Preservationists, history enthusiasts invited to participate in virtual conference

The Texas Historical Commission’s historic preservation and heritage tourism conference unites people who are passionate about finding, saving, and leveraging the real places and real stories of their communities—wherever they may be.

Real Places 2024 will take place April 3–5 as a true hybrid experience—attendees will choose to participate in the full conference either in person or virtually. Those who can’t make it to Austin or prefer the flexibility and savings of the virtual option can stream all conference sessions, with the same expertise the conference has been known to provide for years.

Recordings of sessions will be archived for viewing by all attendees for up to 60 days after the conference—both in person and virtual participants will be able to watch presentations they missed because sessions were running concurrently.

Presented by the Friends of the Texas Historical Commission in partnership with Phoenix I Restoration and Construction, LLC, the 2024 conference features more than 50 sessions and over 100 speakers from across Texas and the U.S. Session topics include downtown revitalization, historic tax credits, museum and historic site administration, digital outreach strategies, nonprofit operations, interpretation, and technical preservation issues.

Keynote speakers are Douglas Brinkley, a presidential historian, award-winning author, and professor of history at Rice University in Houston; Sina Bahram of North Carolina, an expert on accessibility and user experience; Jhonny Langer, a Galveston-based paint conservator and object restoration artist; Brian Luallen, chief executive officer of Fair Park First, which manages the 277-acre National Historic Landmark in Dallas that hosts the State Fair of Texas and nearly 6 million visitors annually; and Sarah Miller, regional director of the Northeast and East-Central Centers of the Florida Public Archaeology Network hosted by Flagler College in St. Augustine, Florida.

The online experience enables participation for people across the country involved in historic preservation, heritage tourism, historic sites, museums, and downtown revitalization. The conference connects attendees with industry-leading experts from across Texas and the U.S. to learn practical, actionable solutions they can apply in their communities.

Continuing education credits are available for planners and licensed architects attending in person or virtually. Members of the American Institute of Certified Planners and American Institute of Architects can meet licensing and certification requirements by attending numerous Real Places sessions.

With only a couple weeks left before the conference, the final rate for virtual registration is $225, more than $400 off the in-person final rate. Thanks to the support of sponsors, price breaks are available for full-time students with valid university IDs, including those attending virtually.

In-person registration closes on March 22. Virtual registration will remain open until the start of the conference on April 3.

For more information, including the schedule, registration and speaker bios, visit realplaces.us. For questions about registration, contact realplaces@thcfriends.org