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One of the reasons for the long-standing success of our IAMFAconferences is the attention paid

to the Guest Program. Plans for thisyear’s Guest Program are firming up,with wonderful offerings for ourguests each day. While delegates are attending the

Benchmarking Workshop on Sunday,guests will have some time on their ownor with their fellow IAMFA travelersto relax, get acquainted, or just catchup with one another. We will also beoffering the option, for a modest fee, ofa Sunday program that will include ashuttle to Arlington National Cemeteryand lunch at the Chart House inAlexandria, Virginia, followed by anopportunity to shop in Old TownAlexandria, then cross the PotomacRiver by water taxi to return to theGaylord Resort. After a refreshing day,everyone will gather Sunday eveningfor the Welcome Reception.On Monday, guests will enjoy a tour

of the Folger Shakespeare Library, home

to the world’s largest Shakespeare col -lection. In addition to being a majorinternational center for scholarlyresearch and a lively venue for exhi -bitions, literary programs, and theperforming arts, the Folger Libraryoffers educational programs that havetransformed the way Shakespeare istaught in American schools. After experiencing the wonderful

Folger Library, we will be off to tour theCapitol Visitor Center. The U.S. CapitolVisitor Center is the newest additionto the historic complex, and is locatedunderground on the east side of theCapitol so as not to detract from theappearance of the Capitol and thegrounds designed by Frederick LawOlmsted in 1874.On Monday afternoon after lunch

with the delegates, guests will tour theLibrary of Congress’ Madison Building.The Madison Building serves both asthe Library’s third major structure,and as this nation’s official memorialto James Madison, the “father” of the

U.S. Constitution and the Bill of Rights,and the fourth president of theUnited States.The next stop Monday afternoon

will be a tour of the United StatesBotanic Garden: a living plant museumaccredited by the American Allianceof Museums. The three public compo -nents of the United States BotanicGarden are the conservatory houses, theNational Garden and Bartholdi Park.Each of these offers unique plants,temporary exhibitions and breath -taking landscapes and gardens; guestsare sure to be inspired by the beautyand scope of these iconic gardens. On Monday night, delegates

and guests will rendezvous at theHirshhorn Museum and SculptureGarden, where we will enjoy a won -derful dinner, followed by an encoreof the incred ibly popular WashingtonMemorial bus tour, including well-known sites along with freshexperiences, includ ing the newMartin Luther King, Jr. Memorial.

An Unforgettable Guest ProgramBy Judie Cooper and Dan Davies

Arlington National Cemetery.

The Folger Shakespeare Library. The Capitol Visitor Center.

The Library of Congress’ Madison Building.

United States Botanic Garden.

On Tuesday, guests will enjoy someincredible new exhibits at the NationalZoological Park, such as the ElephantCommunity Center and the AmericanTrail. The American Trail provides a newhome for seals, sea lions, and brownpelicans in an enriching environmentthat explores the delicate balancebetween human actions and the healthof our coastlines. Modeled on the cen -tral California coast, there are wavemachines to keep the water moving,and underwater features in the sea lionpool provide interesting places for theanimals to explore. The exhibit andthe facilities were constructed usingsustainable practices, in the spirit ofthe exhibition’s conservation messages. Tuesday afternoon will find guests

at the National Gallery of Art. AndrewMellon donated paintings and worksof sculpture as the nucleus of the collec -tions now housed at this breathtakingart Gallery. Not only is the Gallery oneof the most treasured buildings inWashington, but it also has a won der -ful outdoor sculpture garden and aterrific gallery shop where you canfind treasures to take home. Oneexhibition you may find of interestduring your visit is Charles Marville:Photographer of Paris.

Tuesday night is yours to relax, visitand get refreshed because Wednesdayis a big day! Wednesday will find guests beginning

the day at the United States HolocaustMemorial Museum. A living memorialto the Holocaust, the United StatesHolocaust Memorial Museum inspirescitizens and leaders worldwide to con -front hatred, prevent genocide, andpromote human dignity. The archi -tecture of this building is drawn fromthe memory of a number of Holocaustsites, including camps and ghettos. Thiswill be an experience that will provideguests with an opportunity not only tolearn more about the Holocaust, butalso to think about and reflect uponthis event in history.Next, we will walk down the street

for a special treat at the nearby UnitedStates Bureau of Engraving and Print -ing. Guests will tour the facility and seemillions of dollars being printed as theylearn about the various steps involvedin currency production, beginningwith large, blank sheets of paper, andending with wallet-ready bills. Stop bythe gift shop and see if you can locateany bills or coins that may have strayedfrom the production line!

After leaving the Bureau of Engrav -ing and Printing, we will walk to theNational Museum of American Historyfor lunch with the delegates and anafternoon tour of the many exhibitsin this inspiring museum. One of themost popular exhibitions is The FirstLadies, which shows how differentFirst Ladies have helped shape theirrole as the role of women in societyhas evolved. There are more than twodozen gowns on display, including thoseworn by Michelle Obama, Laura Bush,Barbara Bush, Nancy Reagan, andJacqueline Kennedy. Four cases pro -vide in-depth looks at Dolley Madison,Mary Todd Lincoln, Edith Roosevelt,and Lady Bird Johnson, and theircontributions to their husband’spresidential administrations.On Wednesday evening, we will leave

the Gaylord Resort for the traditionalIAMFA Gala dinner, held this year atthe Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center. OurGala will find us looking glamorous inour most exquisite clothes, surroundedby artifacts illustrating the scope ofaviation history and Space exploration.It seems ironic that, with the Wednesdayevening Gala, we’ll celebrate the cul -mination of a conference that just

The Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden.

The American Trail at the National Zoological Park.

The National Gallery of Art.

The United States Bureau of Engravingand Printing.

The Hall of Witness at theUnited States HolocaustMemorial Museum.

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Aerial View of the National Museum ofAmerican History.

“flew by”, in a space where flight itselfis honored. On Thursday, we hope you will join

us for the optional day trip. Delegateswill be done with meetings, and thisday-tour will be a perfect way for dele -gates and guests to end their attendanceat the 23rd Annual IAMFA Conference.We have three unusual and interestingdestinations in one tour on Thursday,and these destinations are not to bemissed! For a modest premium, you canspend another great day with us andtour the Smithsonian EnvironmentalResearch Center (SERC), located nearthe world-famous Chesapeake Bay.This 2,650-acre wooded campus is thehome of cutting-edge research thathelps discover and highlight the linksbetween land and water ecosystems incoastal zones. SERC investigates ques -tions related to fisheries, climate change,invasive species, and water quality,among many other topics! When thereare oil spills in places such as the Gulfof Mexico, this is where scientists turnfor the latest information on waterecosystems. After a tour of SERC,which includes a terrific boat ride to

view the scenery from the water, wewill have lunch at a local restaurantwhich specializes in Maryland BlueCrabs—which are only available fromthe Chesapeake Bay!After our authentic seafood lunch,

we will take a bus to the NationalArchives in Greenbelt, Maryland, wherewe will get a tour of these state-of-the-art archives and the records storagecenter, and learn what is necessary tostore the textual and microfilm recordsthat are the definitive stories of nationalevents and records storage. Included inthe National Archives collections areArmy records dating from World War Iand Naval records dating from WorldWar II, Berlin Documents Center micro -film, the John F. Kennedy AssassinationRecords Collection, Nixon PresidentialMaterials and textual and electronicrecords from most civilian agencies.Storing and preserving these types ofdocuments requires a highly specializedfacility, and we will get the chance totour this facility on Thursday!After we finish with the National

Archives, we will continue on our busjourney to experience a treasure of a

museum called the Glenstone Galleryin Potomac, Maryland. Everyone whovisits the nation’s capital should takethe time to experience this sereneintegration of art and architecture.Glenstone presents outstanding post-World War II art in a series of refinedarchitectural and outdoor spaces.Visiting Glenstone will change howyou experience and appreciate art. Delegates will participate in robust

and meaningful educational sessionswhile at the IAMFA Conference, andyou can see that we have preparedan equally unique and memorableGuest Program so that everyone whotravels to Washington this Fall willbe rewarded with a once-in-a-lifetimeexperience. We look forward to wel -coming you to the 23rd Annual IAMFAConference in Washington D.C. onOctober 20–24, 2013.

Judie Cooper, CFM is a Facility ManagementAnalyst in the Office of Facilities Managementand Reliability at the Smithsonian Institution.

Dan Davies, CFM is the Zone FacilitiesManager at the National Zoological Parkof the Smithsonian Institution.

The Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center.

The Smithsonian Environmental ResearchCenter.

The National Archives in Greenbelt, Maryland.

The Glenstone Gallery in Potomac, Maryland.

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