Program Committee Process

Summary of the steps taken by the Western Museums Association (WMA) staff and the Program Committee (PC) to create the program for the WMA Annual Meeting.

ROLES & RESPONSIBILITIES 

Co-Chairs: Manage the process of the meetings and focus on the holistic and individual content of the sessions; Assist in developing other programmatic elements of the conference; Advise staff on content and logistics related to the Program. 

PC Members: Advise on RFP; Encourage people to submit session proposals; Review all proposals; rank all proposals; advise on scheduling proposals and additional content

WMA Staff: Manage the data (proposals, presenter contact info, session feedback, etc.) and logistics of the PC – including acknowledging receipt of proposals, confirmation / rejection letters to proposers; Draft the session schedule; Develop Preliminary and Final Program. 

GUIDELINES 

In the PC’s work, PC members are representatives of WMA. Conversations with proposers, presenters, as well as any other participants should be professional, neutral, and confidential. All conversations during the PC Meetings are strictly confidential; this is particularly important so that PC members are able to speak candidly in order to develop the best program possible.

Activities

  1. Formulating the PC. Committee members serve for three years in order to provide continuity to the process. Co-Chairs usually serve for two years, replaced on alternate years. It is vital to have museum professionals from the upcoming host venues on the PC in order to take advantage of local opportunities and to develop a local flavor to the program. It is also important to have representation from the crucial segments of the museum profession, the member states of the Western Region, and other important constituencies. The PC for the coming year is finalized after the current year Annual Meeting.
  2. Winter PC Meetings. The first formal meeting of the PC occurs in late January or early February via Zoom. The principal purpose of this meeting is to provide an overview of plans for the year, review / approve the RFP, and (if needed) identify any ranking / decision making parameters. A specific agenda for PC meetings is provided ahead of time. PC Co-Chairs conduct the meeting, assisted by WMA staff.
  3. Call for Proposals. The formal call for proposals—sessions, workshops, and other ways to contribute content—is posted on the WMA website in late February. The deadline for submissions is usually late March as determined by WMA staff. Staff and Co-Chairs will also determine an internal extended deadline to allow time to fill any potential programmatic gaps. Only proposals submitted in writing are accepted.
  4. Reviewing Proposals. WMA staff processes all proposals and post them to the WMA PC website. PC members then have 2 weeks to read all proposals and rank them on a 1-5 scale based on the provided rubric.
  5. Drafting the Schedule. WMA staff uses the rankings to draft a schedule of sessions with the goal of providing a balanced and varied Program. The rubric and discretion will be used to make decisions.
  6. PC Review of Session Schedule. In early May, WMA staff will provide the PC with a draft session schedule ahead of a meeting to finalize Program. PC Co-Chairs conduct the meeting, assisted by WMA staff. At this time, additional program-related responsibilities maybe assigned, such as helping edit session descriptions, outreach to accepted sessions to refine content, etc. In all of these auxiliary assignments, PC members work under the direction of WMA staff.
  7. Meeting Follow-up. WMA staff communicates to proposers whether their session was accepted or declined and works with a designer to produce the Preliminary Program to be made available when registration opens in early June.

TIMELINE FOR 2026

Early January: CoChairs review staff drafted RFP and provide feedback

Late January / early February: PC meeting (Introductions, community building, and explain plans for the year; Review RFP and provide feedback)

Feb 9: RFP opens

March 5: Session Brainstorm Zoom

March 27: RFP closes

April 3: PC website updated with proposals

April 17: PC rankings due to staff

April 27: Staff sends rankings by track to PC for review

May 1: PC meeting finalizes accepted sessions

May 4: Staff send accept / decline emails to proposers (declined sessions are offered the option to present content as a poster, roundtable, or inspiration station)