Applications will be accepted until 11:59pm on November 16, 2022. 
​Complete session proposal guidelines and instructions are available above.

Submit proposals via online form or fillable PDF.
A copy of your proposal will be sent following online submission.
​Fillable PDF forms need to be emailed to: gibson@mnhistoryalliance.org
CONFERENCE DETAILS
The 2023 Annual Meeting & Conference will take place at the Austin Conference Center in Austin, MN. Conference sessions, as submitted through this process, will be held on Wednesday, April 26 and Thursday, April 27. All conference presenters will receive early bird discount rate regardless of registration date. 

CALL FOR SESSION PROPOSALS
Session proposals are accepted until 11:59 pm on November 16, 2022. Proposals must come from those wishing to present on the subject matter and all panelist participation should be confirmed at the time of submission. 

CONFERENCE AUDIENCE
This event is designed for but not limited to history museum volunteers, paid staff, board members, and history students.  Topics in the conference schedule are expected to address a broad range of work typically found in small to mid-sized local history organizations (navigating a global pandemic, operating a museum, archives, historic site or house, etc.) as well as individuals who perform various roles within an organization.

SESSION FORMATS
  • Activity/Demonstration: These workshops will help attendees deepen their practice through a hands-on activity or demonstration. Workshops will focus on the “how-to” and provide attendees with tangible tools and outcomes to take with them.These sessions generally include a slide presentation with handouts and resources.
  • Lighting Talks: A TED-style talk that presents an idea in a very concise manner. These types of presentations are for a total of 10 minutes with no Q&A period.
  • Panel: A group of three or more people will present case study information around a common topic. A facilitator usually leads the panel. These sessions generally include a slide presentation with handouts and resources.
  • Roundtables: ​These one-hour facilitated roundtable discussions allow attendees to connect with colleagues. They will share challenges, successes, and new ideas while getting inspired to learn more. Facilitators will be knowledgeable in a topic area and prepared to lead and guide roundtable conversations that inspire thoughtful discussions. A facilitator may also ask participants to brainstorm in workgroups, collaborate on a project, or simply share stories.
  • Traditional Presentation: These one-hour sessions include professional development, learning, and conversations. Attendees should leave inspired and challenged to amplify the impact they have on their communities. These sessions generally include a slide presentation with optional handouts and resources.

SESSION IDEAS
Following the 2022 conference, attendees were asked to share some of their most pressing training needs. Here are session ideas as you begin brainstorming.

Collections & Exhibits
  • Preservation and disaster/salvage training
  • How do we build new exhibits that are truthful without shaming or harming further?
  • Native American, DEIA-based interpretation training
  • Identifying photographic types - from tintypes, ambrotypes, to current prints, storage and preservation needs
  • Museum signage and interpretation
  • Conservation
  • Building Exhibits on a Smaller Budget
  • Adding Technology to Exhibits and Programs
  • Storage solutions
  • How to prepare for and conduct an inventory
  • Incorporating interactives, including electronics and digital options, into exhibits
  • Disaster preparedness and response
  • How to document workflows, especially in collections.
  • Archives training
  • Deaccessioning training

Education & Outreach
  • How to be relevant within the community
  • Outreach/community development
  • How do we address divisions in our community through our work?
  • Continual audience growth
  • Volunteer retention
  • How to engage new members and volunteers
  • Incorporating new programming into your operating model
  • Community Involvement
  • Educational programming for students
  • Developing content for use in a higher education setting
  • Practical ideas for programming/events basics for new staff members
  • Accessibility (ADA)

Organizational Leadership & Development
  • Board diversity and development/Board training/Nonprofit board basics
  • How to work with a difficult board
  • Fundraising
  • Saying no when necessary
  • Managing local politics
  • Time management
  • Staff retention
  • Succession planning
  • Getting out of a static mindset to see possibilities
  • Learning how and what to write grants for
  • Preventing burnout. Scaling the work to available staff, volunteers and budget.
  • Creative ways to augment local staff - using MDL…
  • Developing a 5-year strategic plan
  • Management with all-volunteer, no paid staff
  • Governance
  • Grant writing and budget supplementation.

Social Media & Marketing
  • Making marketing work with small teams and budget
  • Crafting and communicating an effective DEAI policy
  • Basics, we are just in the beginning stages of our organization
  • Tutorial on creating social media posts
  • Buildable communication timeline

Historic Preservation & Building Maintenance
  • Long term preservation and sustainability of historic structures
  • Hands on demonstration of scalable cleaning/care methods
  • Creative landscaping ideas on a budget
  • How to host a cemetery restoration event