adequate time for presentations.
  • Think Tank or Roundtable Discussion: Recruit a thoughtful, well-informed person for each table to facilitate discussion on a large-scale topic or interconnected topics.
  • Creative or Introductory Workshop: Features at least one interactive segment or new skill building activity in a 90-minute slot.
  • In-Depth Workshop: NEMA can accommodate hands-on instruction in a three-hour “double-session” time slot.

Off-site Sessions
In addition to the sessions held at the conference hotel, NEMA will work with area museums to create unique off-site sessions and evening events for conference attendees. If your institution is in the Burlington area and you are interested in hosting a day-long or half-day off-site session or an evening reception or dinner, please contact the NEMA office. Download the Off-site Session Proposal here and the Evening Event Proposal here.

Speaker Policies
Presenters from within the museum community, including vendors and consultants who work with museums, are expected to register for the conference if they are attending conference beyond their session.

Presenters from other fields are welcome guests for the day of their session, but are asked to pay for any meals or events they wish to attend.

NEMA does not pay expenses or offer honoraria to presenters from within the museum community. If you have presenters from outside the field who ask for reimbursement of any expenses, you must get approval from NEMA.

 


Submit your session proposals by February 28, 2019.

Email confirmation will be sent after the deadline.

Questions? Phone 781-641-0013 or email meg.winikates@nemanet.org.