BC Museums Association and Tourism Prince George have announced that B.C.’s only provincial conference for museum, gallery, arts and cultural professionals is coming to Prince George this year.
BCMA Conference 2019 will take place from September 30 to October 2 at the Courtyard by Marriott, Two Rivers Gallery, and The Exploration Place.
A local committee came together to create a proposal to host the event, which hasn’t been in Prince George since 2006, and with the support of Tourism Prince George, won the bid. The BCMA Council was hosted for a site visit in June by the local committee and was very impressed by the city. Carolyn Holmes, Executive Director of the Two Rivers Gallery, led the bid committee.
“The BCMA were thoroughly impressed by the organizations in PG, the sense of community, and how closely we all work together,” said Holmes. “They’ll spread the word about the strength and culture in Prince George and convince others to come for the conference in the fall.”
“The BCMA Annual Conference will bring over 150 delegates to Prince George,” said Tourism Prince George CEO, Erica Hummel. “Meetings and conventions create significant economic impact for the city, and we work hard to support local partners interested in bringing more events like this to town.” Visitors will have the opportunity to experience social events at the Two Rivers Gallery and The Exploration Place and the local committee is excited to share the rich culture that exists in Prince George, including that of Indigenous peoples.
The 2019 Conference will be held on the traditional territory of the Lheidli T’enneh First Nation, whose name in the Dakelh language means “people of the confluence of two rivers”, and will celebrate the role museums play in connecting people through language and story with this year’s theme, Spoken Words, Shared Stories. The theme acknowledges the importance of the International Year of Indigenous Languages, explores how museums can become involved in language revitalization, and allows for discussion on how our organizations use stories to communicate, educate, and encourage social interactions.