The American Alliance of Museums (AAM), has revealed the preliminary schedule for its 2024 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo (AAM 2024), which is taking place from 16 to 19 May in Baltimore, US.
The preliminary programme includes session and event titles, as well as information on presenters and tracks. It is available to view here. The full event schedule will be released in the weeks to come.
Registrations are now open for the event, and Early Bird rates are available until 2 February.
Health & wellbeing
The theme for the 2024 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo is Thriving museums, healthy communities.
Museums play an important role in supporting health and wellness, and these outcomes are an ongoing priority for the sector. AAM 2024 will explore the societal, organisational, community, and individual wellbeing initiatives and results that can support flourishing museums and healthy communities.
AAM says: “Museums play an essential role in promoting health and wellbeing. For the millions of people who visit museums annually, whether to learn or seek solace and inspiration, our institutions uniquely facilitate social connections, physical and emotional health, and empathy. Research and the medical field are reaffirming that our field’s belief in the healing power of our work is more than wishful thinking.”
Delegates can expect a wide range of networking opportunities, over 350 exhibitors in the MuseumExpo, hands-on workshops, and four session tracks.
Each track is focused on improving the health, wellbeing, and quality of life of staff, visitors, community members, and society. They include:
- Personal. This track will explore the importance of mental and emotional health and wellbeing for the myriad of people who engage with museums every day. It will investigate subjects such as intellectual curiosity and discovery; mental, emotional, and physical health and wellbeing; personal growth and development; work-life balance; and social connectivity, support, and belonging.
- Organisational. Supporting employee wellbeing can enhance personal and community wellbeing, as well as increase operational viability and financial sustainability. This track will explore key topics such as accessibility in museums, employee agency and recognition strategies, employee financial health, effective governance, health and wellness programmes, organisational culture, and effective physical and remote work environments.
- Community. This track’s session topics will explore the importance of individual engagement in developing strong communities, for example, cultural and recreational opportunities, economic opportunities, education and lifelong learning, environmental sustainability, and promoting social equity, accessibility, and inclusion.
- Society. Delegates on this track will take a close look at the significant impact that museums can have on society’s health and wellbeing. Sessions will include topics such as cultural expression and heritage in forming identity, cultivating global citizenship, how museums may help develop public confidence, and advocating for social justice and equity.
Leading museum event
The first AAM Annual Meeting took place in 1906 in New York with under 200 attendees. The event has now grown to more than 5,000 delegates and is the largest museum conference in the US. Institutions of all types and sizes, from art and history museums to zoos and botanical gardens, come together to share ideas and build transformative relationships.
The 2023 event featured over 300 speakers and an extensive range of travelling exhibitions which were showcased at MuseumExpo.
The American Alliance of Museums (AAM) recently hosted the Future of Museums Summit, a two-day virtual event which looked at the future of the museum sector. Delegates explored topics including how to build the workforce that they need while also creating more equitable labour practices, and how to build bridges and encourage tolerance to strengthen democracy, emerging technologies such as generative AI, and repatriation, restitution, and reparations.
