Fall is conference season, and we’re getting ready to hit the road (and, in one case, welcome people to our own stomping grounds)!

This year, Downtown FabWorks is headed to two of the industry gatherings we look forward to most:

• The Southeastern Museums Conference Annual Meeting in Winston-Salem, NC
• The Themed Entertainment Association’s SATE North America Conference in New Orleans, LA

They’re different conferences with different audiences, but there’s plenty of overlap in what gets us excited about both: good ideas, thoughtful conversations, creative problem-solving, and the chance to connect with the people shaping the future of museums and immersive experiences.

So, if you’re heading to either one, keep an eye out for the DFW crew!

Forged in Culture: Our Team at SEMC 2026

From September 28–30, Sarah Rose Janko (Sales Manager) and Desireé Stark (Digital Marketing Manager) will be heading to Winston-Salem, North Carolina, for the 2026 Southeastern Museums Conference Annual Meeting.

This year’s theme, “Forged in Culture – Focused on the Future,” feels especially fitting for an event bringing together museum professionals from across the Southeast. The program will explore the connections between cultural identity, art, history, innovation, and the evolving role of museums in their communities.

And there’s an extra reason to celebrate this year: SEMC is marking its 75th anniversary in 2026.

We love being part of the museum community because the work happening in these spaces is about so much more than exhibits. It’s about creating places where people can learn, connect, see themselves represented, and experience something they’ll carry with them.

That’s a pretty great conversation to be part of.

📍 If you’ll be at Benton Convention Center, come find us at Booth #38 in the Expo Hall! We’d love to catch up, hear what you’re working on, and talk shop.

Cultural Authenticity as Design Material: Our Team at TEA SATE North America

Then, from October 12–14, the action comes a whole lot closer to home.

We are all super-jazzed that TEA SATE North America is in our hometown this year, and the team is really looking forward to welcoming everyone.

This year’s theme is “Cultural Authenticity as Design Material,” and honestly, we can’t think of a more interesting place to explore that idea than New Orleans.

TEA SATE 2026 will dig into how history, tradition, community, and place can become part of the design process. This annual industry hub will bring together designers, storytellers, architects, producers, technologists, owners, operators, imagineers, and other experience-makers for three days of conversations, behind-the-scenes experiences, and plenty of opportunities to get inspired.

And because this is New Orleans, just attending the conference will be its own unique immersive experience.

Sessions will take place at Le Petit Theatre, with events including a welcome reception at The National WWII Museum and behind-the-scenes programming at The Mortuary.

Not a bad few days in The Big Easy for people who get nerdy about themed environments.

And a Little Lagniappe...

And because we decided that just two fall conferences wasn’t quite enough, we added one more destination this year: The Welcome Conference (by Unreasonable Hospitality) in New York City.

On October 5, Dan Krall (President & Founder), Anna Harris (VP of Communications), Essence Banks (Director of People & Culture), and Desireé Stark (Digital Marketing Manager) will head to David Geffen Hall at the Lincoln Center for this one-day gathering focused on hospitality, creativity, connection, and the art of creating memorable experiences.

It’s a little different from the experiential-themed gatherings we usually attend, but we are huge Will Guidara fans around here, so we're having trouble hiding our excitement for this one.

At DFW, we pride ourselves on fostering a hospitality mindset in everything we do, whether we’re serving our clients or working alongside one another. So spending a day learning from people who think deeply about how to care for and serve others feels like a pretty great opportunity.

Three Excellent Experiences for our group of Good People.

So there you have it: two experiential industry conferences, one brand-new-to-us conference, and a whole lot of opportunities to learn, connect, and bring some new ideas back to the shop.

Opportunities like these help our team at DFW get even better, professionally and on a personal level. We love stepping out of our day-to-day occasionally to revisit and refresh our creativity and passion for what we do.

If you have any conferences in common with us this season, we hope you’ll reach out. Even a quick hello can lead to something meaningful–and who knows where even a quick conversation might take us?

Let’s Say Hi in Person.

If you’re at SEMC, TEA SATE, or The Welcome Conference, we want to find time to connect.

If you are curious about what we do, are looking for an experiential fabrication partner, or simply want to make some cool new industry friends, we’re all about it.

👉 Email us at info@downtownfabworks.com with the subject line “SEMC,” “TEA SATE” or “WELCOME” to set up a meeting time. Or come see us at the SEMC Expo, Booth #38!

Safe travels, industry friends. We can’t wait to see you out there!