Which Museum Conferences to attend in 2021?

It’s difficult to keep track of all of the great museum conferences taking place around the world, especially when virtual events make even more great talks available. Sometimes you may find out too late that an event is taking place, and it’s a real shame when it’s something you might have attended. We’ve compiled this list of Museum Conferences taking place throughout 2021. This list will be updated throughout the year.

If you have a museum conference that you’d like adding to this page, please email jim@museumnext.com

January

Verbier Art Summit – Verbier

The virtual Verbier Art Summit will take place concurrently with an in-person Summit in Verbier, Switzerland and a two-day free, digital programme, welcoming all those with a love for art, innovation and ecology to participate.

February

MuseumNext Digital Summit – Online

The MuseumNext Digital Summit is Europe’s major conference on the digital side of museums. The event usually takes place annually in Amsterdam, but in February 2021 it will be taking place online. The conference features 60+ speakers over five days, all for just £120.

March

SITEM – Paris

SITEM is based on the analysis and understanding of the global museum: it’s structure, it’s functioning, it’s particularities, it’s evolutions.

Illustrated by its exhibitors, SITEM presented and analyzed all the major technological phases of museums. Today, digital is everywhere, marketing in common use, ticketing essential. A growing part of their activity is joining the business economy. The creation and development of own resources is gaining importance. New objectives and actors appear. Cross-cutting is essential.

April

MuseWeb Conference – Washington DC

The MuseWeb Conference features advanced research and exemplary applications of digital practice for cultural, natural and scientific heritage. Formed by leading professionals from around the world, our community has been meeting since 1997, and recognizing the best in cultural heritage innovation through the GLAMi awards annually.

This year the conference will take place April 5-9 in Washington DC.

May

Museum Connections – Paris

Museum Connections in an international trade fair which brings together museum professionals in Paris every year. Museum Connections highlights trends and innovations to imagine the new visitors’ experiences with a series of lectures. This year the event will take place May 11 – 19 in Paris.

AAM’s Annual Meeting – Chicago

AAM’s Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo brings together museums of all types and sizes—from art and history museums to zoos and botanic gardens—to share ideas and make connections that are transformative. This year AAM will run a hybrid model with a live event taking place in Chicago May 9-12 and a virtual museum conference May 24 and June 7-9. 

June

AMaGA National Conference – Canberra

The AMaGA2021 National Conference will share new perspectives on the museum and gallery sector’s role in creating the future. It will be an ambitious, imaginative and outward-looking program that questions assumptions. It will address our sector’s impact on communities, ecologies and economies. It will take place in Canberra, Australia 7 – 10 June 2021.

October

Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums Annual Meeting – Delaware

The Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums Annual Meeting is an annual conference dedicated to fostering excellence in museums by providing our region’s museum professionals with high-quality professional development, networking opportunities, and special events. The 2021 conference  will take place on October 14-16 in Wilmington, Delaware.

MUŻE.X – Malta

MUŻE.X is a new conference debating museum futures developed jointly by Prof. Carmel Borg and Dr Sandro Debono at the Department of Arts, Open Communities and Adult Education (University of Malta). The conference seeks to inform the Department’s vision for and its active advocacy towards democratising the museum space and develop new museum models that are inclusive and polyphonic.

The event will take place in Malta 18 – 20 October 2021.

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If you have a museum conference that you’d like adding to this page, please email jim@museumnext.com