Ideum at National Association for Interpretation Conference 2026

This November, Ideum is excited to participate in the National Association for Interpretation (NAI) conference—the field's largest gathering of professionals dedicated to helping the public connect with the natural and cultural places around them. 

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Creating Community Rooted in Interpretation

Running November 10–13, NAI 2026 will bring together keynote speakers, hands-on sessions, and field trips exploring the Bay Area's parks and landmarks. We'll be attending as presenters this year, and in the lead-up to the conference, we wanted to share a bit about what NAI is, what we'll be presenting, and why we're excited to be part of it. You can find us at Innovation Expo hall in Booth #203, as well as hosting a session on Friday, November 13th. 

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The Reader Rail Kiosk

Featured at the Ideum booth will be Ideum’s 34” Reader Rail kiosk, purpose-built for museum and public environments. Combining a refined wood base with a powder-coated aluminum top and matching accents, this distinctive touch kiosk effortlessly blends aesthetic appeal with durability. Designed for organizations and museums looking to boost engagement, it offers an attractive, high-tech touch to exhibits and display cases.

Standard accessories for the Reader Rail Kiosk now include new low-profile microphones and audio handsets. We can also design custom add-ons to meet tailored requirements. Available custom enhancements range from webcams and body-tracking cameras for interactive AR or video exhibits, to AudioNav devices that boost accessibility for visually impaired visitors.

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TouchStory Interactive Exhibit Builder

Visitors can also try out the angled kiosk’s custom no-code software builder, TouchStory, launched earlier this year. With this program, users can seamlessly import high-resolution images, videos, audio, and diagrams, as well as create interactive hotspots complete with descriptions, supplementary images, and video content. This scalable interpretive platform can replace one-off interactives with reusable digital storytelling infrastructure, giving museums lasting control and curation.

TouchStory was created specifically to solve the cost disparity of exhibition design. Custom software development frequently exceeds $25,000 for a single deployment—in addition to hardware expenses—which has restricted small and mid-sized institutions' options for connecting with the public. Even well-funded museums with larger exhibition budgets often reduce their interactive goals to stay within practical financial boundaries. By offering a strategic reimagining of digital interpretation, our new software builder empowers Ideum's partners to efficiently plan, finance, and support long-term storytelling experiences.

You can learn more about TouchStory both at our booth, and during our session From Passive to Participatory: Building Community Through Digital Storytelling with TouchStory on the final day of the conference.

We look forward to sharing more with you in November! 

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Hero image courtesy of © 2026 National Association for Interpretation.