VALLEY — As one of the major supporters of historical and cultural preservation in the San Luis Valley, the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area would like to encourage Valley locals to apply to be a presenter at the 21st annual Saving Places Conference.

Colorado Preservation, Inc. (CPI) has begun accepting applications from presenters for their 2018 Saving Places Conference, scheduled for January 31 – February 2, in Denver at the Colorado Convention Center. This annual event is an opportunity for preservation-minded individuals and professionals to get high-quality education through sessions and speakers, and to network with colleagues and leaders in the preservation field.

The 2018 conference will celebrate Colorado’s diverse history with a tentative theme of “Preserving the Places that Matter.” The 2018 Conference will provide an opportunity to shed light on underrepresented sites and communities in the San Luis Valley, and give voice to the stories of the cultural sites, places that matter, and history of the San Luis Valley that often go untold to areas outside the Valley.

CPI is accepting presentation applications until their deadline on Friday, August 11. For those who are passionate about preservation, the history of the San Luis Valley, are excited about new techniques, tools or technology that helps with preservation work, or if have just finished work on a project or a site and are excited to talk about it, then now is the time.

SESSION FORMATS 

* Educational Sessions: These sessions are 75 minutes in length and can include any of the following -

* Panel discussion

* Case study – presentation on a specific project or site 

* Continuing education credit – APA and AIA credits are offered at the Conference

* Presentation by an expert 

* Tours: Tours offer attendees an up-close opportunity to experience preservation-in-action around the Denver metro area. Proposals should provide compelling detail on the tour site, start and finish locations, a proposed tour schedule, minimum/maximum tour size, and preferred date and time slot. 

* Workshops: Workshops offer in-depth, hands-on exploration of a topic. Session length can range from 180 minutes to a full day. Proposals should clearly outline special project needs, material expenses, equipment, etc.

* Hot Topic Sessions: These sessions are 30 minutes in length and work best with no more than 1-2 speakers. Hot topic sessions are intended to be high energy and focused while presenting a brief overview of a topic or project.

SESSION CATEGORY/THEME: New this year, CPI is asking session presenters to label their sessions with a category or theme to help Conference attendees in selecting the sessions they would like to attend. Session Categories are -

* Case Study (successful, failed, or ongoing project stories)

* Project Funding (grants, tax credits, other)

* Technical Preservation Methods (hands-on methods and best practices)

* Technology and Social Media (social media, internet, and new digital tools)

* General Education (Preservation 101, general preservation information, in-depth look at resource types, topics of general interest)

* Advocacy and Policy

* Community Development and Tourism

* Marketing Techniques (techniques to promote a project/site/museum)

Visit the CPI website to learn more, to see a list of past presentations, and to submit a proposal for the 2018 Saving Places Conference     coloradopreservation.org/saving-places-conference

For more information on the Sangre de Cristo National Heritage Area visit their website at sdcnha.org