ICOM COMMS

International Committee for Communications, Marketing and Audience Engagement of the International Council of Museums, ICOM

ICOM MPR is composed of museum professionals working in marketing, communications and development (fundraising). MPR provides its members with the opportunity for professional growth, works to develop good communications and marketing practices, and encourages a high level of professional and social networking amongst colleagues. It also acts as an advisor to ICOM on issues of internal and externa

l communications when required. Our Purpose
Acting as an advisor to ICOM and providing information to members worldwide through arranging meetings and the publication of electronic and printed media, ICOM MPR's objectives include:
- Providing professional growth opportunities for its members
- Disseminating good communications and marketing practices to ICOM members and other museum professionals
- Promoting the development of international networks amongst colleagues
- ICOM MPR plans and conducts annual meetings that bring together communications, fundraising, marketing, membership and visitor studies professionals from museums, galleries and other cultural, scientific and educational fields to share experience and knowledge.
- ICOM MPR maintains a website presence through its online newsletter and archives at www.mpr.icom.museum

ICOM MPR was founded in 1977 at the initiative of Jan Jelínek, to "provide its members with the opportunity for professional growth, works to develop good communications and marketing practices, and encourages a high level of professional and social networking amongst colleagues".

18/05/2026

📣 SAVE THE DATE

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.

14/05/2026

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.

Join us on 18 May 2026, 5 pm CEST:

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

Sandro Debono Ph.D. As a museum thinker, academic, and advisor based on the Mediterranean island of Malta. His practice bridges theory and over twenty-five years of hands-on experience in museums.

Rebecca Thonander is the Communications Officer at NEMO since 2018. After completing her bachelor’s degrees in business/marketing and film studies at Stockholm University, Rebecca worked with project management and communication at the Stockholm International Film Festival and later at the Berlin Film Society. She is passionate about issues of inclusion, diversity, and intersectionality.

Watch it live on:
https://www.youtube.com/-comms�https://www.linkedin.com/company/icom-comms/�https://www.instagram.com/icom.comms/

07/05/2026

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.

26/02/2026

Today, we from the ICOM COMMS community, current and past board members, remember Carolyn Akariza Nduba-Mwenda with deep gratitude.

Her kindness, commitment, and care for others were always an inspiration to our community, leaving a lasting impact.

We honour her life, and we hold her family close in our thoughts.

Cristina Chiaiso
Ana Dentoni
Vinod Hari
Natia Khuluzauri
Casper van der Kruit
Luis Marcelo Mendes
Carolien Mertens
Alassane Ouedraogo
Bettina Aude Parastar
Roberto Torres
Niloofar Yazdkhasti
Deborah Ziska

International Council of Museums Kenya - ICOM
National Museums of Kenya

25/02/2026

Accessibility begins before a museum opens its doors.

A museum professional and archaeologist shares how questioning dominant narratives can change practice. While working on the King Tut exhibition, Fatima Soliman noticed that the story centered almost entirely on Howard Carter, leaving Egyptian workers invisible. By shifting the focus to local laborers and the young boy who guided Carter to the tomb’s first step, the exhibition narrative began to change. 🇪🇬

Later, returning to the Grand Egyptian Museum during its construction phase, she helped build accessibility from the ground up — working with people of determination to shape physical access, inclusive exhibition content, and programs for visually impaired visitors, autistic artists, and artists with Down syndrome.

Today, her work continues through training, capacity building, and long-term relationships with families who return to the museum again and again. 🏛

This reminds us that accessibility is not simply a service — it is an ongoing commitment, embedded in every communication and interaction.

Reflect on your museum’s daily decisions: In what concrete ways can you embed accessibility further into your operations, exhibitions, or programs? 💬

ICOM Egypt- اللجنة الوطنية المصرية للمجلس الدولي للمتاحف

16/02/2026

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.

11/02/2026

Museum communicators and educators face a common challenge: engaging young audiences. 👦👧

Through a one-year impact assessment, Museolab based in Lebanon, explored how museum extra-muros activities—grounded in the American educational theorist David Kolb’s experiential learning cycle and Harvard Project Zero thinking routines—shape students’ understanding of cultural heritage and their relationship with museums. 👩‍🎓🏺

The findings are clear: when students experience heritage at school through fun, interactive, hands-on activities, they engage more, reflect deeply, and are more likely to visit museums. Students prefer experiential learning over lectures, as shown by high participation and positive feedback. 🤹‍♀️🤹‍♂️

Led by cultural mediator and educator Nelly Abboud , with research conducted by Dr. Céline Merheb and Marilyne Haddad, the project involved collaborative development with cultural organizations, Saint John School, and local youth group. Each partner contributed to the program's design, implementation, and evaluation, offering insights into how museums can extend their impact beyond their walls.

👉 Are you a museum professional from Lebanon or Syria? We invite you to join ICOM COMMS and be the first in your community.

09/02/2026

Trust is the most important asset of a museum. 🤝

Museum communicators turn complexity into clarity.
They turn history into words. Institution into humanity. 🫂

This isn’t just “posting.”
It’s care. 🤗
It’s ethics.
It’s accountability.

Your work shapes how museums are seen and how they are trusted.

💬 Let’s reflect: What is trust? How do you build it?
What do you consider in your daily work?

We’re listening.
We learn from each other here. 🗣
COMMS as you are. We got you.

PS: Trust is heavy. Don’t carry it alone. 🤍

02/02/2026

Museum communication is often invisible when it works and extremely visible when it doesn’t.

One mistake, one typo, one call you missed while multitasking, and then hell breaks loose.

If you work in museum communications, you know this feeling. But it also applies to conservation, education, documentation, management. Museums can be tough.

Take a breath.
You’re not alone. 🤍

Your invisible work matters.

💬 Join the conversation: In the comments, share which part of your work you wish more people understood and why it matters.

We learn from each other here.
COMMS as you are. We got you.

Committee for Education and Cultural Action (ICOM-CECA)
ICOM Exhibitions

24/12/2025

Thank you for being with us this year. Thank you for listening. We are taking some time off.

But if you just can’t stay away from social media, tell us your plans for 2026. And we might be able to help.

See you soon.

Adresse

1 Rue Miollis, Unesco
Paris
75015

Site Web

https://comms.mini.icom.museum/

Notifications

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