Culture Sector and Museum Conferences [2022 Updated]

In preparation for the first wave of 2022 conferences, we have created a list of events across the global that focus on innovation and development in the culture sector. Whether you’re an archivist, a curator or even a student, there’s something on this list for everyone. And if you’re on the fence about your 2022 conference line up, many of these events are accessible within the safe confines of home. Check out the information below for details about virtual registration and ticket prices.

With the ongoing covid crisis it seems as though event details are changing daily. If you have an update or conference to add to this list, please reach out to Rielle.ullberg@axiell.com. Prices listed are in USD unless otherwise specified.

 

The Art Museum in the Digital Age 2022 – January 17-22

The Belvedere Research Center is hosting a conference geared towards art museums to explore digital transformation as a result of our inability to serve the public physically. International experts will deliver lectures at the conference around topics such as hybridity and the merging of digital and analog entities within the museum.

💻 Fully virtual

💳 Registration is open!

 

Museum Connections Conference – January 19-20

With a mission statement to inspire tomorrow’s culture and tourism experience, Museum Connections is an international trade fair that focuses on the challenges museums and cultural institutions face, and the trends and innovations emerging in the sector to overcome them.

✈️ Paris Expo Porte de Versailles, Paris

💻 Virtual attendance is also accommodated.

💳 Registration is open and free for MuseumConnections members

 

Heritage Collection Management 2022, DAM and Museums 2022 – February 2-3

Join this relatively new event in its second year of operation to learn how the Digital Asset Management system is becoming the bridge between technology and art collections. Keynotes will be delivered from leading experts addressing topics including digital collections management, technology integrations, metadata, governance, workflows and the role of AI and ML in the culture sector.

💻 Fully virtual

💳 Registration is open!

  • Free for all GLAM and Non-Profit Professionals
  • End Users who do not work in the GLAM sector or at a Non-Profit Organization: $49
  • Solution Providers/Consultants: $400

 

Rethinking the Museum: 15th International Conference on the Inclusive Museum – April 22-24

BML, the Climate Emergency, and the Pandemic have presented the culture sector with an opportunity to rethink the role of museums within our global realities. A series of surveys and webinars by ICOM and UNESCO, as well as the International Research Network on the Inclusive Museum, are laying out pathways to move forward. This research will be presented at the event to inspire us and provide options to make strikes forward.

✈️ Philadelphia, PA, USA

💻 Virtual attendance is also accommodated.

💳 Registration is open!

 

Association of Art Museum Curators (AAMC) Conference – April 30-May 3

The AAMC conference offers a selection of panels, keynotes, workshops and breakout opportunities for socializing with other conference-goers. Targeted to the visual arts community, the conference will explore and create dialogues around the concept of sustainability and revitalization.

✈️ New York City

💻 Virtual attendance is also accommodated.

💳 Registration opens January 2022

 

Museums + Heritage Show – May 11-12

One of the UK’s largest cultural sector conferences, the Museums + Heritage blends networking, premium content, and community support together into an inspiration multi-day event.

💻 Went fully virtual in 2020

💳 Registration is not yet open.

 

American Institute for Conservation (AIC) Annual Meeting – Pre-sessions and workshops May 13-14, Main Conference May 15-17, Post Conference Events May 18-19

For AIC’s 50th anniversary, this annual meeting will focus on tools and tactics for conservation and collection care with an emphasis on introspection to uncover what lessons from the past can shape our future, and thinking forward to set goals for the next 50 years.

✈️ Los Angeles, CA, USA

💳 Registration is open!

  • Full conference
    • Member $349 until February 28, then $389
    • Non-Member $449
    • Speaker $279 until February 28, then $349
    • Student and Post-graduate Members $225 until February 28, then $285
  • Single day
    • Member $280
    • Non-Member $395

 

Association of Children’s Museums (ACM) Conference – May 16-18

ACM’s 2022 conference is aptly titled InterActivity 2022: PLAY The Long Game. The conference will be comprised of program content that explores how to adapt to new and changing museum dynamics, skills-based training workshops, and networking and social events.

✈️ St. Louis, MO, USA

💳 Registration is open!

  • Full conference
    • Members $560 until January 25, then $610
    • Students $250 until January 25, then $275
  • Single day
    • Members $300 until January 25, then $350
    • Students $125 until January 25, then $150

 

American Alliance of Museums (AAM) Annual Meeting and Museum Expo – May 19-22

AAM’s Annual Meeting and MuseumExpo is a large-scale event that brings culture sector professionals together for a program of presentations and workshops generated in collaboration with institutions and individuals from the sector. This year’s program will focus on rejuvenation and inspiration to keep culture sector professionals invigorated in their work and progress towards the future of the museum field.

✈️ Boston, MA, USA

💳 Registration is not yet open

 

Society for the Preservation of Natural History Collections (SPNHC) Annual Meeting – June 5-10

This year’s SPNHC annual meeting for the natural history community is presented in partnership with the Biodiversity Heritage Library (BHL) and Natural Sciences Collections Association (NatSCA). The annual meeting includes workshops, symposia, and ample opportunity to exchange ideas and network with colleagues in the field of natural history collections care.

✈️ Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

💻 Virtual attendance is also accommodated.

💳 Registration is open!

 

Australian Museums and Galleries Association (AMaGA) National Conference – June 14-17

This forward-thinking conference will explore how to move conversations into action. AMaGA 2022 will also consider global issues and their impact on Arts in Australia. The program offers conference tracks, plenary sessions, lightning talks, and awards.

✈️ Boorloo Perth, Western Australia

💻 Virtual attendance is also accommodated.

💳 Registration is open!

  • Full conference
    • Member $500 until January 14, then $600
    • Non-Member $600 until January 14, then $700
    • Student/Concession $420 until January 14, then $520
  • Single day
    • Member $350
    • Non-Member $525
    • Student/Concession $450
  • Virtual
    • Member $350
    • Non-Member $450

Prices are in AUD

 

Axiell European User Conference – June 15-16

Axiell hosts an annual global user conference with content curated specifically for our users and other professionals in the culture sector. Industry leaders attend our event to:

  • Network and share best practice with hundreds of library, museum, and archive professionals.
  • Engage and learn from experts in collections management, conservation, curation, natural history, film archival, digital engagement and more!
  • Exchange product-specific, technical and practical tips with other users of the same products.
  • Get the latest updates on Axiell’s roadmaps, customer support and future plans.
  • Influence Axiell’s future plans by providing input and feedback for our forward development.

✈️ Manchester, UK

💳 Registration is not yet open but registration will be free for all customers. Sign up to our newsletter for updates!

 

Association of Independent Museums (AIM) Conference 2021 – June 16-17

The Association of Independent Museums hosts an annual event for members in the UK. The 2022 theme is “Making it Happen.” Museum colleagues will meet to explore how to recover from the challenges of the pandemic, including building resiliency, sustainability and decolonisation.

✈️ Liverpool, UK

💳 Registration opens January 2022

 

SITEM Conference – June 28-30

SITEM is an international exhibition of museums, places of culture, and tourism. This year’s conference will focus on three trends in the culture sector: cultural economy, internationalization, and cultural variety.

✈️ Carrousel du Louvre, Paris

💳 Registration opens in April 2022.

  • Cultural, heritage, tourist and community institutions and sites: free
  • Cultural professionals: free
  • Commercial companies: € 75
  • Students: € 10

 

Society of American Archivists (SAA) Annual Meeting – August 20-27

The SAA Annual Meeting is typically held in late summer in cities across America. Affordability and access are top concerns for the conference as well as social responsibility and diversity. SAA is currently exploring options for a hybrid conference.

✈️ Boston, MA, USA

💻 Potential hybrid event, TBA

💳 Registration is not yet open.

 

Archives and Records Association (ARA) UK and Ireland Conference – August 29-September 2

The Archives and Records Association UK & Ireland Conference 2022 bring influential museum players together to discuss the latest developments within the community. The conference is a must-attend for record-keeping professionals and boasts an exciting line up of industry leading speakers.

✈️ Chester, UK

💳 Registration opens Spring 2022

 

International Council on Archives – September 19-23

The International Council on Archives hosts an event organized in partnership with local archives to identify their fundamental and dynamic role in society. The 2022 conference will thematically explore “bridging the gap” between a myriad of binaries: global and local, public and private, majority and minority, for example.

✈️ Rome, Italy

💳 Registration is not yet open.

 

Digitizing Hidden Collections Symposium 2022 (CLIR) – October 12-13

The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation has awarded approximately $4 million annually to culture sector institutions to support the digitization of rare and unique objects. CLIR is holding a two-day event for grant recipients to demonstrate their funded work, and discuss what comes next.

✈️ Baltimore, MD, USA

💳 Registration is not yet open.

  • General attendance: $150
  • Speakers: $125

Museums Association – November 3-5

As a member organisation for UK museums, Museum Association hosts an annual conference and exhibition each Autumn. Following a hybrid in-person/virtual event in 2021, the Museums Association Conference makes its way to Edinburgh for this year.

✈️ Edinburgh, Scotland, UK

💳 Registration is not yet open.

 

International Conference on Digital Heritage – December 9-10

This Conference aims to centralize scholarly presentations regarding the most recent innovations, trends, concerns, and practical challengers of the culture sector within a single program. This conference’s specific topic focus is all aspects of digital heritage.

✈️ New York, NY, USA

💳 Registration is open!

  • Non-Student Oral/Poster Presenter Registration: € 450
  • Student Oral/Poster Presenter Registration: € 350
  • Listener Registration: € 250
  • Additional Paper Publication: € 100

 

International Conference on Art Museums, Galleries and Archives – December 27-28

This Conference aims to centralize scholarly presentations regarding the most recent innovations, trends, concerns, and practical challengers of the culture sector within a single program. This conference’s specific topic focus is all aspects of art museum, gallery and archive governance.

✈️ Vienna, Austria

💳 Registration is open!

  • Non-Student Oral/Poster Presenter Registration: € 450
  • Student Oral/Poster Presenter Registration: € 350
  • Listener Registration: € 250
  • Additional Paper Publication: € 100

 

To be announced:

 

Canadian Museums Association (CMA) National Conference – Spring

CMA’s annual conference offers a program centered around professional development and networking.

In 2021, CMA addressed the theme of Moving Forward, inspired by a need to enhance solidarity, connectedness, and social responsibility in the museum sector. Conference sessions addressed truth and reconciliation, diversity, equity, access and inclusion, environmental sustainability, and ethics.

💻 Fully Virtual in 2021

💳 Registration is not yet open

 

MuseWeb (MW) Conference – Spring

MuseWeb’s conferences promise to explore developments in museum innovation and technology. Last year’s conference offered professional learning opportunities including plenary sessions, networking events, workshops, and awards.

💻 Fully Virtual in 2021

💳 Registration is not yet open

 

Museum Computer Network (MCN) Conference – Fall

MCN has been held every year since 1968. The event brings hundreds of culture sector professionals together. MCN held a fully virtual event in 2021 but details have not yet been released regarding the 2022 conference.

💻 Went fully virtual in 2021

💳 Registration is not yet open.

 

Collections Trust – Late 2022

Author of the Spectrum collections management standard, Collections Trust hosts an annual conference in the UK. We’re still waiting for news on their plans for 2022.

💻 Went fully virtual in 2021

💳 Registration is not yet open.

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