GEM CONFERENCE 2016

GEM CONFERENCE 2016: ADAPT AND THRIVE Weathering the impact of change on cultural learning

31 August – 1 September 2016, Edinburgh

GEM’s 2016 conference is seeking answers to two key questions:

• What are the forces of change affecting cultural learning today?
• How can we adapt our practice to turn these forces to our advantage?

Come and think about change in new ways, understand its impact and explore how museum learning can thrive in these challenging times.  Whether it’s hearing about current research, sustainability strategies or inspirational projects, Adapt and Thrive will be relevant and engaging for heritage professionals from management level to career-entry.

KEYNOTE SPEAKERS:

• Mark O’Neill, director of policy and research, Glasgow Life “Love in a Cold Climate: making a difference in a time of austerity”
• Mhairi Cross, chief executive officer, National Mining Museum Scotland “Managing change and mapping the future”
• Piotr Bienkowski, cultural consultant and project director of Paul Hamlyn Foundation’s Our Museum special initiative “Why change fails – and what YOU can do about it”
• Ruth Gill, director of public programmes, National Museums Scotland
• Robert Janes, author (Museums in a Troubled World and Museums without Borders) and champion of museums as important social institutions “Museums without Borders: A Manifesto”

The GEM 2016 conference will help everyone involved in managing or delivering museum, heritage or cultural learning to reflect on how they can best respond to change, and maintain the value and quality of what they do.  They shall also explore strategies that can improve the resilience of organisations.  These are particularly pertinent issues at a time when the cultural and heritage bodies that support you are developing their own survival strategies.

The following “threads” will be explored throughout the conference:

• Changing context – recent research and critical thinking about the changing context around culture, heritage and the arts.
• Challenging change – innovation and entrepreneurship: practical ways that you can tackle the challenges of change.
• A better future – Making the case: how you can use advocacy and influence to shape a better future for heritage education.

For more information and the conference programme please visit www.gem.org.uk. Alternatively you can email or call 01634 853424. Twitter @GEM_heritage  & follow the conversation using #GEM2016

*Information for exhibitors*

Promote your services or goods to a range of museum and cultural professionals at this year’s annual GEM Conference! They have various opportunities to fit all sorts of budgets. Download their information pack here & visit their website for a booking form.