INTERCOM
AND THE MANAGEMENT GROUP OF THE CANADIAN MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION

ANNOUNCE THEIR COLLABORATIVE MEETING IN OTTAWA, CANADA

SPETEMBER 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, [log in to unmask] 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.

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