Our Annual Statewide Conference
PLACES is Washington’s annual statewide conference focused on the continued care of place through historic preservation, placemaking, and economic vitality, brought to you by the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation and the Department of Archaeology & Historic Preservation. The PLACES Conference allows preservationists, planners, downtown development professionals, and anyone who cares about place to dive deep into creative ideas, build their network, and inspire new solutions.
Save the date: The 2024 PLACES Conference will take place in Walla Walla on October 16-18, 2024!
Why “PLACES”?
After over a decade of hosting this conference under the name RevitalizeWA, we’ve decided that it’s time to rebrand. We chose the name “PLACES” to represent the wide array of contexts already included in our learning experiences together. From historic districts to cultural spaces, rural communities to urban neighborhoods, preservationists to entrepreneurs, we’re all here for the same reason—our shared love of places. Great places don’t just happen, and the PLACES Conference will continue to bring people together every year to learn, explore, and take action together. We commit to continuing to host a unique place-based conference and we know that Walla Walla will be the perfect place to lean into this new name in 2024. See you there!
Submit a Session Proposal
We are now closed to session proposals for PLACES 2024. We received an incredible number of fantastic submissions, and we’re excited to share the agenda with you later this summer. In the meantime, if a great idea for a session comes to you, jot it down and set yourself a reminder! The proposal portal will open again next spring for PLACES 2025.
Sponsorship Opportunities
If you’re interested in sponsorship and marketing opportunities at the Washington Trust’s largest event of the year, please contact Kristy Conrad for more information.
PreserveWA Fellowship
You can visit this page to learn more about our fellowship program in conjunction with the PLACES Conference! Applications for the 2024 cohort will open in May.
Looking Back at our 2023 Conference
With presenters and attendees from all corners of the state and all realms of preservation, placemaking, and economic development, our 2023 conference was full of learning, networking, and fun. Check out the full listing of speakers and sessions in our program below and take a peek at our favorite conference memories in our photo album.
Stay tuned by signing up for email updates on PLACES: