Time is flying; only 5 months to NAMES 2018!
Since our last issue, the Conference’s Program Committee has received a great number of exciting rich session proposals; the Conference Program is quickly taking shape and is to be announced very soon. To give you an idea, let us offer you just a sneak peek here; more information to be shared with you over the next weeks.
Under “Connections—Creating Links”, Community Building in the Science Center is a workshop delivered by Portuguese experts Carlos Catalão Alves and Sofia Lucas. The workshop tackles mapping and connecting with stakeholders, employing effective methods to engage them, as well as identifying opportunities to work with peers to put forward new projects for community building and argue for organizational changes that favor participatory methods of working and relating to the audiences.
Other sessions under the same subtheme include Transferring Expertise to Broaden Horizons, New Trends in Student Programs, as well as Science Communication and the Media.
Within “Commitment—Creating Your Sustainability”, and under the title of Sustaining Science Centers Past, Present, and Future, a panel of regional and international experts draw parallels in common challenges faced by science centers regardless of their size, location, and longevity. These will include the need to attract and maintain audiences, differentiating our offer from other media and competitors, creating strong sustainable partnerships, and creating robust, resilient financial models. By highlighting the problems and priorities faced by all our institutions, this session will spark conversation and debate about strategies to tackle these issues, identify successful approaches, and share lessons learned.
Other sessions under the same subtheme include: Strategic Alliances, Education and Outreach, Resilience and Adaptation.
In addition to the Conference Program, which is promising to be quite invigorating and inspiring, for the first time, NAMES Conference will be preceded with two specialized Pre-Conference Workshops. It is a unique opportunity, especially for science communicators and science center specialists in the NAMES region, to learn secrets of the trade from international experts with extensive knowledge and experience in both Exhibit and Content Development.
Seats are very limited, so hurry up and register in the conference, to be able to register in one of the Pre-Conference Workshops. You can benefit from the Early Bird Rates if you register by 31 May; only a few days are left, so do not miss the chance!
Stay Tuned for new Program details, including Keynote Speakers and the exciting Social Program; participants are guaranteed a thrilling experience of Alexandria and the Bibliotheca Alexandria with all its multi-disciplinayr treasure troves.
