AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo Open Call for Proposals

You can also join our free August 20 webinar, From Idea to Acceptance: How to Submit a Winning Annual Meeting Session Proposal! Learn more and register. The webinar will be recorded and available after if you’re unable to join live.

About the Theme

Mission. Value. Impact.

Museums have never been more important.

In a time of rapid change, museums help people make sense of the world. They preserve knowledge, inspire learning, and foster belonging. Together, these experiences generate enduring value, enrich communities, and strengthen society.

Yet creating value is only part of the challenge. Museums must also demonstrate their impact, communicate their relevance, and build sustainable organizations that can thrive amid evolving audience expectations, heightened competition, and constrained resources.

As museum professionals navigate an increasingly complex world, they are asking fundamental questions: How do we articulate and advocate for the unique value museums create? How do we build lasting support? How do we measure impact? And how do we ensure museums remain relevant, visible, and resilient?

The 2027 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo invites museum professionals to explore these questions together. Through practical strategies, innovative ideas, and real-world examples, attendees will learn how to strengthen their organizations, expand their impact, and demonstrate why museums matter.

Hosted in Houston—one of the most diverse and dynamic cities in the United States—AAM 2027 will bring together museum professionals from across the field to deepen our understanding of museum value, strengthen our collective advocacy, and reaffirm the essential role museums play in their communities.

The AAM 2027 Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo will offer a variety of program formats that enable museum professionals from around the globe to connect, exchange ideas, and explore how museums are creating meaningful experiences, demonstrating value, and helping their communities address today’s most critical challenges.

Session proposals are welcomed under the following subject tracks.

Audience, Experiences & Value Creation
How museums create value through audience engagement, meaningful experiences, and measurable outcomes.

This track explores how museums transmit legacies across generations. Through conservation, governance, institutional design, and enduring relationships, museums act as stewards of memory and meaning. Proposals may explore how museums uphold long-term care, adapt over time, and build legacy and continuity into every aspect of their work.

Guiding Questions

• What value does your museum create for visitors, learners, members, researchers, or communities?
• How are exhibitions, programs, and interpretation shaping meaningful experiences and outcomes?
• How do you define and design for impact across different audiences?
• What evidence demonstrates that experiences are meaningful, relevant, or transformative?

Subcategories

• Visitor Experience and Engagement Design
• Learning, Interpretation, and Public Programs
• Exhibitions as Experience and Meaning-Making
• Audience Insights, Research, and Data
• Evaluation, Outcomes, and Impact Measurement
• Storytelling, Communication, and Engagement Strategy
• Community Engagement, Relevance, and Public Trust
• Other

Financial Sustainability & Growth
How museums generate, diversify, and steward resources to support mission fulfillment and long-term sustainability.

Guiding Questions

• How has your museum strengthened financial sustainability while remaining mission-driven?
• What strategies have diversified revenue or expanded philanthropic support?
• How do you communicate your museum’s value to funders, members, sponsors, and partners?
• What models are improving long-term resilience and organizational adaptability?

Subcategories

• Philanthropy and Fundraising Strategy
• Membership and Loyalty Models
• Earned Revenue and Visitor-Based Income
• Retail, Food Service, and Onsite Revenue
• Corporate Partnerships and Sponsorships
• Public Funding and Advocacy
• Pricing, Access, and Equity Models
• Financial Planning and Risk Management
• Entrepreneurship and New Business Models
• Other

Organizational Capacity & Operations
How museums build the leadership, systems, workforce, and infrastructure needed to deliver mission and create lasting value.

Guiding Questions

• What operational improvements have increased organizational effectiveness or adaptability?
• How are leadership, governance, and organizational culture strengthening mission delivery?
• What approaches improve workforce capacity, collaboration, and decision-making?
• How are museums aligning people, resources, and infrastructure to achieve greater impact?

Subcategories:

• Leadership, Governance, and Board Practice
• Human Resources and Workforce Development
• Organizational Culture and Change Management
• Administrative Systems and Financial Operations
• Facilities, Operations, and Capital Planning
• Collections Stewardship and Administration
• Cross-Department Collaboration and Workflow Design
• Strategic Planning and Organizational Alignment
• Technology Infrastructure, Data, and Digital Operations
• Other

Innovation & Future Readiness
How museums anticipate change, embrace innovation, and experiment with new approaches to remain relevant in an evolving world.

Guiding Questions

• How is your museum reimagining engagement or institutional models?
• What innovations are reshaping museum practice, technology, or participation?
• How are museums responding to changing audience expectations or emerging societal challenges?
• What experiments or pilot projects are generating new insights or approaches?

Subcategories

• Digital Transformation and Emerging Technologies
• Experimental Practice and Pilot Projects
• New Models of Engagement and Participation
• Co-Design, Participation, and Community Collaboration
• Cross-Sector Partnerships and Systems Thinking
• Reimagining Institutional Structures
• Future-Focused Strategy and Scenario Planning
• Innovation in Programs and Services
• Other

Museum Practice & Essentials
Core practices, standards, and applied skills that strengthen museum operations across institutions of all sizes and disciplines.

Guiding Questions

• What practical tools or methods improve day-to-day museum practice?
• What standards, workflows, or systems strengthen institutional effectiveness?
• What lessons learned can be readily applied in other museums?
• What core competencies are essential for museum professionals today?

Subcategories

• Collections Management and Registration
• Curatorial Practice and Exhibition Production
• Education and Visitor Services Practice
• Marketing and Communications Practice
• Fundraising and Membership Operations
• Museum Administration, Compliance, and Risk Management
• Technology and Digital Tools for Operations
• Evaluation and Continuous Improvement
• Cross-Functional Workflows and Coordination
• Other

Preparing Your Proposal

Engage with Attendees
How do you plan to engage with attendees? The 2027 AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo will offer program formats that allow museum professionals from around the globe to connect and learn how museums are helping their communities address critical issues. Attendees will explore inspiring content across the above five tracks:

• Audience, Experiences & Value Creation
• Financial Sustainability & Growth
• Organizational Capacity & Operations
• Innovation & Future Readiness
• Museum Practice & Essentials

Proposal Formats

Your proposal should fit into one of the following format types:

Session (60 minutes):
A panel discussion or presentation exploring a broad topic while incorporating audience interaction through discussion, Q&A, or other engagement methods. Sessions may include a slide presentation with optional handouts or supplemental resources.
Room set: Theater style.
Max: 5 presenters (including moderator).

Case Study (60 minutes):
A deep dive into one institution’s project or approach to a challenge or innovation, highlighting measurable outcomes, lessons learned, and practical applications that attendees can adapt in their own institutions.
Room set: Theater style.
Max: 2 presenters.

Workshop (120 minutes):
A highly interactive learning experience focused on skill building and practical application. Workshops are especially appropriate for proposals submitted under the Museum Practice & Essentials track. Participants actively engage with methods, tools, exercises, or prototypes.
Room set: Round tables.
Max: 4 presenters.

Roundtable (60 minutes):
A facilitated discussion in which participants collaborate around a shared topic or challenge through peer learning, brainstorming, and problem-solving.
Room set: Round tables.
Max: 4 presenters.

Poster Session (60 minutes):
A visual presentation highlighting a project, research study, or innovative program accompanied by informal discussion with attendees.
Max: 2 presenters.

Presenter Expectations

AAM is committed to diversity, equity, accessibility, and inclusion. We encourage proposals that include presenters and institutions representing diverse demographics, cultural backgrounds, lived experiences, professional expertise, and perspectives.

All listed presenters must confirm their participation through the submission portal. Proposals may be removed from consideration if all presenters do not complete this requirement. In addition, presenters may participate in no more than two accepted sessions.

Crafting a Strong Proposal

• Title: Create a clear, descriptive title that accurately reflects your session. Avoid using the words Mission, Value, or Impact simply to mirror the conference theme unless those concepts are central to your presentation.
• Description: Create a clear, descriptive title that accurately reflects your session. Avoid using the words Mission, Value, or Impact simply to mirror the conference theme unless those concepts are central to your presentation.
• Learning Objectives: Include two to three measurable learning objectives describing what participants will know or be able to do after attending the session. Strong learning objectives begin with action verbs such as identify, apply, analyze, compare, develop, or evaluate.
• Target Audience: Identify the primary audience for the proposal.

Proposal Timeline and Review Process

Call Opens: August 6, 2026
Deadline: September 21, 2026, at 11:59 PM PT
Notification: Early December

Proposals will be reviewed by the 2027 Content Advisory Committee (CAC)—a diverse group of museum professionals and subject-matter experts—based on alignment with the conference theme, audience needs, diversity of perspectives, and suitability for the proposed session format.

Strong Proposals Will:

• Deliver practical value and actionable takeaways for attendees.
• Demonstrate broad applicability across museum disciplines, institution types, communities, and geographic regions.
• Align with the conference theme* and selected subject track.
• Include diverse and relevant viewpoints, including institutional, geographic, and cultural perspectives (not applicable to Case Study sessions).
• Include at least one museum professional as a presenter if submitted by an industry partner.

* Note: Proposals submitted under the Museum Practice & Essentials track are not required to explicitly address the Annual Meeting theme.

Reasons a Proposal May Be Declined:

• Narrow in scope or limited relevance to the field
• Lacking insight, innovation, or clarity
• Missing clear and compelling learning objectives
• Limited applicability across diverse audiences, cultural perspectives, institutional types, or geographic regions (not applicable to Case Study sessions)

Disqualification Criteria:

• Failure to follow submission instructions
• One or more presenters fail to complete the required presenter agreement
• Inclusion of presenter names or institutions in the session description or in fields other than designated fields
• Presenter is unable to attend in person (sessions take place May 6-8). (AAM Annual Meeting & MuseumExpo does not offer streaming capabilities.)

Proposal Evaluation Criteria:

Proposals will be evaluated based on:

• Alignment with the selected subject track and subcategory.
• Overall development, organization, and clarity.
• Clear, specific, and measurable learning objectives.
• Practical application, timely content, and actionable takeaways.
• Representation of diverse perspectives (where applicable).
• Appropriate selection of session format to support engagement and learning

Questions? Email aamproposals@aam-us.org.

You can download a copy of the proposal application questions to prepare your submission, and use the buttons below to submit your proposal.

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IF YOU ALREADY SUBMITTED A SESSION:

• If you do not see the submit button on the submission form, this means the proposal has been finalized and submitted for review by the Content Advisory Committee (CAC).

• A PENDING status means the proposal has been submitted and is pending review by the CAC.

• A WORK IN PROGRESS status means the proposal has NOT been submitted for review and must be submitted by deadline of September 26, 11:59 PM PT.

• Presenter login issues? Forward the title of your proposal and the presenter’s name to aamproposals@aam-us.org. This is the same for anyone having difficulties adding or attaching presenters to a proposal. Please provide the name, professional title, institution name, and email address of the presenters to be added to the proposal.

• If you have questions about your proposal or need assistance, please email aamproposals@aam-us.org. Please include your proposal title and as much detail as possible.

Questions?

Contact aamproposals@aam-us.org with your questions about the call for proposals.