Strategies for Exhibit Project Managers: Building Project Plans that Foster Effective Communication and Collaboration (Beginner to Intermediate) – This is a guided planning workshop during which participants will receive instructions, tips, and strategies as they draft their own project plans using worksheets and templates provided. Facilitators will offer their own experiences and suggestions for capturing the vision for a project, transforming a vision into a scope of work, developing budgets and timelines, building in strategies for feedback and review, as well as being prepared for common roadblocks and how to get “unstuck.” Participants will receive templates, tools, and a list of resources in an exhibit planning and development guidebook developed by the facilitators.

Getting Your Project Off the Ground: Strategies for Idea Generation and Early Phases of Project Development (Beginner to Intermediate) – This hands-on workshop invites project managers and exhibit developers (or wearers of many hats) to consider a variety of ways to collate research, select a topic, generate ideas, and establish some parameters for content (target audience, etc.) at the earliest stages of an exhibit project. How will your topic resonate with your audience(s)? How will the exhibit flow? What is your audience interested in? Facilitators will share a variety of case studies and, in small groups, participants will test out a 1-2 ideation methods and learn how to create bubble diagrams and test out an early concept with their target audience. Participants will receive templates, tools, and a list of resources in an exhibit planning and development guidebook developed by the facilitators.

Strategies for Solving Problems in Project Development and Design (Intermediate to Advanced) – This hands-on workshop focuses on creative problem-solving at various stages of project development and design. Team members often encounter challenges as they sift through research to find a focus for content or seek the most appropriate solutions for interactives, displays, and environments for their exhibits. Facilitators will share case studies and lead demonstrations of multiple methods for collating research, testing ideas and creatively generating solutions. Participants will receive templates, tools, and a list of resources in an exhibit planning and development guidebook developed by the facilitators.

Strategies for Content Development (Beginner to Intermediate) – Led by award-winning content developer, Tricia O’Connor, this online seminar focuses on best-practices in exhibit story development, content organization, label writing and hierarchy, and content testing. Facilitators will also share tips for communicating and collaborating with designers during exhibit development stages. Participants will receive templates, tools, and a list of resources in an exhibit planning and development guidebook developed by the facilitators.

Strategies for Prototyping and Testing Interactive Solutions (Intermediate to Advanced) – This hands-on workshop walks participants through an evaluation process for exhibit interactives. Facilitators will discuss the importance of iterative planning and design to mitigate risk and support project development, while offering a variety of methods for testing possible solutions for hands-on or technology-based interactives. Participants will work in small groups on theoretical cases, identifying what they want to know and then prototyping and testing to find the answers. This workshop includes templates and sample prototyping instruments. Participants will receive templates, tools, and a list of resources in an exhibit planning and development guidebook developed by the facilitators.

Strategies for Developing Effective Labels (Beginner) – This online seminar shares current learning and best practices when developing labels for a variety of audiences. What can we learn from scientific evaluations and case studies in order to  create engaging labels that connect with our target audience? How can we use this information along with best practices to create a label hierarchy, establish tone and voice, write copy and collaborate with designers? This exhibit also shares techniques for developing accessible label copy.