Southeastern California Conference

What Southeastern California Conference does

Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization founded in 1951 and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. It serves museums and museum professionals across twelve southeastern U.S. states — Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia, and West Virginia — plus Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands, reaching approximately 1,200+ member contacts through museums, museum staff, independent professionals, and corporate partners. SEMC operates as one of the largest regional museum associations in the United States, organized around annual conferences, professional education programs, competitions, publications, and a reciprocal membership program (SERM) that allows members to receive benefits at participating museums across the region.

SEMC's product portfolio comprises the SEMC Annual Meeting (with SEMC2025 drawing 600 attendees in Montgomery, Alabama, and SEMC2026 scheduled for Winston-Salem, NC), the Jekyll Island Management Institute (JIMI), the SEMC Leadership Institute (delivered with AAAM), Virtual Programs, the SEMC/AAMG Launchpad, three annual competitions (Technology, Publication, Exhibition), the Inside SEMC newsletter, and the Southeastern Reciprocal Membership Program. The underlying technology stack consists of the Wild Apricot membership management platform and the PheedLoop event management platform; no proprietary technology, AI features, or APIs are referenced. A network of 16+ affinity groups and standing professional committees, alongside 12 state museum association partnerships, functions as the engagement backbone.

The business model combines recurring membership dues (individual, institutional, corporate), one-time annual conference registration fees, tiered event sponsorships (Signature $20,000 down to Bronze $2,500), tuition for professional education programs ($700-$1,600 per attendee), competition entry fees ($15-$45 per entry), merchandise sales, advertising in Inside SEMC ($250-$500), and job posting fees. Go-to-market is event-driven, anchored by the annual meeting and supported by email, social media, and partner-driven referrals. SEMC receives operational support from the Georgia Council for the Arts and, indirectly, the National Endowment for the Arts, and is governed by a Council of museum professionals rather than external investors.

Name

Southeastern California Conference

Legal name

Southeastern Museums Conference

Website

https://semcdirect.net

Company type

Private

Founded year

1951

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

Southeastern Museums Conference is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization founded in 1951, serving museums and museum professionals across 12 southeastern U.S. states, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands through annual conferences, professional education programs, competitions, publications, and a reciprocal membership program.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Professional Association Services for Museums

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

Keywords

• Museum professional development
• Regional museum networking
• Annual museum conferences
• Museum membership programs
• Museum leadership training

Headquarters

HQ city

Atlanta

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: Individual, institutional, and corporate membership fees providing access to professional development, networking, and member resources
2. Conference Registration: Annual meeting registration fees for SEMC2026 in Winston-Salem, NC (September 28-30, 2026) including additional workshops, events, and tours
3. Event Sponsorships: Corporate sponsorships at various tiers (Signature $20,000, Platinum $12,000, Gold $6,000, Silver $3,500, Bronze $2,500) for annual meetings including keynote luncheons, general sessions, receptions, and expo halls
4. Merchandise Sales: Sale of SEMC merchandise including t-shirts ($20), advertising space in publications, and store products
5. Competition Entry Fees: Administrative fees for technology, publication, and exhibition competitions ranging from $15-$45 per entry
6. Professional Education Programs: Tuition for Jekyll Island Management Institute (JIMI) and Leadership Institute programs
7. Job Postings: Job listing fees for members ($0 with membership) and non-members ($45)

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels6 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit membership organization that delivers regional networking, professional development, and educational programs for museums and museum professionals across twelve southeastern states, Puerto Rico, and the US Virgin Islands. Its core offerings include the SEMC Annual Meeting, individual/institutional/corporate membership programs, the Jekyll Island Management Institute (JIMI), the SEMC Leadership Institute, Virtual Programs, the SEMC/AAMG Launchpad, the Southeastern Reciprocal Membership Program (SERM), and annual Technology, Publication, and Exhibition Competitions.

Product overview

Southeastern Museums Conference (SEMC) is a nonprofit membership organization serving museums in the southeastern United States. Rather than a technology product company, SEMC provides a portfolio of professional development and networking services including annual conferences, professional education programs (Jekyll Island Management Institute, SEMC Leadership Institute, Virtual Programs, and SEMC/AAMG Launchpad), membership programs (individual, institutional, and corporate), competitions (Technology, Publication, and Exhibition), publications (Inside SEMC newsletter), and the Southeastern Reciprocal Membership Program (SERM). These offerings work together to support networking, professional development, and educational opportunities for museum staff across twelve states, Puerto Rico, and US Virgin Islands.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Inside SEMC: The organization's newsletter publication

Products and services

• SEMC Annual Meeting
• SEMC Membership Programs
• Jekyll Island Management Institute (JIMI)
• SEMC Leadership Institute
• SEMC Virtual Programs
• SEMC/AAMG Launchpad
• Southeastern Reciprocal Membership Program (SERM)
• SEMC Competitions (Technology, Publication, Exhibition)
• SEMC Job Listings Service
• SEMC Merchandise Store
• Inside SEMC Newsletter

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Association of African American Museums (AAAM)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStrategic partnership for the SEMC Leadership Institute program focused on leadership training for staff of small- and mid-sized institutions, with emphasis on diversity and inclusion in museum leadership.
• National Museum of African American History and Culture - Office of Strategic PartnershipsminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdditional support provided for the 2022 Leadership Institute program, bringing additional resources and credibility to the diversity-focused leadership training initiative.
• Georgia Council for the ArtsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerSEMC general operations are supported in part by Georgia Council for the Arts through appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly. Georgia Council for the Arts also receives support from the National Endowment for the Arts.
• Benton Convention CenterminorOthersVenue for SEMC2026 Annual Meeting located in Winston-Salem, NC.
• Duke MansionminorOthersVenue for the 2022 Leadership Institute program in Charlotte, NC.
• Jekyll IslandminorOthersAnnual location for Jekyll Island Management Institute (JIMI) professional development program.
• Bonsai Fine ArtsminorGTM or Marketing PartnerCorporate member sponsor of SEMC2025 t-shirts. T-shirt proceeds fund travel scholarships to the 2026 Annual Meeting.
• Nick Gray / Patron ViewminorGTM or Marketing PartnerPartial website sponsorship in 2026. Provided donor database project (Patron View) for the organization.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Mountain Plains Museum Association: Regional museum association covering the Mountain-Plains states with comparable membership, conference, and professional development offerings — same category of organization serving an adjacent U.S. region.
• New England Museum Association: Regional museum association serving New England with a parallel operating model: institutional and individual memberships, annual conference, publications, and awards — directly comparable in structure and scale to SEMC.
• Association of African American Museums (AAAM): National museum association with a thematic focus; AAAM is an active SEMC partner (co-develops the Leadership Institute) and a peer in delivering conferences, training, and member services to museums.
• National Association for Museum Exhibition (NAME): Thematic museum association focused on exhibitions; operates as an affinity group within SEMC's structure and is a peer organization delivering conferences, awards, and networking for museum exhibition professionals.
• Association of Academic Museums & Galleries (AAMG): National association for academic museums and galleries; a confirmed SEMC partner via the joint Launchpad program, and a peer in delivering professional development and conference programming to museum professionals.
• Mid-Atlantic Association of Museums: Regional museum association serving Mid-Atlantic states with the same model of annual conference, membership tiers, and professional development programs — the most direct functional peer to SEMC.

Broad incumbents

• American Association for State and Local History (AASLH): National organization serving history museums and historical societies with membership, annual conference, and professional education — overlaps significantly with SEMC's mission on the history/heritage side and competes for the same institutional members.
• American Alliance of Museums (AAM): The national museum association for the United States. AAM sits above SEMC in the association hierarchy and competes for the same institutional and corporate members on a national scale; SEMC is effectively a regional chapter-style counterpart.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/pages/Southeastern-Museums-Conference-SEMC/140111542686612
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/southeastern-museums-conference
• Instagraminstagram.com/semcdirect/?hl=en
• Xtwitter.com/SEMC2

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles17 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Southeastern California Conference