We are opening this year's conference in one of the most fitting places imaginable. In the year America marks its 250th anniversary, NAGARA has the Museum of the American Revolution to ourselves for the evening, with access to the galleries. You will be surrounded by the documents, artifacts, and stories at the very heart of what our profession exists to preserve.

This is a dessert and drinks reception, after-dinner. Plan to have dinner on your own first (gather a table of old friends, or round up a few people you just met) and then come join us at the Museum ready to relax and connect.

Dessert and coffee stations will be set across the first-floor Rotunda and the second-floor Oneida Atrium. Expect salted caramel choux au craquelin, miniature strawberry shortcakes with whipped cream and rhubarb syrup, lemon meltaways, chocolate chip cookies, a deluxe bar spread (brownies, blondies, lemon gems, cheesecake bars), a fresh fruit display, and full regular and decaf coffee and tea service.

Each attendee receives one complimentary drink ticket, followed by a cash/credit bar featuring a strong lineup of local Philadelphia and Pennsylvania favorites alongside wine, soft drinks, and mixers.

This is always one of the most popular evenings of the week, and an off-site night in a world-class venue during the America 250 summer is not one to miss. Come early, stay late, and let the week begin the right way.

After a full day of sessions, unwind with us right in the hotel. Wednesday's Happy Hour is the easy, no-logistics way to keep the conversation going before you head out for the evening.

A few things to know: there is something for everyone here. We will have a full range of beverages on offer, not just alcohol, so come as you are. This is a relaxed, mingle-and-recharge kind of hour, and it is designed to flow right into your own dinner plans.

Some of the best NAGARA friendships have started with a simple "want to grab dinner?" at the Wednesday Happy Hour. Use this time to reconnect with colleagues you already know, meet someone new from a session earlier in the day, or gather a group before heading out into Philadelphia for the evening.

We are closing this year's event with our biggest night of the week, and this year it comes with a twist. Thursday's Closing Reception is a masquerade, a nod to Philadelphia, to 1776, and to 250 years of the record keepers, rebels, and reformers who shaped this country and the work we do.

Dress the part. Pull out your finest, your most theatrical, your most fun. Masks and costumes are strongly encouraged, and the more you bring to it, the better the room feels. We will have a limited number of masks on hand, but bring your own to be safe and go all out. This is the one night to let loose.

If dressing up is not your thing, that is fine too. NAGARA events are always come as you are.

We are bringing in The B-Side, a 10-piece Philadelphia-based live band, to carry the night. There is no better way to send off a sold-out 500-person conference than with live music, a packed dance floor, and a room full of people who have spent the week together.

Waiting for you: a Viennese dessert display featuring chocolate espresso tortes, salted caramel parfaits, raspberry fruit tarts, vanilla cream-filled puffs, and mini blueberry cheesecakes. Each attendee receives one complimentary drink ticket, with a cash/credit bar to follow, plus the music, the masks, and the energy of a closing night you will be talking about long after you have unpacked.

Find your mask. We will see you on the dance floor.