BCMA Conference 2026
Conference Schedule
Snuneymuxw Territory | Nanaimo | November 3-6, 2026
This schedule is subject to change and will be updated as sessions are confirmed.
Tuesday
November 3
Morning Coffee & Registration
9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Newscastle Lobby, Vancouver Island Conference Centre
Check in, familiarize yourself with the space, and grab a cup of coffee or tea before pre-conference workshops.
Pre-Conference Workshop: XRF Training with Canadian Conservation Institute
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Lantzville Room
Description Coming Soon.
Pre-Conference Workshop: Visitor Evaluation with Tara Miller
10:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Millstone River Room
Description Coming Soon.
Evening Social
5:00 – 7:00 PM
Nanaimo Art Gallery
Description Coming Soon.
Sponsorship opportunities coming soon!
Dinner on Your Own
Wednesday
November 4
Breakfast & Registration
7:00 AM – 9:30 AM
Newcastle Lobby & Mt. Benson Ballroom
Check in, familiarize yourself with the space, then head into the Ballroom for breakfast.
Keynote Speaker: Dr. Candace Tangorra Matelic
9:30 AM – 10:30 PM
Mt. Benson Ballroom
Sponsorship opportunities coming soon!
Concurrent Sessions (Select one to attend)
10:45 AM – 11:45 AM
Various Rooms within the Vancouver Island Conference Centre
Descriptions Coming Soon
Session A
Departure Bay Rooms A/B
Session B: Passing the Torch (Without Setting Anything on Fire): Succession Planning in Small Museums
Tammy Bradford, Manager, Creston Museum & Archives
Lantzville Room
Session C:
Duke Point Room
Session D: Walking the Layers of Nanaimo’s Chinatown
Dr. Imogene Lim & Melissa Lee
Lunch
12:00 PM – 1:20 PM
Mt. Benson Ballroom
IBPOC Tea & Talk
12:30 PM – 1:20 PM
Millstone River Room
For delegates who identify as IBPOC. Description coming soon.
Concurrent Sessions (Select one to attend)
1:30 PM – 2:30 PM
Various Rooms within the Vancouver Island Conference Centre
Descriptions Coming Soon
Session A
Departure Bay Rooms A/B
Session B: The Personal is Political: Webs of Relation and Care in Small Community Museums
Robin Folvik
Lantzville Room
Session C: A Seat at the Table: Local Adaptations of Chinese Canadian History in Community Museums
Melissa Lee (Moderator), Owen Cook BC Forest Discovery Centre; Amy Greenaway (Nanaimo Museum); Grace Sneddon Wong (Victoria Chinatown Museum)
Duke Point Room
Lightning Talks
2:45 PM – 3:15 PM
Various Rooms within the Vancouver Island Conference Centre
Session A: Rethinking Partnerships: Tsleil-Waututh Nation and the Museum of Archaeology
Barbara Hilden, Director, Museum of Archaeology and Ethnology
Departure Bay Rooms A/B
Session B: Charter, Checklist, Action! Decent Work in Museums
Lorraine Bell, Director, Qualicum Beach Museum
Lantzville Room
Session C: Building Connections between Nature and Culture
Dennis Chen
Duke Point Room
Concurrent Sessions (Select one to attend)
3:45 PM – 4:45 PM
Various Rooms within the Vancouver Island Conference Centre
Descriptions Coming Soon
Session A: Heritage Under Fire: Lessons learned from Barkerville’s 2024 Wildfire Response
Mandy Kilsby, Curator of Barkerville; Carrie Chard, General Manager of Barkerville; Theresa McFarland, Manager-Stewardship and Historic Places, BC Heritage Branch
Departure Bay Rooms A/B
Session B: Powerful Strategies for Volunteer Retention
Charlene Dishaw
Lantzville Room
Session C: Surrey’s Memory Map: Activating Collections and Community through Online Tools
Louisa Smith, Curator of Community Heritage, City of Surrey
Duke Point Room
Dinner on Your Own
Joint IBPOC & 2SLGBTQIA+ Networks Social
5:30 – 7:00 PM
Details coming soon.
Opening Reception
7:00 PM – 9:00 PM
Nanaimo Museum
Thursday
November 5
Breakfast & Registration
8:00 AM – 9:20 AM
Mt. Benson Ballroom
Check in, familiarize yourself with the space, and have breakfast in the Ballroom.
IBPOC Tea & Talk
8:30 AM – 9:20 AM
Millstone River Room
For delegates who identify as IBPOC. Description coming soon.
Concurrent Sessions (Select one to attend)
9:30 AM – 11:00 AM
Various Rooms within the Vancouver Island Conference Centre
Descriptions Coming Soon
Session A
Departure Bay Rooms A/B
Session B: Making Connections: Co Creating Learning Experiences that Move Kind Words to Brave Action
Jackie Chambers; Gid yahk’ii, Sean Young, Manager/Curator of Collections and Archaeology at Saahlinda Naay Saving Things House (Haida Gwaii Museum) at Kay Llnagaay; Dr. Bridgette Clarkston, University of British Columbia Associate Professor of Teaching, Department of Botany, Honorary Associate in Undergraduate Education, Beaty Biodiversity Museum
Lantzville Room
Session C: Collaboration and Engagement of Collections with Small Museums, Local First Nations, and Communities
Emma Wilton; Michelle Richard; Dr. Andrea Walsh; Katherine Taylor-Hood; T’SOU-KE Elders: Jackie DeYaeger; Fern Albany; Willow Dodge
Duke Point Room
Concurrent Sessions (Select one to attend)
11:30 AM – 12:30 PM
Various Rooms within the Vancouver Island Conference Centre
Descriptions Coming Soon
Session A
Departure Bay Rooms A/B
Session B: Succession Planning: Stop Cramming and Start Planning
Tanya Nielsen
Lantzville Room
Session C: Métis Culture Talks: Connecting with Community in Virtual Spaces
Laura Carpentier; Hannah Denton; TBA
Duke Point Room
Lunch & BCMA AGM
12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Mt. Benson Ballroom
Concurrent Sessions (Select one to attend)
2:30 PM – 3:30 PM
Various Rooms within the Vancouver Island Conference Centre
Descriptions Coming Soon
Session A: Visible Leaders, Quiet Labour: Museum–Archive Power Dynamics and Reconciliation Work
Carolyn Smith
Departure Bay Rooms A/B
Session B: Mining the Gap: Innovating and Working with Scarcity in the Heritage and Cultural Sector
Sylvia Gropp
Lantzville Room
Session C: Harnessing the Power of Power Apps – Strategies for Using the Digital Tools You Already Have to Work Smarter, Not Harder
Thierry Haddad; Ryan Hunt, CEO, Museum of Vancouver
Duke Point Room
Concurrent Sessions (Select one to attend)
3:45 PM – 4:45 PM
Various Rooms within the Vancouver Island Conference Centre
Descriptions Coming Soon
Session A
Departure Bay Rooms A/B
Session B
Lantzville Room
Session C
Duke Point Room
The Power of Gathering Gala
6:00 PM – 8:00 PM
Mt. Benson Ballroom
Dinner Included. Description coming soon.
Friday
November 6
Breakfast
8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Mt. Benson Ballroom
Panel Discussion
9:30 AM – 10:30 PM
Mt. Benson Ballroom
Closing Keynote:
11:00 AM – 12:00 PM
Mt. Benson Ballroom
Descriptions Coming Soon
Sponsorship opportunities coming soon!
Closing IBPOC & 2SLGBTQIA+ Tea & Talk
12:15 – 1:30 PM
Millstone River Room
For delegates who identify as IBPOC and/or 2SLGBTQIA+. Description coming soon.
Lunch on Your Own
Field Trips
1:30 PM – 4:00 PM
Details to be announced.
We are grateful for the support of this year’s event sponsors:
Explore to learn more about our sponsors and stay tuned for more information about them in the lead up to the conference!
Through strategic investments and research initiatives, Tourism Nanaimo actively nurtures a dynamic and sustainable tourism sector, ensuring its vibrancy and longevity.
The organization aims to create lasting memories for visitors while preserving and benefiting the community’s quality of life.
