Call for Session & Workshop Proposals

Please submit by January 14, 2025

The Oregon Museums Association (OMA) invites you to submit a proposal for activities at the 2025 Annual Conference in Independence in April! We’re looking for proposals for sessions, pre-conference workshops, roundtables, and more. All ideas will be considered and all are encouraged to apply.


Details

The conference this year is all about trying new things. We have moved our dates to the spring and are planning on expanding our offerings.

This year we are hoping to organize the conference into the following four tracks: Collections Care, Leadership, Emergency Preparedness, and Tourism. Sessions that fit into these tracks are highly encouraged, but submissions on any subject will be considered.

We’re going to be more flexible in how we schedule sessions for the conference, so if you have a great idea that doesn’t fit into the standard format, please submit anyway. We’re looking at some shorter sessions, more roundtable discussions, speed networking and speed sessions (think speed dating but with more tangible results!), and more.

Please use this form to submit a proposal. We look forward to hearing from you!


What We’re Looking For

• Projects, partnerships, programs and ideas from across the state.
• Representation of the diversity of museum work across disciplines and museum sizes.
• Energized presenters from a variety of backgrounds, including partners from outside the museum field.
• Presentations that include interactive components (like facilitated conversations, activities or other ways of involving participants).
• A variety of session topics

Program Details

Workshops

• Half-day (3 hours) or full-day (5 hours) option
• Workshops take place on Sunday 4/27.
• Workshops should have clear learning outcomes and the workshop leader should have teaching experience.
• Registration of at least 6 people by April 13 is required for workshops to take place.
• The lead of the selected workshop will receive an honorarium after teaching the workshop.

Sessions

• 40 minutes or 75 minutes
• Sessions take place Monday 4/28 and Tuesday 4/29.
• Possible sessions formats:
• • Presentations - 1 to 4 presenters; with or without an accompanying slide show.
  • Roundtables - small group discussion.
  • Demonstrations -  1 to 4 presenters demonstrate an activity or tool.
  • Participatory - attendees are encouraged to be part of the session.
  • Other - creative, innovative or other ideas for session formats are welcome.
• Presenters are limited to no more than 4 per session.
• All selected session presenters will be able to register for the conference with the early bird member rate.
• Registration is highly encouraged. Conference registration is not required if the presenter is ONLY present for their session and does not attend any other conference content.

Scholarships
OMA provides limited scholarships to enable participation in the annual conference. Presenters are welcome to apply for a scholarship. The scholarship application opens on February 11, 2025 with a deadline of February 28, 2025.

How to Submit a Proposal
To submit a proposal, fill out and submit the online Proposal Form by January 14, 2025. The form includes:

• Moderator or session lead name, affiliation and contact information.
• Presenter names and affiliations.
• Select the geographic regions that are represented by the moderator and/or presenters.
• Session title.
• Session type: session, workshop (3 hrs), or workshop (5 hrs)
• Description of session. If selected, the Description will be adapted for use in the conference program.
• • What will the session be about?
  • How will it be structured (presentation with Q&A, roundtables, small group activities, etc)?
• Briefly describe why the presenter(s) provide an important voice on the subject.
• Will there be audience participation? If so, please describe.
• ANSWER REQUIRED FOR WORKSHOPS ONLY: What are the learning outcomes of the workshop? What will participants come away with?
  
• What equipment or other support is needed for the session or workshop (projector/screen, mics, etc.)?

Questions or need technical assistance? Have an idea and want some feedback? Email connect@oregonmuseums.org. We’re here to support you in writing a strong proposal and submitting it successfully.