Sealladh – Highland Heritage Conference

A two day event bringing the Highland Heritage sector together to strengthen the network and create a vision for a positive future.

At this conference we aim to bring the network together to strengthen connections, share successes and challenges, exchange ideas and explore the skills needed to help the sector thrive into the future. With sessions on skills sharing, our workforce, resourcing and collections.

This conference is supported through the Museums Galleries Scotland Forum’s Fund project and is made possible with The National Lottery Heritage Fund, thanks to National Lottery players.

Day 1

3pm Arrival, coffee, tea, networking

3.45pm Welcome from Dan

4pm Skills Speed Sharing (chaired by Helen and Nicola) – This first session will be a fun, kind of ice breaker session, but also useful in learning about the diversity of skills in the sector, the needs and wants of the sector and how we bring those two together.

5pm Project Pecha Kucha – A series of talks from museums across the region on how they have responded to the demands of the last few years and/or on their hopes for the future. Please get in touch if you would like to present a project or topic from your museum.

6pm Dinner at Velocity

7.30pm Film Screening – Dùthcas | Home with QandA after (TBC)

Day 2

9am Tea, coffee, networking

9.30am Our People – A panel discussion looking at the museum workforce. How is our workforce changing? What are the current challenges in volunteering? How do we support our staff? Panel chaired by Tamsin Russell with Siobhan Beatson, Ian Leith + David Bell

10.15am Workshops to support the Our People session

1 – Wellbeing in museums (led by Tamsin Russell)

2 – Succession planning and using digital volunteers (led by David Bell)

11am Tea, coffee, networking

11.30am Resourcing Our Heritage – What’s the current picture? Challenges, opportunities, new ideas. Panel includes Gillian Simison MGS, Megan Braithwaite NLHF, Katie Mullen (Glencoe Museum and chaired by Ben Thomas.

12.15pm Workshops to support ROH session

1 – Capital projects discussion group (led by David Rounce)

2 – Building a new funding model/innovative income generation (TBC)

3 – Tourism in the Highlands (with Highland Tourism + Highland Historian)

1pm LUNCH

2pm Collections Now – Panel discussion looking at how we approach collecting in the 21st C. How do we ensure our collections are accessible and representive of society today? How do we care for our objects in terms of our capacity (skills, time, money)? Chaired by Katey Boal with input from Freya Samuel, Rachael Thomas, Abeer Eladany and Peter Knowles.

2.45pm Workshops to support collections theme

1 – Decolonisation – Abeer Eladany and Freya Samuel

2 – Caring for our collections – Rachael Thomas

3 – Digital engagement opportunities – Peter, Knowles Smartify

3.30pm closing remarks from Dan