MAAM 2026 Annual Conference

What if a museum could feel less like a vault that preserves the past and more like a laboratory for exploring the present?

This intensive, full-day workshop gives museum professionals the tools to make that shift — moving from institutions that tell visitors what to think toward experiences that invite them to feel, question, and discover. Using a multi-stage methodology, participants will learn how to conceptualize exhibits and experiences that are educational, personally meaningful, and fun. The results? Experiences that give visitors fresh perspectives and transferable skills for their everyday lives.

Drawing on decades of practical experience and leadership–including the re-imagining of the International Spy Museum–the instructors will support you in moving away from “what we want to say” to “how visitors can most meaningfully experience it.” You will leave with a practical framework for experience design.