Bring Your Best Ideas to OMA 2013!

It’s hard to believe, but the 2013 OMA Annual Conference is right around the corner! This year’s meeting will be held April 21-22 in Sandusky at the Sawmill Creek Resort.

OMA 2013 is about IDEATION: the process of collectively generating and sharing GREAT ideas – the kinds of ideas that can change how you think, grow, communicate, work, and succeed. For OMA 2013 we need your ideas – great ideas – in museum curation, education, fundraising, exhibition design, business practices, and marketing to make Ohio museums better, stronger, and more relevant to our communities than ever before.

Bring your very best ideas to OMA 2013!

This year’s theme is The VERY BEST Ideas Out There, and we need your help! OMA is currently accepting session proposals for innovative and engaging sessions that will create an interactive experience for our conference attendees.

Click here to download a Session Proposal form!

What makes a great OMA session? Our attendees love programs with  high take-away values—something that equips them with knowledge and skills they will be able to immediately put into practice. Sessions that engage the attendees in open discussion, and provide an opportunity for museum professionals to discover how others solve problems, develop programs, produce exhibits and deliver what the public wants while staying true to a mission are always big hits. Because OMA is a state-wide conference, the audience comes from a wide variety of institutions that vary in size and discipline, so sessions that can engage this unique group are highly sought after.

We invite proposals that examine different points of view, involve innovative thinking, and take new approaches to problems. Sessions on a variety of topics would be welcome; however, for 2013 we would encourage proposals that focus on:

• Removing obstacles – how to get groups in the door
• Appealing to niche and non-traditional audiences
• Working with “free” employees (volunteers, interns, etc.)
• “Top 10” best/forward-thinking/creative ideas in your department
• Using technology in museums for the digital age
• Un-success stories – Lessons learned
• The very Best practices at your institution
• Topics for emerging museum professionals

 A variety of formats are encouraged from hands-on sessions, round table discussions, and workshops (to name a few).

Session proposals are being accepted until December 14, 2012. For complete Session Proposal information and up-to-date conference details, visit the OMA 2013 Conference Page.  Please feel free to contact the OMA office at 614.297.2375 or oma@ohiohistory.org with any questions.

OMA 2013: Share, show off, sample, and yes – steal! – the cutting-edge practices that are making Ohio museums great. We look forward to seeing you in Sandusky!