INTERCOM AND THE MANAGEMENT GROUP OF THE CANADIAN MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION

ANNOUNCE THEIR COLLABORATIVE MEETING IN OTTAWA, CANADA
SEPTEMBER 6 - 9, 2000

ACHIEVING EXCELLENCE: MUSEUM LEADERSHIP IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Museums everywhere are undergoing enormous changes as social, political and economic forces impact upon them. This, the first international conference addressing key topics on museum management and leadership, will focus on ways museums can address these forces of change and turn them to their advantage. Plan to attend this important conference and to participate in its far-reaching discussions.

Leading speakers from museums and other sectors will address topics such as:

Strategic Thinking for the 21st Century
Leadership
Collections Stewardship, the Shifting Paradigm
Financing of Museums
Conflict Resolution
Benchmarking
Sponsorship
Blockbusters

All plenary sessions will have simultaneous translation in English and French.

A brief indication of some of the main sessions .....

THURSDAY, SEPTEMBER 7

KEYNOTE ADDRESS: BEYOND MANAGEMENT [T] 9:30 am - 10:15 am
Stephen Weil
Emeritus Scholar at the Smithsonian Institute, former Deputy Director of the Hirshhorn Museum, Washington, and respected author of a number of texts addressing the changing nature of museums, Mr. Weil will explore the evolving standards by which the excellence of museums has been judged during the past several decades. Primarily, Weil will focus on how those standards have migrated from internally focused ones such as collections and other resources to such externally oriented ones as community impact and the museum's positive contributions to the quality of individual lives. Within that framework, he will urge participants towards the understanding that good management is critical to the achievement of excellence but that it must never be confused with excellence itself.

RESPONSE [T] 10:45 am - 12 Noon
Three respondents will examine Weil's premises from their own perspectives. Each will look at the context for museum management.
Kate Davis, Director, MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina, Canada;
Hans-Martin Hinz, Director of Planning, Deutsche Historische Museum, Berlin, Germany;
Samuel Sidibé, Directeur-général, Musée national du Mali, Bamako, Mali.

THINKING STRATEGICALLY [T] 1:15 pm - 2:45 pm
The past decade has seen considerable emphasis on developing strategic plans in museum; however, in many cases, the formal structure of such plans may not anticipate some of the major issues faced by museums on a daily basis. Strategic thinking initiates the process of conceptualizing if, and if so, how museums will anticipate and proactively address the many-layered changes that characterize today's society and therefore the museums' publics, present and future. The three panelists will examine the strategic thinking and objectives which underpin significant changes in their own institutions.
Moderator: Joanne Di Cosimo, Director, Canadian Museum of Nature, Ottawa, Canada;
Panelists:Claude Benoit, Directrice-général, iSci, Montreal, Canada;
René Rivard, Cultura, Montreal, Services d'interprétation dans les Haras nationaux de France;
Leon Paroissien, Sydney, Australia

FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 8

HE WHO PAYS THE PIPER...CALLS THE TUNE [T]
The Financing Of Museums: Public, Private and the Canadian Hybrid 9:00 am - 10:30 am
As museums move into the 21st century, funding sources continue to be in flux all over the world. The European and US practices are at opposite ends of the spectrum; the Canadian approach has been described as a hybrid. Four panellists will discuss various options in relation to current and future museum financing sources.
Moderator: Victor Rabinovich, President, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Ottawa, Canada
Panelists: Michael J. Fox, Museum of Northern Arizona, USA (TBC)
France Gascon, Directrice, Musée d'Art de Joliette, Canada
James Snyder, The Israel Museum, Jerusalem (TBC)

CONCURRENT SESSIONS 11:00 am - 12:30 pm

1. ANATOMY OF A BLOCKBUSTER [T]
Blockbusters are a relatively recent phenomenon. When executed successfully, they can generate large audiences and considerable net revenues for the institutions that present them. They also entail risks that many museums are ill-equiped to handle. There are also concerns that they misrepresent the subject and debase the museum. Our panelists will discuss these and related issues, giving delegates who attend this session a broader understanding of the critical issues which must be addressed to ensure the viability and success of such an endeavour.
Moderator: Bill Barkley, CEO, Royal British Columbia Museum, Vancouver, Canada
Panelists: Janet Brooke, Independant Curator, Montreal, Canada
Lindsay Sharp, National Museums of Science and Technology, London, England;
Alan Stanbridge, University of Toronto, Toronto, Canada;

2. THE GIVE AND TAKE: WHAT ARE SPONSORS LOOKING FOR?
In today's environment, it seems all museum are looking for additional funding and increased visibility in their community. Corporations want access to museum visitors and the community they serve. Panelists representing both museum and corporate perspectives will provide insight into how they have approached their own sponsorship initiatives.
Moderator:
Panelists: Edward H. Able, President and CEO, American Association of Museums, Washington, USA
Leon Paroissien, Sydney, Australia
Jay A. Smith, Vice-President, Wood Gundy Private Client Investments Inc, Toronto, Canada (TBC)

COLLECTIONS STEWARDSHIP: THE SHIFTING PARADIGM: 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm
W. Richard West, Director, National Museum of the American Indian, Washington, USA

SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 9

INTERNATIONAL UPDATES [T] 9:00 am - 9:30 am
* Hague Convention
* Unidroit
* World War II Looted Art
MANAGEMENT SIG UPDATES [T] 9:30 am - 10:30 am
* Human Resources
* Taxation Issues

NEW SOLUTIONS TO OLD PROBLEMS [T] 10:45 am - 11:15 am
Cash-strapped museums are constantly searching for ways of economizing and increasing earnings. A number of innovative business models have emerged to test the traditional bounds of museum management, including commercial diversification; out-sourcing key operations to for-profit companies; and common service agreements to pool resources and information among a group of institutions for greater efficiency and economy. This session is an opportunity to examine the opportunities and the risks associated with several alternative business models, through the experience of leading museum executives.
Moderator: Joe Geurtz, Canadian Museum of Civilization, Hull, Canada
Panelists: Bill Barkley, Royal British Columbia Museum, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada
John Nightingale, Vancouver Aquarium Marine Science Centre, Vancouver, Canada
Harald Mehus, Head of Administration, Norwegian Museum Authority, Oslo Norway

CLOSING LUNCHEON AND REMARKS:
James F. Lee, Chair, CMA Management Special Interest Group
Nancy Hushion, President, ICOM International Committee of Museum Management

CALL FOR PAPERS: OTHER PERSPECTIVES
Proposals for papers addressing museum leadership as experienced in your country are invited. The maximum duration for each paper is 15 minutes. Please submit a one page abstract to the attention of Sue-Ann Ramsden, Conference Co-ordinator, sramsden@museums.ca. The abstract may also be faxed to (613) 233-5438 or mailed to 280 Metcalfe Street, Suite 400, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K2P 1R7. The deadline for receipt of these proposals is July 31, 2000. In the event that the number of submissions received exceeds the time available for presentation, the Conference Program Committee will select those which are most relevant to the conference theme.