Hello! There won’t be a meet up this month – it’s a bit chaotic and the pubs are rammed. The next event will be in January 2026, and we’ll post the details in the new year. Watch this space!

EDIT: This poll is now closed. Thank you very much to everyone who responded. I had a really good conversation with Paula Lamont at Prospect this morning who thinks there is plenty of potential for a museums and heritage freelancers branch of the union. Paula is going to talk to Prospect’s senior management, and we are going to meet again in January to take it forward. Watch this space!

*****

I am doing a quick survey of what type of work self-employed people working in museums and heritage do, and for which types of organisations. It’s is to help me chat to the heritage branch of Bectu / Prospect who are interested to know if they can offer support. I’ll do another post on how this has come about shortly.

Please help me give Bectu / Prospect an idea of the range of work self-employed museum people do by responding to the polls below. Apologies if I have left out a role or type of organisation!

Questions or comments? Please get in touch.

If you could spread the word, that would be ace!

We’re doing more meeting up! With apologies for the short notice…

We’ll be back at The Harrison from 6.30pm on Tuesday November 18th. If you work in or with museums, libraries and archives and would like to meet new people, catch up with old friends, have a drink and a natter, then this is for you! No presentations, no agenda, just an informal meet up.

If you’d like to come along, please let us know by signing up so we can book a table.

It’s time for another GLAM meet up!

If you work in or with museums, libraries and archives and would like to get together, and chat / put the world to rights over a drink and/or food, this is for you! No presentations, no agenda, just an informal meet up.

We’ll be at The Harrison on Tuesday 21st October from 6.30pm. If you’d like to come along, please let us know by signing up so we can book a table.

The Harrison is near Kings Cross and has a great selection of drinks (including a long list of non-alcoholic options), and food and snacks with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.

We had a lovely time at the first GLAM meet up last month so we’re doing it again this month!

If you work in or with museums, libraries and archives and would like to get together, and chat / put the world to rights over a drink and/or food, this is for you! No presentations, no agenda, just an informal meet up.

We’ll be at The Harrison on Tuesday 16th September from 6.30pm. If you’d like to come along, please let us know by signing up so we can book a table.

The Harrison is near Kings Cross and has a great selection of drinks (including a long list of non-alcoholic options), and food and snacks with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.

Hello, hello! It’s been ages. What with the demise of Twitter, it’s been a bit difficult to keep in touch with everyone. But we have a cunning plan…

Our fab producer, Rachel, and the lovely Matt White from Catlips Creative, are piloting a monthly meet up for anyone who works in museums, libraries and archives. No presentations, no agenda, just a chance to get together, and chat / put the world to rights over a drink and/or food.

We’re going to give this a go on Tuesday 19th August, 6.30pm onwards at The Harrison, which is near Kings Cross. The Harrison has a great selection of drinks (including a long list of non-alcoholic options), and food and snacks with vegan, vegetarian and gluten-free options.

If you’d like to come along, please let us know by signing up so we can book a table.

… nearly two years, in fact!

Apologies for the radio silence. Rachel (our fab producer) needed to take a break to finish a stressful project as part of her day job, and then work out what she wants to be when she’s grown up.

Rachel’s still doing things with museums, so we’re going to get up and running again… though we need your help. Coming soon are two posts – one on our first 10 years, and the second on what we’d like to do next and how you could help. Watch this space!

Museums Showoff strives to produce events where everyone feels welcome and has a positive experience. We want people to be able to relax, enjoy themselves and get the most from our events. Since all participants contribute to the atmosphere of an event, it requires all participants to create a safe, welcoming environment. It is not enough to say “be nice to people”, so today we are publishing our Code of Conduct, which outlines the behaviours that are unacceptable at our events, how to report harassment, and the sanctions we may take if someone violates the Code of Conduct. Everyone participating in one of our events will be required to agree to it.

The full Code of Conduct is below, and can also be found on the Code of Conduct page of this website.

Code of Conduct

All attendees, speakers, sponsors, staff and volunteers at Museums Showoff events are required to agree with the following code of conduct.

The Quick Version

Museums Showoff is dedicated to providing a harassment-free experience for everyone, regardless of gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, neurotype, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity or religion (or lack thereof). We do not tolerate harassment of participants or venue staff in any form.

Participants violating these rules may be sanctioned or expelled from a show without a refund at the discretion of the organisers.

The Less Quick Version

Harassment includes, but is not limited to:

• verbal comments that reinforce harmful power structures related to gender, gender identity and expression, age, sexual orientation, disability, neurotype, physical appearance, body size, race, ethnicity, religion.
• gratuitous or inappropriate sexual images
• deliberate misgendering or use of dead names
• deliberate intimidation
• stalking or following
• harassing photography or recording
• sustained disruption of shows or other events
• inappropriate physical contact
• invasion of personal space
• unwelcome sexual attention
• advocating for, or encouraging, any of the above.

Enforcement

Participants asked to stop any harassing behaviour are expected to comply immediately.

If a participant engages in harassing behaviour, Museums Showoff organisers may take any action they deem appropriate to keep the event a welcoming environment for all participants. This includes warning the offender or expulsion from the event with no refund.

Event organisers may take action to address anything designed to, or with the clear impact of, disrupting the event or making the environment hostile for any participants.

We expect participants to follow these rules at all event venues and event-related social activities.

Reporting

If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of the Museums Showoff team.

• In person at a live event
• Through our contact page

The Museums Showoff team will be happy to help participants contact venue security or local law enforcement or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe for the duration of the event. We value your attendance.

Sponsors / Funders

Sponsors and funders are subject to the anti-harassment policy.

Attribution

This code of conduct is based on the Conference Code of Conduct, JSConf EU and Admission Conference.