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.
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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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