Tuesday, October 20

8:00-5:00 Registration/Check-In

8:00-9:00 Networking Coffee

8:00-5:00 Vendors

9:00-10:30 General Session and Keynote

10:30-11:00 Break

11:00-12:00   Concurrent Sessions

12:00-1:30  Annual Business Meeting Lunch

1:30-1:45 Break

1:45-2:45  Concurrent Sessions

2:45-3:00 Break

3:00-4:00 Concurrent Sessions

4:00-4:15 Break

4:15-5:00 Museum Café

5:00-5:20 Transportation to reception

5:30-7:30 Reception at Cranbrook Art Museum

8:00-10:00 Trivia

Wednesday, October 21

8:00-8:45  Member Community Coffees

8:30-11:15 Conversation Stations

9:00-9:45 Slide Sprint

9:45-10:15 Break

10:15-11:15 Concurrent Sessions

11:15-12:00 Colleague Celebration & 2027 Conference Announcement

12:00-1:00 Lunch on your own

1:00-4:00 Local Experiences

Workshops

4:00-? Wrap-up Happy Hour

Events

Conference events give participants the chance to connect, explore and enjoy themselves. 

The first day of the conference will conclude with a reception at the Detroit Zoo. 

Tuesday events include a reception at Cranbrook Art Museum and Trivia.

The last activity of the conference will be a Wrappy Hour on Wednesday afternoon. 

Locations

The Auburn Hills Marriott Pontiac will be our lodging for the conference and base for Tuesday and Wednesday morning sessions and activities. A reduced room rate of $159 (plus fees and taxes) is available for rooms through Sep. 28 or until filled, whichever comes first. Reservations can be made via this link or by calling the Sales Department at (248) 648-6016 and asking for the 2026 Annual Conference MMA group rate.

Other events, including drop-in activities, workshops, and receptions will take place in various locations in Oakland County.

Transportation is on your own except for the Monday and Tuesday evening receptions. 

A detailed Google map of Oakland County is coming soon! The map will also be available in the conference app.

Speakers and Sessions

The conference Keynote Speaker, Cindy Meyers Foley, will give an inspiring talk entitled "Leading People Centered Museums: Community Building and Change Management".

Four sets of concurrent sessions provide the opportunity for members of the Michigan museum community to share their expertise and resources

Other sessions: 

The Museum Cafe is a general session that provides the opportunity for participants to explore a variety of topics in short, small-group discussions.

Returning this year is the Slide Sprint Session, a set of PechaKucha-style presentations which will give conference attendees the chance to reflect on the conference theme using 20 slides shown in 20 second intervals. 

Conversation Stations are similar to poster sessions at more formal or academic conferences, but with a broader application. Conference attendees can visit one or multiple stations to have informal chats with the station facilitator and other attendees.

New to the conference this year is our Colleague Celebration, where we will recognize colleague nominated individuals for their efforts on a project or team or for their service to their museum or community.