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Q&A with Kala Preston

Interview //

Q&A with MuseumNext director Kala Preston

Newly appointed MuseumNext director Kala Preston spoke with TEN about how the conference’s roots set it apart from the rest of the museum events on the calendar, and how it’s spent the past seven years exploring the possible future for the museum.

 

TEN: Could you start off by explaining what your role at MuseumNext involves?

Kala Preston: I have recently taken on the role of Director for the MuseumNext and CultureGeek conferences. My role involves the development, production and delivery of these events. This year we will produce three events, the MuseumNext Conference in Geneva, Switzerland from April 19-21, the CultureGeek Conference at the Southbank Centre, London, on June 17 and we’ll be taking a MuseumNext to the US for the first time in September at the Indianapolis Museum of Art, Indianapolis.

TEN: How would you describe MuseumNext as a conference?

KP: This year is MuseumNext’s seventh edition and it has grown and evolved over the years. The conference provides the opportunity for speakers to deliver thought provoking insight, showcase new ways of thinking, reveal ‘how to’ or even to share success stories alongside projects that maybe haven’t worked so well. There is the opportunity to listen to presentations, get ‘hands on’ in workshops and network with other delegates informally at social events. MuseumNext is very much viewed as a community by many who attend on an annual basis. It’s the opportunity to meet up with old friends and make connections with new people.

TEN: What are its overall aims?

KP: To answer the question “What is next for museums?” across all aspects of the sector. To highlight new advances, inspiring projects and new ways to approach issues found across the sector.

TEN: How does the conference fit into the rest of the work MuseumNext does?

KP: MuseumNext is produced by Sumo Design, a design studio that has worked with the cultural sector for over 15 years. Jim Richardson, founder of Sumo, worked with museums advising them on branding and marketing and saw a shift in audience expectations, driven primarily to technology and he started to write articles and speak at conferences about the need for change.

Because the museum sector is a very open and collaborative space, an online movement of people with similar ideas quickly grew. It made sense to create a opportunity for people to come together in the real world to share ideas and best practice, and so MuseumNext was born.

TEN: How is it different from some of the other museum and culturally-focused conferences around the world?

KP: MuseumNext is a grass-roots conference presenting top quality, high profile speakers from around the globe. We have the freedom to shape the programme and develop the conference, to work in partnership with other organisations and venues and to take it to leading cities around the world.

TEN: What sort of audience attends MuseumNext usually?

KP: Job titles on our delegate list include CEO, Museum Director, Head of Marketing and Communications, Curator, Head of Collection, Head of Digital and even Chief Scientist!

TEN: Have you found this audience increasing, or the kind of people attending changing, in recent years?

KP: Year on year the conference has grown with more delegates attending every year. This year is our most ambitious conference yet with four streams, 60 speakers, 40 presentations, 13 workshops, social events and plenty of opportunity for networking. This year we have more directors and head of departments than ever before.

TEN: How does the conference address some of the new challenges museums and facing, and what do you think those challenges are?

KP: The international nature of MuseumNext often means that we bring together delegates from very different organisations that are facing similar challenges. At the end of the conference delegates will be fully equipped to apply their newfound knowledge to their own organisations, to further develop relationships with their new connections and create innovative projects and develop ideas together.

TEN: Is there anything new for the conference in 2015 – new areas of focus, new events or similar?

KP: The conference programme has a wider perspective this year and doesn’t just focus on technological advances influencing the sector but encompasses exhibitions, soft power, skills, collections, conservation, purpose and leadership.

TEN: What can attendees to the conference expect to learn or experience while there?

KP: I think a quote from a regular MuseumNext attender says it all:

“MuseumNext is a conference which is loaded with positive and energetic attendees. New approaches to old problems, inspiring projects and a few bits of technology never seen before guarantees a memorable three days and a bundle of new ideas to try out before the next one”
Mark Macleod, Head of Infirmary Museum, University of Worcester

Attendees will undoubtedly gain huge amounts of new knowledge from attending the conference but we often hear that the most important take away for delegates is the connections that they make.

TEN: Do you have any personal favourites from the programme this year?

KP: I’m really looking forward to The Sociable Museum debate with Sebastian Chan, Avinash Rajagopal, Molly Heintz, Alin Tocomacov and Amelie Klein; Shelley Bernstein’s Bloomberg Connects presentation; and How to Hack Your Museum with Museum Hack founder Nick Gray.

TEN: Lastly, what are your thoughts on the future of museums?

KP: We have a fabulous line up of museum professionals debating this very topic as the opening session of the conference. Gail Dexter Lord (Planning and Management, Lord Cultural Services), Roger Mayou (Director, Red Cross Museum), Erik Schilp (Innovator, Connector and Strategist, Dutch Bonnet), Tony Butler (Executive Director, Derby Museums), Jake Barton (Founder of Local Projects) and Matthew Caines (Editor, The Guardian Culture Professionals Network) will discuss their thoughts and hopes for the future of museums. Come along and hear what they have to say!

MuseumNext Geneva 19-21 April, 2015
Tickets are £550 and available from www.museumnext.com

// 2. April 2015