In only three days, EXARC got a crash course “international museum world” with ICOM in Paris. The annual conference attracted about 250 people from all over the world. ICOM itself is growing fast and has over 41,000 members by now. Our main interest was in following the discussion on the international committees, which are organised around themes, like education, collections or glass. Maybe this will become more flexible, as most members are interested in several subjects. The workshop on capacity building was extremely useful, not only to learn more about the subject, but also to see what professionals from other parts of the world prioritise. 

Special mention is for the Dutch initiative “ICOM Family”. It is a bit like the EXARCs member site: if you will visit another city or country and would like to meet colleagues, you register at www.icomfamily.nl and will find other ICOM members who gladly invite you for coffee and a chat about museums. It can be that simple…

Next year, we will attend the triannual ICOM convention in Kyoto, Japan. The theme will be “museums as cultural hubs: the future of tradition”. This will be an excellent opportunity to meet many colleagues from Asia. More information: http://icom-kyoto-2019.org.