Registration is now open for the Upstate History Alliance/Museum  
Association of New York Annual Conference, which is taking place in  
Albany, NY on April 13-15, 2008. Register now to attend this session,  
and all of the other sessions that are part of this year's  
spectacular program! Visit www.upstatehistory.org for a full  
conference schedule and registration details.

****

Got Name? Get Brand!
Chair: Tema Harnik, Executive Director, Lower Hudson Conference
Presenters: Margaret Anne Tockarshewsky, Marketing and Communications  
Consultant; Susie Wilkening, Consultant, Reach Advisors; Jacqueline  
L. Grant, Executive Director, Hudson Highlands Nature Museum; Cynthia  
Lee, Vice-President of Exhibitions, Programs and Collections, Museum  
of Chinese in America

Many museums are faced with re-identifying themselves in the eyes of  
contemporary audiences.  Pressure from internal and external factors,  
whether expansion or downsizing; changing demographics; a growing  
disconnect with audiences; greater competition for funding; or  
dwindling attendance and membership have caused many to re-evaluate.   
Increasingly challenged to demonstrate relevance to their  
communities, museums seek new strategies to distinguish themselves in  
a crowded marketplace.

Lower Hudson Conference, a museum service organization, presents  
three of its constituents—Hudson Highlands Nature Museum, Historic  
Huguenot Street, and Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA)—as examples  
of museums successfully repositioning themselves to reconnect with  
local audiences, re-establish relevance, appeal to new constituent  
groups, and attract greater operating support.  Each has changed  
names to align with a refocused mission, using this and other  
strategies to better communicate their programs and broaden their  
appeal.
This session will explore identity crises, name confusion, mission  
focus, and renaming as the first steps in reinvigorating museums.   
Panelists will discuss issues and challenges confronting their  
institution’s commitment to change, the strategic decision to rename,  
the time and resources required, and their approach to branding as a  
means of achieving their goals. They will examine the importance of  
name in light of the growing trend away from traditional terms such  
as historical society, to words that better communicate mission and  
programs to diverse audiences. They will introduce the concept of  
branding, explaining how name, visual identity, vision, mission, and  
public dimension components, including staff, collectively equal  
organizational brand.  Panelists will share lessons learned and  
results of their efforts to date.

The institutions spotlighted along with LHC represent a range of  
budget sizes, disciplines, and audiences: a regional nature museum, a  
venerable historical society, and a culturally specific urban  
institution.



Jenny Rosenzweig
Program Coordinator
Upstate History Alliance
11 Ford Avenue
Oneonta, NY 13820
800.895.1648
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