The Western Museums Association's (WMA) Annual Meeting is as a premier venue for those who work in the museum industry to exchange ideas and best practices, network with colleagues, and learn from each other by attending valuable sessions. Attendees from across the Western US and beyond, come together over the course of four days and leave feeling inspired and energized about their profession and the future of the field.
Please review the FAQs below for more information.
Dates & Location • Rates & Registration
Scholarships & Volunteers • Programming
Saturday Networking Events • Exhibitors, Sponsors, & Advertisers
Online registration for WMA 2024 is NOW OPEN!
WMA members receive a discounte rate!
Click HERE to become a WMA Member
DATES & LOCATION
What are the dates and location of WMA's 2024 Annual Meeting?
What is the headquarters hotel & location for WMA's 2024 Annual Meeting?
The Annual Meeting sessions and activities will take place at the Loew's Ventana Canyon Resort with PreConference Tours and Evening Events hosted at Tucson area cultural institutions. WMA Annual Meetings are all about connecting with colleagues, sharing ideas, and having fun. We help facilitate these by contracting with a hotel for a discounted room block and centralizing meeting spaces - both of which require minimum financial thresholds to be met.
Staying in the headquarters hotel makes connecting with colleagues easier and helps us keep the Annual Meeting affordable to attendees. Online reservations will open in June and will be available through August 16, at a discounted rate of $199/night. Please visit our Hotel Reservations page to book your roomand for directions on how to get there.
RATES & REGISTRATION
When will registration open?
Online registration for WMA's 2024 Annual Meeting is NOW OPEN! Please visit our Registration Information page to learn more and register.
Is there Early Bird Registration? When does it end?
Yes, every year WMA offers a limited-release special discounted rate for WMA, MAA, and MTA Members. The 2024 Early Bird Member registration rate goes through Friday, July 26, 2024.
What are registration options & rates for WMA 2024?
- Member Early Bird Rate ..... $395
- Member Regular Rate ..... $445
- Non-Member Rate (Includes WMA membership) ..... $520
- Student Rate ..... $250
- General Rate ..... $230
Are there discounts available?
- The 2024 Early Bird Member registration rate ends on Friday, July 26th. Not a WMA member? Join now!
- Applications for 2024 Scholarships will open in April (deadline: May 31)
- Volunteering is a great opportunity to receive a discount – in exchange for hours work, volunteers can attend an equal number of hours of non-ticketed Annual Meeting events and sessions. More information will be announced in early August
- Please contact wma@westmuse.org for Presenter Rate information
What is the cancellation / refund policy for WMA 2024?
Cancellations made in writing on or before August 30, 2024 will be refunded, minus a $100.00 processing fee. Cancellations after August 30, 2024, will not be refunded. No-shows will not be refunded. Please contact WMA for further information or if you have any questions.
How can I justify my attendance to WMA 2024?
WMA offers a Justification Toolkit - a free resource to help you demonstrate the rewards of the investment of your attendance to your supervisors or organization. By verbalizing the numbers of new skills you will learn, the networking opportunities that will be available, and the ultimate benefits attendees bring back to their organizations, you can strengthen your case for receiving support. Please view our Justification Toolkit here.
Are families and children welcome at the Annual Meeting?
Yes! To increase accessibility for museum professionals with families, WMA, in partnership with the Children's Museum of Tucson and Oro Valley, is providing a free-or-charge Kids Zone at the Annual Meeting. Located near session rooms this will be a space to play or relax and will be filled with children's exhibits from our partner, books, and toys for a range of ages. Read more about this new feature as well as child-friendly activities provided by the headquarters hotel, Loews Ventana Canyon Resort here.
SCHOLARSHIPS & VOLUNTEERS
Are scholarships available for WMA 2024?
The Wanda Chin Scholarship helps to make attendance at the Annual Meeting financially accessible to individuals who might otherwise not be able to attend. Funded through an annual silent auction and donations, the Wanda Chin Professional Development Program is a vital component of the WMA mission and allows WMA to create opportunities for its constituents to build skill-sets to better serve their communities. Applications for 2024 Scholarships are now closed.
Can I donate to support scholarships?
Yes! By donating to the Wanda Chin Scholarship Fund, you will help to subsidize participation in WMA's Annual Meeting for professionals who might not otherwise be able to attend. The Annual Meeting is an opportunity for everyone to network will colleagues, learn best practices, and gain new skillsets that can be applied within their own institutions and local communities.
There are two ways to donate and make an impact:
- Donate to the Wanda Chin Scholarship Fund by clicking here. Choose the amount you wish to donate and specify that your donation is for the 'Wanda Chin Scholarship' in the comments section
- Support the Wanda Chin Scholarship Program by bidding on items in the Annual Meeting's Silent Auction. Proceeds directly fund this program
Can I Volunteer at WMA 2024? What are the benefits?
Yes! WMA seeks enthusiastic volunteers to assist WMA staff with a variety of roles at the Annual Meeting. In exchange for hours work, volunteers can attend an equal number of hours of non-ticketed Annual Meeting events and sessions. Volunteers must work for time periods equal to a minimum of 4 hours; this can be broken up into two 2-hour shifts or one 4-hour shift. Volunteer opportunities will be announced this August.
PROGRAMMING
What is the theme of WMA 2024?
With the theme of BALANCE, the Annual Meeting will explore ideas of stability at both an individual and institutional level. As museum professionals we are constantly challenged to renew and inspire our visitors but we often neglect opportunities to do this for ourselves. Can we succeed in our professional endeavors without recognizing that we too require renewal and moments of descansando? Alongside our usual program filled with learning, sharing, and connecting, we will also be taking advantage of our unique venue to create numerous opportunities for socializing, restoring, and rejuvenating. WMA invites museum professionals, leaders, and enthusiasts to come together in a community that envisions a more balanced and integrated future for individuals, museums, and the field as a whole.
What sessions, events, and networking opportunities will WMA 2024 feature?
With 42 sessions, 1 General Session and Keynote, 4 Evening Events, 3 PreConference Tours, and many new opportunities to share content with colleagues and make in-person connections, #WMA2024 will be a fun and creative gathering of museum folk. For more details on the Annual Meeting sessions, events, and networking opportunities. Please look through the 2024 Preliminary Program, or visit our WMA 2024 Sessions page and WMA 2024 Events & Tours Page.
Who is WMA's 2024 Keynote Speaker?
Who is speaking at WMA's various luncheons?
There will be one WMA Community Lunch as well as four Affinity Luncheons. The WMA Community Lunch, a celebration of the WMA community will feature guest speaker Mike Murawski, author of Museums as Agents of Change. Murawski will discuss how museums can be more human-centered.
The Affinity Luncheons include: Indigenous Luncheon, Stortellers and Supporters Luncheon, Registrar's Committee Western Region Luncheon, and the
- Indigenous Luncheon
- Enjoy meeting your colleagues from tribal museums and supporters of Native American Concerns. All are welcome! The Luncheon will feature guest speaker Jennifer Juan, Assistant Director of COmmunity Engagement, Arizona State Museum. Sponsored by Barona Band of Mission Indians.
- Stortellers and Supporters Luncheon
- Especially for curators, development officers, educators, evaluators, exhibit designers, and all who make possible the engaging stories that museums tell, but open to all. The recipient of the Charles Redd Award for exhibit excellence will present on the winning exhibition. Sponsored by EDX Exhibits.
- Registrar's Committee Western Region Luncheon
- Open to RCWR members, collections professionals, and related vendors. Underwritten by Registrar's Committee Western Region. Sponsored by Collector Systems.
- Director & Leadership Team's Luncheon
- This luncheon is open to Directors, Deputy Directors, CEOs, CFOs, Leadership Team members, and Trustees. The luncheon will feature guest speaker Jennifer Ortiz, Director of the Utah Historical Society
How can I best prepare for the Annual Meeting and its activites?
Whether this year is your first time at WMA's Annual Meeting, or you're a WMA regular, there can be a lot to think about when preparing for a multi-day networking conference. To ease your mind and to help you smoothly navigate through the 2024 Annual Meeting while maximizing your professional development, we have put together a simple Attendee Guide for your use. In this Guide, we share some things to consider as you prepare for sunshine-filled Tucson and make your way through the 4-days at WMA 2024.
Will there be a virtual option for WMA 2024?
WMA 2024 is designed as an in-person gathering focused on connection and professional growth. With the understanding that hybrid events are effectively two separate events layered on top of each other with their own logistics, expenses, and staffing needs, there will not be a virtual component for WMA 2024. Our goal is to keep registration costs as low as possible. A virtual option would substantially increase rates and therefore reduce the number of people who could access professional development. However, you can get a glimpse of the happenings at #WMA2024 by following WMA on Instagram or Twitter.
SATURDAY NETWORKING EVENTS
What is happening Sunday, September 28, 2024 in the Grand Ballroom Foyer?
From 1:30pm to 4:00pm in the Ventana Grand Ballroom Ballroom, attendees are invited to network with new colleagues and connect with familiar faces while participating in a variety of fun activities including the Coffee Klatch, Inspiration Stations, Poster Session, and Roundtables.
What are Inspiration Stations?
Inspiration Stations are a showcase of ideas / solutions / innovations from around the museum field and provides you with a chance to talk directly with the folks making them happen. Federal agencies, museum associations, and individuals with great ideas will all be in the mix. This will be a casual way for attendees to encounter new ideas and talk to the people behind them.
What are Activity Stations?
Activity Stations are where attendees participate in a low-cost 30-minute activity. The purpose is to connect with colleagues and to share and receive information or ideas. This year you can attend:
- Coloring in Cahuilla with The Agua Caliente Cultural Museum
What is the Poster Session?
The perennially popular Poster Session provides a unique opportunity for individuals to present their academic research, progressive ideas, or public programs through illustrated and informative posters, while engaging in public discourse with other attendees and networking in an informal setting.
What are Roundtables?
Roundtables are a breakout casual conversation on a specific topic, held between a group of participants with a host, or moderator. The roundtable format brings together different points of view while giving all audience members a chance to learn and interact with each other.
EXHIBITORS, SPONSORS, & ADVERTISERS
Can I sponsor, exhibit, and advertise at WMA 2024? What's involved and what are the benefits?
Yes! At the Annual Meeting, when you partner with WMA, you will have great exposure to a wide range of museum professionals and support the professional development WMA provides to the museum field all year long. Being a WMA 2024 sponsor, exhibitor, or advertiser will allow you to:
- Reach a concentrated group of museum professionals from a variety of sectors
- Increase your visibility among a diverse group of cultural institutions in the Western Region
- Position your business as a supporter and leader in the museum field
- Build upon your existing relationships with decision-makers, while fostering new connections
- Support a high-quality forum dedicated to sharing cutting edge and emerging ideas being accessible to all museum professionals
Please visit our Partnership Opportunities page to learn more.
We hope these general FAQs will help you prepare for the Annual Meeting and feel safe during your visit.
If you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please reach out to WMA staff at communications@westmuse.org.
We look forward to seeing you in Tucson!
