PastForward National Preservation Conference

PastForward 2023 will take place November 8-10, 2023, in Washington, DC, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel. Celebrate the power of place and join fellow preservationists and preservation lovers at the nation’s premier conference for those who work to save, sustain, and interpret historic places.

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Preserving Place, Empowering Community

The preservation movement and the PastForward conference are rooted in historic places. People save historic places to tell the full stories of their communities or the nation and to activate them in ways that benefit us all.

While we each come from diverse backgrounds, use different strategies, and have various audiences, we share a common element—the power to enact positive change in our communities through preservation.

How are you preserving and activating the places that matter in your towns and cities? How does your work bring about positive change? How are you using preservation as a tool to empower community? Join us at PastForward 2023 and share your experiences and learn from others!

At PastForward 2023, attendees will be empowered with effective tools and inspiring perspectives. PastForward itself is a community, a powerful network of preservationists and allies that we strengthen when we gather, celebrate, and learn together.

Connecting with a broad, diverse range of colleagues from across the country, PastForward 2023 attendees will come together in our nation’s capital to engage with vibrant historic places, share successes and challenges, and generate ideas and solutions for the preservation movement and the various communities we serve.

At PastForward 2023, we will harness the power of place and of community to save more places and use preservation as a tool for building a more just, equitable, and sustainable future.

  • Power of Place: Preservation harnesses the extraordinary power of place to bring people together, explore our shared history, and build a better world. This year at PastForward, attendees will bring stories of their work in places across the country— small towns, large cities, and everywhere in between—and combine those with the perspectives and opportunities that are unique to our nation’s capital. The rich cultural landscape, multi-faceted neighborhoods, and communities within D.C. and the surrounding areas will serve as a catalyst for PastForward, providing shared experiences, dynamic case studies, and inspiring best practices and solutions.
  • Power of Community: Preservation brings people together, connected by their passion for places and how preserving them can be empowering and affirming for all communities. Within the PastForward community, we are all allies, galvanizing to address common concerns for the future of our towns and cities, coming together with different perspectives but one common cause—empowering communities through historic places.
  • Power of People: Working collaboratively and celebrating each other’s impacts, we will further develop our potential as leaders and advocates. We will exchange innovative ideas and proven solutions to expand relevance and inclusivity across the breadth of preservation practice. We will continue to use the crowdsourced Leading the Change Together: A National Impact Agenda for the Preservation Movement to address our common concerns and challenges together.

Join us this fall at PastForward 2023 in the dynamic city of Washington, D.C. as we celebrate, share, and learn together in Preserving Place, Empowering Community.

Sponsor PastForward

As a sponsor of PastForward 2023, you’ll reach event attendees at the event, as well as through all channels where PastForward is promoted throughout the year. Learn more about the value of sponsoring PastForward (PDF).

For questions about PastForward partner opportunities, please reach out to Chehana Samarawickreme, Associate Director of Corporate Relations, at csamarawickreme@savingplaces.org.

Past Conferences

View select conference programming on the National Trust's YouTube channel playlists.

Each year, America’s 11 Most Endangered Historic Places sheds light on important examples of our nation’s heritage that are at risk of destruction or irreparable damage.

Find Out Who Is Listed