2008 Pachyderm Conference

September 22, 2008 - September 24, 2008
at San Antonio, Texas hosted by The New Media Consortium

Each year, museum and campus leaders, trustees, and educators come together for a series of dialogs with content authors, developers, members of the open source community, students, and museum experts to discuss the outreach and programmatic use of digital media and Pachyderm in museums and institutions of higher education.

The focus of the Pachyderm Conference is to bring together authors, developers, and others in an ongoing conversation about how to communicate effectively with digital media. The conference will provide a forum for beginners to learn from established experts, and for those with more advanced skills to exchange ideas and gather inspiration from their peers.

The theme of this year’s conference is the power of story. Highlights will include final details about the next release of Pachyderm, which is imminent, as well as a special showcase of presentations that demonstrate the deep connection between story and audience.

This year, the conference will take a form that involves the audience in ways much like the "unconference" model. For those unfamiliar with this model, it allows room for presentations to come from the audience as well as pre-scheduled speakers. It is a kind of web 2.0-meets-real-life format that is both fun and informative.

Details are still being finalized, but we are soliciting suggestions for topics, activities, and speakers that would be of interest. Please send your suggestions to Rachel Smith (rachel@nmc.org).

We are also interested in what you have been working on, particularly if it falls within the theme of the power of story. If you would like to share your work, send a link and description to Rachel Smith (rachel@nmc.org).

In addition to informal or on-the-fly “unconference” sessions, attendees will share their experiences and learn from colleagues in a variety of traditional sessions, including:

• Keynotes: Leaders in the field of digital media will inspire attendees with thought-provoking discussions of current issues and opportunities.
• Panel Sessions: Discuss themes from design and creativity to planning and support with museum and higher education leaders.
• Conversations with Developers: Find out where Pachyderm is going, help to influence future development work, and meet the people who continue to develop Pachyderm in the open source community.
• Showcases: Leading Pachyderm authors will display their work in a Pachyderm Showcase that highlights the variety of disciplines using Pachyderm today.

More information will be available here as planning progresses. Meanwhile, please save the dates, and we look forward to seeing you in San Antonio!

Registration

Online registration is available August 5, 2008 - September 5, 2008. After this closing date, you will have to pay the late registration fee.