About

Purpose

The purpose of the 2010 Smith Leadership Symposium is to leverage technology and a network of professional development providers to stimulate dialogue on issues of mutual importance across the state of California, and to share this dialogue across the country and internationally. This event will focus on the leading thinking and research regarding how visitors benefit from museum experiences and the implications for other types of arts, science, and cultural institutions as well.

Importance

A 2009 report released by the National Endowment for the Arts that found that the number of American adults attending arts and cultural events has sunk to its lowest level since 1982. Understanding our audiences is vital to increasing attendance and the future health of museums and other cultural institutions.

In addition to featuring thought leaders regarding audience experience—what motivates arts participants/visitors, how they benefit, what the implications are for an increasingly diverse society—the Symposium will also debut groundbreaking research conducted in Balboa Park. As a national first, 12 Park museums collaborated on the development and implementation of a large-scale audience research study.

Format & Location

The program will be based in San Diego, CA, with satellite sites convening in Los Angeles and San Jose (serving the San Francisco Bay area) and participating interactively using technology. The program will also be available throughout the state, nationally, and internationally via webcast.

Who Should Attend?

The primary audience for all sites will be museum, garden, zoo, and aquaria professionals engaged or invested in the audience experience. This may include staff at all levels from executive, education, marketing, development, curatorial, and exhibitions departments as well as trustees and volunteers. The program will also target professionals from different types of arts, science, and cultural institutions and community members.

Symposium Background

The Robert F. Smith, Jr. Leadership Symposium is a signature event of the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership’s Learning Institute program. The event is intended to inspire and advance our cultural community’s ability to serve the community and to create dynamic visitor experiences. The Symposium is named in recognition of San Diegan Robert “Bob” Smith, an inspiring civic and business leader who was the founder and president of Strategies & Teams, Inc., a San Diego based consulting company. Mr. Smith’s service to Balboa Park began when he was a young newsboy, selling daily papers at the California-Pacific International Exposition in 1935. In later years, he provided strategic planning consulting for many Park institutions, including the San Diego Natural History Museum, Zoological Society of San Diego, and the Balboa Park Cultural Partnership.