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.
Register for PLACES 2024
Hosted in Walla Walla on October 16-18, 2024, this year’s conference will explore how we can redefine our metrics of success to prioritize social impact, community engagement, and inclusivity, and how we can all have more fun along the way as we learn, think, discover, and play. Register today and join us for:
- Engaging panels and speakers
- Mobile tours featuring inspiring projects throughout Walla Walla and beyond
- Main Street Building Blocks workshop
- Excellence on Main Awards Celebration
- Networking opportunities with peers and partners
Our Early Bird rate is available until August 16 — register early to take advantage of this discount!
P.S. Need to edit your registration? You can set up an account using the link in your confirmation email, which you can have re-sent using the top banner of the registration page. For step-by-step instructions, refer to this guide.
Lodging
We have room blocks with two delightful downtown hotels, the Marcus Whitman Hotel and the Finch Hotel. We recommend booking your lodging as soon as possible, as we expect the room blocks to fill up quickly. Before you do that, though, take a look at our schedule at a glance to ensure your reservations align with all conference activities you’re participating in. Note: the majority of our classroom sessions this year will take place at the Marcus Whitman Hotel.
Refund Policy
We will allow cancellations for any reason through Wednesday, October 9. The full cost of your ticket and any add-ons will be reimbursed, minus taxes and fees, for cancellations made before October 9. You may also transfer your registration to another individual at no cost or roll it into a tax-deductible donation to the Washington Trust for Historic Preservation. All cancellations must be sent in writing to co********@pr********.org.
Cancellations will not be accepted after October 9, 2024, except in the case of emergency or illness.
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!
Session Proposals
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.
PLACES’ Advancing Leaders
You can visit this page to learn more about our program for students and young professionals! Applications for the 2024 cohort are due July 9.
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: