Why Host?

• Dedicated to local historic preservation issues: the goal of FORUM is to highlight innovative approaches to challenging local preservation issues and provide an interactive learning environment for historic preservation commissioners, commission staff, elected officials, and other preservation professionals and volunteers.
• Robust education and networking: FORUM is a national conference designed to enable attendees to learn from their colleagues, as well as from experts in the field. Commissioners are typically not preservation professionals and rely on FORUM for the training they need to build strong local preservation programs and administer preservation laws.
• Showcase your city: FORUM blends traditional educational sessions with dynamic discussion panels, mobile workshops, and tours to explore and learn from the host location.  Participants will come from local governments across the country as well as from federal, national, state and local preservation agencies and organizations.

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Selection, Criteria, Process

NAPC seeks potential conference sites that are attractive to prospective participants, have a strong preservation ethic, good community support, and a substantial fundraising commitment. It is critical that the local public preservation agency, private nonprofit preservation organizations, and Convention & Visitors Bureau work together, along with the State Historic Preservation Office and statewide nonprofit organization, to present a case for hosting FORUM 2028. FORUM’s success depends on the host city, and we depend on our local partners to help create a dynamic program with tours and mobile workshops highlighting the preservation issues facing your community. We also depend on a cadre of local volunteers to help manage registration tables, social events, etc. The preservation partners must commit to raise $40,000 locally to help keep the conference affordable for participants.

In an effort to reach a wider audience, NAPC encourages submissions from all regions of the country, in particular regions that have not been host to a past FORUM. Once a site is selected, NAPC commits significant staff and board resources to assist the host organizations with planning, marketing, and execution.