Beaumont welcomes the Texas Association of Museums for their Annual Conference on April 2-5, 2013.
"TAM is working closely with our colleagues in the Beaumont museum and cultural community to plan a substantial conference," says Ruth Ann Rugg, Executive Director for the Texas Association of Museums. "We have developed a theme that speaks not only to current challenges in our field, but also to the heritage of Beaumont. This year's theme is Fueling the 21st Century Museum: Refining Action into Innovation," she continues.
TAM's annual conference is expected to attract 450 museum professionals from throughout Texas with an estimated economic impact of nearly $300,000. The schedule will feature informative sessions, expert speakers and behind-the-scenes tours of the best museums in Beaumont and southeast Texas. The conference is the largest gathering of museum professionals in the state, where new and seasoned TAM members gather for networking and sessions on museum best practices.
This year's conference theme, Fueling the 21st Century: Refining Action into Innovation, takes its cue from the oil refineries that power southeast Texas. Organizations are hoping to build a pipeline for ideas and learn new ways to turn up the heat as they refine actions into innovations. Museums and cultural organizations are finding inventive ways to attract donors, bring in new audiences and harness the possibilities of mobile technology.
"TAM convened in Beaumont in 2006 and we are delighted to have them back," says Rebecca Woodland, Beaumont CVB Convention Sales Manager.
The Beaumont CVB will host a special downtown dine-around on Thursday, April 4, 2013 from 6:30 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. for the TAM Annual Conference. Starting at the Fire Museum of Texas, the dine-around will proceed to the Edison Museum, the Texas Energy Museum and then end at the Art Museum of Southeast Texas where entertainment will be provided for conference attendees. The media is invited to come out and cover this unique event geared towards showcasing downtown Beaumont and its many museums.
Texas Association of Museums is a nonprofit organization that supports professionals working in Texas museums, historic sites, arts organizations and other cultural and community organizations. TAM offers professional development resources to Texas museum professionals and works to keep them informed of museum-related news, trends, challenges, programming, advocacy opportunities and funding sources. Founded in 1975, TAM is headquartered in Fort Worth, TX.
Host hotel for the conference is the Holiday Inn Beaumont Plaza, located at 3950 Walden Rd (77705). Media contact for TAM is Ruth Ann Rugg: cell, (817) 372-0054 or email, Ruthann@texasmuseums.org. For more information, visit www.texasmuseums.org.