ICOM COMMS

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𝗕𝗮𝗰𝗸 𝘁𝗼 𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗶𝗰𝘀 — ICOM COMMS + ICOMON Joint Conference 2026

📅 2–4 December 2026
📍 Heureka – The Finnish Science Center, Vantaa, Finland

We are honored to be hosted by Heureka, one of Finland's most beloved cultural institutions—a world-class science center that inspires more than 300,000 visitors each year. A huge thank you to ICOM Finland for their generous partnership in making this conference possible.

In an era of rapid AI advancement, small and medium-sized museums now hold unprecedented power to enhance their communications, marketing, and audience engagement.

This conference is a strategic return to fundamentals — mastering core principles to effectively use high-tech tools.

Three program tracks:

🚀 Yes, we can: how we overcame the "Not Possible" mindset. Focus on marketing, PR, branding, and institutional transformation. Discuss how AI and modern digital tools have removed historical obstacles related to budgets, staffing, and specialized technical skills in small-to-medium museums.

🤝 And we are all together: Unlock High-Impact Audience Engagement in Museum Projects. Audience engagement, communications, digital media, and institutional transformation. There is room for great projects that listen to colleagues' needs and apply fundamental principles to deliver high-quality, professional results that improve team performance.

💰Follow the money: where are the investments heading? Focus on fundraising. The main challenge for museum directors, which constrains most museum initiatives regardless of their merit, is revenue generation.

✍️ Call for papers, articles, presentations & workshops opens 𝟭st 𝗝𝘂𝗻𝗲 𝟮𝟬𝟮𝟲 — open to ALL museum professionals.

🏆 Also announcing: the 1st COMMS Awards and COMMS New Talents!

Stay tuned for registration details.

Image: The Pyhätunturi National Park is the oldest in Finland (founded in 1938). Adaptation to the poster originally published in 1954, by an unknown artist.

Join us in these two open conversations to support museum professionals in their workplaces. It’s a proactive framework for institutional integrity.

Museums today face a double challenge: to create change, they must navigate contested narratives, colonial legacies, and rising demands for inclusive representation. But transformation begins at home. Internally, museums also confront a troubling reality – workplace toxicity, burnout, and systemic inequities that undermine their stated values. In both arenas, communication is a fundamental tool for preventing and addressing harassment, racism, and discrimination.

SESSION 1: 18 May 2026, h. 5-6 pm CEST
SPEAKING OUT: Strategic Communication to Promote Inclusive Narratives in Museums.

How can museums use their unique public platform to challenge discrimination – without alienating audiences or oversimplifying complex histories? This session explores the museum as an ethical communicator: an institution that takes positions, mediates conflict, and builds trust with diverse communities through the stories it tells.

Richard Sandell, Professor of Museum Studies and Co-Director of the Research Centre for Museums and Galleries (RCMG) at University of Leicester (UK).

Sandro Debono, Museum thinker, academic, and advisor based in the Mediterranean island of Malta; Executive Board Member of NEMO Network of European Museum Organisations.

Rebecca Thonander, Communications Officer at NEMO. Invited case study: the “LGBTQIA+ inclusion in European museums. An incomplete guideline”.

Special Guest: Darko Babic, PhD, Chair of ICOM ICTOP.
Moderator: Cristina Chiaiso, Research Fellow at the University of Genoa, Board Member of ICOM COMMS, Coordinator of the Museum Communication Working Group of ICOM Italy.

Please fill out the form, and we will send you the link to participate before the event: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=XzTq0CUTXEGT0MQvQzsOYqBfo7gI8mlNp7uPsHm82NJUOFVLUktSSzhCQzNKQzNISTFNUEROU1czUC4u

The project is aligned with the International Museum Day 2026 theme “Museums Uniting a Divided World”, promoted by ICOM. In cooperation with ICOM ICTOP, INTERCOM (International Committee for Museum Management) - ICOM, “Museum Communication” Working Group of ICOM Italy, NEMO, University of Genoa – Innovation Hub Tourism & Heritage UniGe-Ulysseus, Ulysseus European University WP6 “Equality, Diversity and Inclusion, and Community Engagement”.

Who should attend: Museum directors, communication and marketing professionals, HR and governance officers, curators, educators, members of ICOM International Committees working on training, management, and ethics, and students.

ICOM COMMS Annual Conference 2026
HEI! We are excited to announce that preparations for the next ICOM COMMS Annual Conference are underway. During our recent election, we asked our members where they would like the conference to take place. Among the top-voted countries were Finland and Portugal. Thank you for your engagement and trust! 🗳🤝

The great news is that our colleagues at ICOM Finland have enthusiastically agreed to collaborate with us to create an unforgettable conference experience.
They have also selected three inspiring venues that are excited to welcome us as hosts.

They are:
• Heureka Science Centre , Vantaa
• Rovaniemi Art Museum, Lapland [ Korundi ]
• Lahti Museums, Southern Finland [ Lahden museot ]

Each location offers a unique cultural and professional context, from science communication to contemporary art and a regional museum network.

Which venue gets your vote for our gathering?
Cast your vote by commenting below with your top venue choice and your reason for selecting it! 🗳

We look forward to shaping this conference together 🤍 Nähdään Suomessa!

Thank you: Minna Turtiainen, Miisa Pulkkinen and Uula Neitola.