The Americans for the Arts Half-Century Summit will take place at the Baltimore Marriott Waterfront Friday, June 25-€“Sunday, June 27.

10. Last minute planners can register on site! 

9.  Paddleboats and Edgar Allen Poe impersonators? Does any other convention offer both?

8.  More than 150 of the brightest and best minds in the arts are ready to share their ideas with you.

7. Crab cakes? Sure! But this isn'€™t your grandmother'€™s Baltimore. With a reinvented Harbor Place, cool neighborhoods, and cultural gems, Charm City is well worth exploring.

6. With special discounts on hotel rooms and Amtrak travel, the convention is a deal!

5. Be a star at late night jam sessions, in a skit by the Neo-Futurists, and at the photo booth and Wii gaming in CenterStage.

4. Take the opportunity to be creative and skirt travel restrictions-€”fake a cough or take a well deserved vacation day. (Just kidding!)

3. Calories don'€™t count when you travel for work.

2. You haven'€™t seen giftshops until you'€™ve seen the one at the American Visionary Art Museum-€”one of the coolest museums in the country!

1. Times are tough and we'€™ve commiserated, so now get strategizing! Arts leaders are innovative. Join your peers as we plan for a stronger future for the arts.