Post-Conference Update

Earlier this week, I attended the Association of Midwest Museums/Visitor Studies Association conference in Chicago. It's rare for two museum conferences to be in the same city so it was an amazing experience, with many opportunities. Some of the best minds in the museum field were in attendance, including John Falk and Beverly Serrell, though neither presented.

To save a little money, I volunteered with AMM by assisting with tote bag stuffing (classic conference swag) and check-ins. Volunteering also provided great networking opportunities. Not only did I meet fellow museum studies grads, but I also was able to talk to other volunteers informally about their work and institutions. These short conversations were highly informative and gave me a better perspective on the overall situation in museums. Most are still short-staffed and underfunded, which does not bode well for those of us looking for jobs.

The sessions were also excellent. It's great to hear fellow museum professionals' perspectives, even if you disagree or don't have the resources to implement their ideas yet. The sessions were actually reminiscent of my museum studies courses, though with a more practical slant. Every session I attended was relevant to my interests or provided a new idea or way of thinking about things. It was very easy to find sessions that were useful to me because the AMM provided different "tracks" in their program for attendees to pick and choose sessions - tracks like education, volunteers, exhibits, etc.

As this was my first museum conference, I learned quite a bit about how to effectively use my time and make new connections. I'm not sure I did as much as I could this time around (unfortunately, I had a family emergency), but next time I will certainly have a plan. Here are some tips and tricks to museum conferences:

1. Bring business cards - Everyone trades cards at conferences so be sure to have one. If you don't have any yet, you can easily order some or make them yourself.
2. Have a resume on hand - You may or may not use it, but it's good to have at least one. You might meet someone in a session that is hiring for something you want to do!
3. Go to sessions that interest you - Even if you're there for your institution, be sure to go to at least one session that applies directly to you. You'll enjoy the conference that much more and you might run into someone who has a job opening in that area.

I hope this information is helpful to anyone going to a conference in the future. My next post will be on some ideas I'm throwing around for writing a paper or presenting at a conference.