After a gap of 5 years, MuseumNext Live arrived in London for a much anticipated IRL conference. My first MuseumNext conference was in 2015 and it has always been a highlight on the calendar. MuseumNext founder, Jim Richardson, was fast to move online during the pandemic, keeping the community connected and engaged. However, the appetite for in-person events was obvious, the comeback was a huge success with a great selection of workshops, inspiring talks and presentations and an opportunity to network with delegates from around the world.

My top 3 take aways:

1. Co-Creation

'Empowered Teens' a part presentation/part workshop run by Ben Templeton (Creative Director at ThoughtDen) and Madlyn Larson (Natural History Museum of Utah), a fascinating look at the challenges and reality of co-creation (and the fear of letting go of control to a bunch of teens!) explored the US-based collaboration between national science organisations combining inspiring films, multiplayer games and live events to support teens taking action on climate issues in their communities. Visit the Critical Action Lab Project YouTube channel here. Also worth a subscribe is "or so thought Ben" at https://www.thoughtden.co.uk/.

2. Technology

I hopped on over to see Moonwalkers at Lightroom to experience another super-sized 'immersive' audio/visual experience with screens larger than my house. As Chris Michaels presentation 'The Rise of the Immersive Institution' highlighted - these new destinations are growing in popularity at immense speed, with shows attracting more visitors than the traditional stalwarts of capital city tourism destinations like the Tate, British Museum or the Van Gogh Museum. If you are interested in the realms of art & technology it is worth signing up to his newsletter at https://creativernd.substack.com/.

3. Access and Inclusion

Christopher Witham from the Science Museum Group gave an energetic presentation 'Discovering New Neurodivergent Audiences', recalling initiatives developed over the last 10 years, including Early Birds and Night Owls events which provide quieter and more appropriate spaces for visitors. Developed closely with local communities. There was lots of practical take aways and lessons learnt here - well worth a watch.

There are so many more great presentations I watched over the 3 days, so you should head to the MuseumNext website to watch on catch up (fees may apply).