Hosted since 1968, the Annual Conference is MCN’s marquee event and draws hundreds of cultural heritage professionals from museums, historic sites and visitor attractions in North America and beyond. Attendees come from all areas of practice, from IT to digital outreach and visitor engagement, to collections, conservation, archival, libraries, curatorial, education, marketing, and more.
2025 Conference
October 20–22, 2025
Minneapolis, MN
Building on the success of MCN 2024, which brought together nearly 300 cultural heritage professionals from museums and historic sites across North America and beyond, MCN 2025 will continue to foster connections, spark conversations, and explore the latest advancements in digital technologies for museums. Stay tuned for more details on how you can be part of this dynamic gathering of museum professionals!
Past Conferences
Every MCN Conference is an opportunity to grow your network and get inspired. We explore new ideas in a variety of sessions formats from lightning talks to workshops and panel discussions. Topics are wide-ranging; Hear about approaches to digital workflow, the role of digital in our evolving understanding of audience engagement in museums, and more. Whether the ideas are new or new-to-you, it’s always an opportunity to learn and reframe your thinking, build your skillset, and connect with other museum professionals to expand your digital capacity and develop brave ideas that will transform the sector.
Links to program and select recordings of past conferences
For access to all past conference recordings and more, check out the new MCN Resources feature.
MCN 2021 VIRTUAL
What is Digital Now?
Program | Ignite MCN
MCN 2020 VIRTUAL
Interface: Communities + Museums
Program | Ignite MCN
What’s Emerging in the Field (Scholars’ Publication)
MCN 2019: San Diego, CA
Interface: Communities + Museums
Session Recordings
MCN 2018 – Denver, CO
Humanizing the digital
Ignite MCN
Humanizing the Digital: Unproceedings from the MCN 2018 Conference
MCN 2017 – Pittsburgh, PA
MCN 50 – Looking Back, thinking forward, taking action
Session Recordings | Ignite MCN
MCN 2016 – New Orleans, LA
The Human-Centered Museum
Session Recordings | Ignite MCN
MCN 2015 – Minneapolis, MN
The Invisible Architectures of Connected Museums
Session Recordings | Ignite MCN
MCN 2014 – Dallas, TX
Think Big, Start Small, Create
Session Recordings | Ignite MCN
MCN 2013 – Montreal, Canada
Re:Making The Museum
Session Recordings | Ignite MCN
MCN 2012 – Seattle, WA
The Museum Unbound: Shifting Perspectives, Evolving Spaces, Disruptive Technologies
Session Recordings | Ignite MCN
MCN 2011 – Atlanta, GA
Hacking the Museum: Innovation, Agility & Collaboration
Session Recordings
MCN 2010 – Austin, TX
I/O The Museum: Inside-Out / Outside-In
MCN 2009 – Portland, OR
Museum Information, Museum Efficiency: Doing More with Less!
MCN 2008 – Washington, D.C.
LET’S DO I.T. RIGHT!
MCN 2007 – Chicago, IL
Building Content, Building Community: 40 Years of Museum Information and Technology
MCN 2006 – Pasadena, CA
Access to Assets: Return on Investment
MCN 2005 – Boston, MA
DIGITS FUGIT!: Preserving Knowledge Into the Future
MCN 2004 – Minneapolis, MN
Great Technology for Collections, Confluence and Community
MCN 2003 – Las Vegas, NV
Balancing Museum Technology and Transformation
MCN 2002 – Toronto, Canada
In It for the Long Haul: Technology Programs that Go The Distance
MCN 2001 – Cincinnati, OH
Real Life: Virtual Experiences
MCN 2000 – Las Vegas, NV
The Name of the Game is Change
MCN 1999 – Philadelphia, PA
Access for All: Integrating Cultural Heritage, Media and Technology
MCN 1998 – Santa Monica, CA
Knowledge Creation, Knowledge Sharing, Knowledge Preservation
MCN 1997 – St. Louis, MO
Communication within the museum, with the museum and its community, within the community of museums
MCN 1996 – Ottawa, ON
Reaching Museum Audiences Using New Technology
MCN 1995 – San Diego, CA
MCN 1994 – Washington, D.C.
Cultures Connected: Automating Museums in the Americas and Beyond
MCN 1993 – Seattle, WA
MCN 1992 – Pittsburgh, PA
25th Anniversary MCN Conference
MCN 1991 – Santa Monica, CA
MCN 1990 – Richmond, VA
MCN 1989 – Chicago, IL
MCN 1988 – Santa Monica, CA
MCN 1987 – Boston, MA
MCN 1986 – New Orleans, LA
Conference on Computer Applications in Museums
MCN 1985 – Mexico City, Mexico
MCN 1984 – Ottawa, ON, Canada
MCN 1983 – Rochester, NY
MCN 1982 – San Francisco, CA
MCN 1981 – Detroit, MI
MCN 1980 – Albany, NY
MCN 1979 – Washington, D.C.
MCN 1978 – New Haven, CT
MCN 1977
MCN 1976
MCN 1975
MCN 1974 – Stony Brook, NY
MCN 1973
MCN 1968 – New York, NY
A Conference on Computers and their Potential Applications in Museums