Night at the Museum
FRANCESCA POLLICINI , GENERAL MANAGER OF INSTITUTIONAL EVENTS AT THE INTERNATIONAL COUNCIL OF MUSEUMS , TELLS OLIVER THOMAS ABOUT THE IMPORTANCE , CHALLENGES , AND SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY OF ORGANISING EVENTS IN 2022
T ell us about what sorts of events you run for the Museum industry ? The International Council of Museums ( ICOM ) is an organisation of museums and professionals with more 49,000 members , which operates in 138 countries . Among the various events we organise , the most important is the ICOM general conference , a worldwide hub for the museum sector .
Since 1948 , every three years we gather the international museum community to facilitate cultural exchange , promote international cooperation , and inspire local action to continue their public mission to society . The last edition , held in Kyoto in 2019 , saw 4,600 museum professionals from all around the world come together to attend , debate , conduct roundtable panels , network , and socialise . We organised more than 200 activities for a one-week event . The next edition , the 27th ICOM general conference , will take place in Prague , 20-28 August .
Have you pivoted to virtual during the pandemic ? The ability of funding models , the role of culture , empowering the community and how our members can experience our events has completely changed .
When the pandemic broke out in March 2020 , we had just started the preparation of ICOM Prague 2022 and launched the call for applications to host the conference in 2025 . It was a particularly important and crucial moment for long-term planning .
We soon realised the necessity to introduce more digital activities in our programme to keep the ICOM community active and united . This underlined how virtual could be an indispensable tool for inclusion at an international association like ICOM .
Do your members still see value in face-to-face ? The face-to-face value for our community all around the world is irreplaceable . The strength of ICOM is to be a network of almost 50,000 professionals and the human relationship that exists between our members is the secret ingredient for having a successful project .
The crossroad in front of us was not between in-person and digital , but between in-person and hybrid . Therefore , we have decided to rapidly put in place the hybrid format for Prague 2022 and update the call for the 2025
Above : Francesca Pollicini Below : ICOM Kyoto , Japan , 2019 application . Having this hybrid format is a guarantee of getting together the museum community after Covid .
While digitalisation can be a tool for inclusivity , we have to remind ourselves that our network is global and not everywhere has a good internet connection . In the future , we have to think about other integrated means of communication that are accessible in regions where there is a lack of connection .
How do you use event technology ? Digitalisation has enabled us to achieve three goals .
First : offer an inclusive event in which everyone can participate . The expenses to attend an event for the registration fees , like travel and accommodation costs , have been reduced to zero . So , we can say that this is a contributing to an indirect democratisation of access to events .
Secondly , with technology we are able to extend the life of the events after its official ending , offering on demand access to content on the digital
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