Inspiration Conferences

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Inspiration Conferences: explore the challenges and trends of the sector

This conference series addresses the major transformations of museums, cultural and touristic venues: inclusion, accessibility, new forms of mediation, adaptation to environmental and social challenges, and the impact of artificial intelligence.

Designed with the support of the Inspiration Board, these conferences provide expert insights into the challenges and trends shaping the future of the cultural sector.

Inspiration Board: the experts who shape the program

A genuine think tank, the Inspiration Board brings together an international network of professionals from the cultural and tourism sector.

Their role: anticipate trends, identify key challenges, and propose topics that shape the future of the sector.

Laurence BERLAMONT-EQUEY

MEG - MUSÉE D'ÉTHNOGRAPHIE DE GENÈVE

Responsable de la communication et des relations presse

www.meg.ch https://www.linkedin.com/in/laurence-berlamont-equey/ https://www.facebook.com/MEGeneve/https://www.instagram.com/meg.geneve/

Key theme this year: “Resilience 2.0” - Preparing and Shaping the Next Chapter

Since 2020, museums, cultural and tourist venues have had to face an unprecedented wave of challenges and adapt to profound transformations. Many have explored new paths of responsible innovation to continue demonstrating their value, impact, and societal relevance, often supported by new funding mechanisms.

Today, economic and geopolitical shifts are once again redefining global priorities, with major implications for the culture, heritage, and tourism sectors. The recent European Strategic Foresight Report “Resilience 2.0: Empowering the EU to thrive amid turbulence and uncertainty” highlights the need to combine preparedness and resilience, by designing a "new level of resilience" that is "transformative, proactive, and forward-looking".

This notion of Resilience 2.0 serves as the guiding framework for Museum Connections’ Inspiration Conferences. It invites reflection on how cultural and tourist venues can anticipate uncertainty, renew their practices, and stay true to their values and commitments, while maintaining their role as trusted actors in a changing world.

The conference program is structured around three main themes:

In a world shaped by accelerating change (including budget pressures), preparedness is becoming as essential as preservation. Through resilience strategies, foresight, advocacy and innovation, we will look at how cultural institutions and tourism can strengthen their ability to adapt.

Resilience also means recognizing and mobilizing a cultural institution’s assets. We will examine how cultural venues can innovate with some of their resources to diversify income, build sustainable models and stay close to their mission and audiences.

Resilience is deeply tied to purpose. Cultural venues are called to respond to urgent societal challenges — from ecological transition to inclusion, accessibility, health, or territorial regeneration. We will highlight how institutions can innovate while demonstrating their key societal role through initiatives as well as systemic approaches.

Program Build your agenda

Explore the Inspiration Conferences program and plan your visit. Browse the sessions by topic, identify key speakers, and create an itinerary tailored to your interests to make the most of your time at Museum Connections. You can refine your search using the filters provided below.

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Jan 13Jan 14

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Inspiration Conferences

10:00 AM10:55 AM

Museums in the United States: current landscape and adaptation strategies

The American museum landscape is, as we all know, undergoing a period of significant change. Yet how can we truly understand what is happening within institutions and across the sector? For the opening session of the Inspiration Conferences, Museum Connections welcomes the American Alliance of Museums and the Museum Store Association to provide insights into the significant shifts currently transforming the U.S. museum sector. Together, they will highlight how these organizations support the field in navigating current challenges and showcase the adaptation strategies museum professionals are implementing to uphold their missions and sustain public trust in a rapidly evolving environment.

AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF MUSEUMS

Elizabeth PRICE

MSA - MUSEUM STORE ASSOCIATION

DOMAINE & MUSEE ROYAL DE MARIEMONT

Inspiration Conferences

11:00 AM12:10 PM

Museums & Resilience: strategies for a changing world

Trusted institutions and social connectors, museums have demonstrated remarkable adaptability and innovation in recent years when faced with the unexpected. Today, as the economic, geopolitical and social context continues to evolve, many cultural venues once again face challenges that test their capacity for resilience and transformation. As part of the overarching theme of the Inspiration 2026 Conferences, centered on the concept of “Resilience 2.0,” this session will bring together representatives from museum organisations on both sides of the Atlantic. Together, they will discuss the major challenges confronting the sector and share perspectives on current and future resilience strategies and levers. Resilience, here, has a dual meaning: that of museums themselves - their governance and funding models, their ability to innovate - but also their relevance and active role in strengthening the resilience of societies, in line with recent commitments to ecological and social transitions and in response to current and emerging societal needs. The concept of "résilience 2.0" is freely inspiredfrom the European Strategic Foresight Report “Resilience 2.0: Empowering the EU to thrive amid turbulence and uncertainty” .

AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF MUSEUMS

Dr. Felicia STERNFELD

ICOM EUROPE / EUROPEAN HANSEMUSEUM LÜBECK

FINNISH HERITAGE AGENCY

ICOM FRANCE / MUSÉES DE STRASBOURG

Musées et Société en Wallonie ASBL

Inspiration Conferences

12:15 PM1:10 PM

Anticipating the Unexpected with Strategic Foresight

“We can’t predict the future, but we can get better at anticipating it.” (ICCROM) In a world shaped by accelerating change and unpredictable disruptions, strategic foresight offers museums and heritage organisations a structured framework and tools to anticipating possible futures and preparing for multiple scenarios. This panel will clarify what strategic foresight is — and what it is not — before examining the methodologies that underpin it. It will explore how tools such as horizon-scanning, early-warning signal analysis and scenario-building can be applied concretely within museum and heritage contexts. Drawing on French and international case studies, speakers will share their experience across different stages and models of foresight practice. They will discuss how anticipatory approaches can inform decision-making, support adaptive governance, enable more flexible operational models, and strengthen the long-term sustainability of museum and heritage missions. We thank Mycelium foresight studio for its collaboration.

Sherif EL-ITRIBY

Elena MAVROMICHALI

GOVERNMENT OF THE HELLENIC REPUBLIC

Stéphane CHEVALIER

Abla BENMILOUD FAUCHER

CMN - CENTRE DES MONUMENTS NATIONAUX

Inspiration Conferences

Advocacy: unlocking a strategic lever

Widely practiced across NGOs, by major cultural umbrella organizations, and within the Anglo-American museum landscape, advocacy is increasingly attracting the attention of European cultural institutions. Advocacy — understood as the act of defending and promoting causes to key stakeholders, whether internal to the organization (funding) or external in relation to broader societal issues — often takes the form of ad hoc initiatives. Yet it can also evolve into a structuring, long-term institutional strategy. This roundtable will focus on this latter approach, inviting speakers to share inspiring examples and perspectives on how — in concrete terms — advocacy strategies can emerge and be effectively implemented by cultural organizations, particularly museums. Between advocacy as a deeply embedded institutional mindset — reflected in an organization’s values, mission, and actions — and approaches more focused on stakeholder mobilization, the discussion will explore different types of advocacy strategies and levers available to cultural institutions today. We thank Brunswick Arts London and The Revels Office for their collaboration.

ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS

Marta BARTKOWSKA

MUSEUM OF MODERN ART IN WARSAW

AMERICAN ALLIANCE OF MUSEUMS

Constance RIVIÈRE

PALAIS DE LA PORTE DORÉE

PEOPLE’S HISTORY MUSEUM

Annabelle TÜRKIS

FREELANCE CONFERENCE CURATOR MUSEUM CONNECTIONS

Inspiration Conferences

Green Transition: sustaining the course

While climate change remains among the foremost concerns of European citizens (Eurobarometer, 2025), funding dedicated to the ecological transition — as well as to the cultural sector — has entered a phase of slowdown. In this context, cultural players are called upon to reaffirm their role as trusted references, addressing environmental and climate challenges and meeting public expectations. What strategic choices and governance mechanisms can help reconcile ecological ambition with tighter financial constraints? Are budgetary imperatives necessarily at odds with ecological transition? Focusing on narratives of transition, empowerment, organizational innovation, and new forms of cooperation, this panel will examine some of the levers and management tools that can support the ecological transformation of the cultural sector in a context of greater frugality. We thank the Deutscher Museumsbund for its collaboration.

Véronique PREZEAU

CNAM - CONSERVATOIRE NATIONAL DES ARTS ET MÉTIERS

Dr. Felicia STERNFELD

ICOM EUROPE / EUROPEAN HANSEMUSEUM LÜBECK

Stéphanie VERGNAUD

ECOMUSÉE DE L'AVESNOIS

Inspiration Conferences

Data as a Driver of Performance and Resilience for Cultural Venues

While cultural organisations increasingly recognise the major stakes associated with big data, the acquisition, transformation, and cross-functional use of data remain complex and still relatively emerging fields. They raise critical questions of strategy, governance, skills, and resources which—given today’s context and the need to strengthen the economic resilience of cultural venues—are proving more essential than ever. Whereas data-centric and data-driven models are now well established in the corporate world, how far have cultural institutions progressed? Following a brief overview of current practices, this panel will highlight the concrete benefits of an integrated and genuinely cross-departmental approach to data—from supporting decision-making in programming and marketing to driving economic development and monitoring environmental impact. Drawing on case studies, speakers will explore the key conditions required to foster a true data culture: strategic vision, robust data architecture, institutional transversal practices, and the ability to turn insights into tangible action.

ROYAL ACADEMY OF ARTS

Jean-Sébastien BÉLANGER

MISSION OLD BREWERY

Clément CHARLES

Laetitia POUILLY

CLUB CULTURE & MANAGEMENT

Inspiration Conferences

European tourism trends and forecasts: implications for museums

In recent years, the tourism industry and destination marketing have undergone significant change, driven in part by evolving visitor expectations. According to a 2025 Booking.com survey, for the first time in a decade, more than half of travellers (53%) report being aware of tourism’s impact on the environment and local communities. Drawing on previous conferences on sustainable tourism, this session will provide an overview of the latest trends shaping travel across Europe and examine what the future may hold for tourism and its implications for major cultural venues. We will begin by exploring current dynamics: where visitors are travelling, how their behaviours are shifting, and what these developments mean for the tourism sector as a whole - while considering how museums are adapting to these new patterns. Drawing on insights from the EU 2025 Strategic Foresight Report on European Tourism, the panel will then turn to the longer-term outlook for tourism in Europe. How might interest in Europe’s culture and heritage evolve? What structural changes should destinations and their flagship cultural institutions anticipate?

Rikke HOLM PETERSEN

WONDERFUL COPENHAGEN

Gautier VERBEKE

MUSÉE DU LOUVRE

Menno VAN IJSSEL

EUROPEAN TRAVEL COMMISSION (ETC) / VISIT EUROPE

Anne-Marie HOOGERWERF HOSPES

NATURAL HISTORY MUSEUM DENMARK

Inspiration Conferences

🥂Happy 30 - The Networking Apéritif of the 30th Anniversary

Step into the Museum of the Future, a place where artworks are no longer objects but living beings, capable of feeling, and making you feel. A temporal rift has shaken this universe: the artworks have scattered into your present. To reactivate them and bring them back home, each participant must take on mini-challenges, collect emotions, and interact with other guests. A free, inclusive, and interactive game: play alone, in a group, partially or fully, as many times as you wish. Every interaction is an opportunity to meet, laugh, and share. Six colourful totems and performers embodying emotions will guide your steps through a distinctive and immersive scenography. Let yourself be surprised, meet your peers, connect, and create unique memories over a friendly aperitif. An evening where networking and emotions intertwine to celebrate the 30th edition in a playful and human atmosphere.

Inspiration Conferences

10:00 AM10:55 AM

Museums & Health: scaling up cultural prescriptions

Building on the 2019 WHO study highlighting the positive impact of culture on health, and inspired by pioneering initiatives such as those of the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts, numerous innovative projects linking museum experiences with health and well-being have emerged worldwide in recent years. These initiatives complement earlier efforts by museums within healthcare and social care settings. Following previous Inspiration Conferences dedicated to this theme — which reflected the rise of numerous initiatives within cultural venues — this session will take stock of a significant shift: the scaling up of museum prescriptions and their gradual integration into certain public policies. The discussion will map current museum-based prescription practices and examine their impact — on both participants and the museums themselves, in terms of audience strategies and local relevance. French, European, and international perspectives will be brought together to explore the long-term outlook for museum prescriptions, their conditions for wider adoption, potential funding models, and their contribution to the resilience of both cultural institutions and societies.

Nathalie BONDIL

INSTITUT DU MONDE ARABE

LATVIAN ACADEMY OF CULTURE

Annabelle TÜRKIS

FREELANCE CONFERENCE CURATOR MUSEUM CONNECTIONS

Isabelle VANHOONACKER

ROYAL MUSEUMS OF FINE ARTS OF BELGIUM

Inspiration Conferences

11:00 AM11:55 AM

Interpretation: Creativity and Agility Driven by People

In today’s context, cultural venues must demonstrate greater agility and creativity than ever to sustain and strengthen their relationship with audiences. This capacity relies fundamentally on people: the committed teams within interpretation and education departments, whose ingenuity has become a critical lever for institutional anchoring and long-term sustainability. Drawing on concrete case studies and professional insights, this panel will highlight how interpretation and education teams turn constraints into engines for innovation by mobilising collective intelligence, on-the-ground expertise, human connection, and everyday creativity. Supported by a wide range of skills, backgrounds, and perspectives, these teams design tailored and inventive approaches that truly serve the needs of audiences. Retaining and developing the potential of these teams appears as a key condition for ensuring both inventiveness and adaptability - essential drivers of resilience for cultural institutions.

MUSÉE DE LA POSTE

Pascale FILOCHE

LA CITÉ INTERNATIONALE DE LA BANDE DESSINÉE ET DE L'IMAGE

Hélène DE RYCKEL

MUSÉE ARIANA / MUSÉE SUISSE DE LA CÉRAMIQUE ET DU VERRE

Anne-Sophie MARCHAL

CHÂTEAU DE CHILLON / LA LUCARNE

Inspiration Conferences

12:00 PM12:55 PM

Evolving Families: Inclusion and Representation

A core audience for cultural venues, “families” today encompass a wide range of configurations alongside the traditional nuclear model: single-parent and blended families, same-sex and LGBTQ+ families, among others. These sociological shifts - in France, one in four families is now single-parent - generate specific needs, expectations, and constraints, both economic and organisational, as well as important questions of representation. The scale and nature of these changes invite cultural institutions to reflect on their societal responsibility, their messaging, and the ways in which their missions are embodied for all audiences. Faced with increasingly diverse contexts and needs, what images should cultural venues project, and how can they represent what “family” means today without reinforcing stereotypes or exclusion? How can institutions design and promote activities that genuinely address this plurality of lived experiences? This panel discussion will explore these questions through inspiring initiatives that propose renewed, inclusive approaches to today’s family realities - offering responses to the needs of a rapidly evolving society while strengthening institutional resilience. We thank the Deutscher Museumsbund and Kids in Museums for their collaboration.

ROYAL MUSEUMS GREENWICH

STIFTUNG HUMBOLDT FORUM BERLIN

AIX-MARSEILLE UNIVERSITÉ

Selma TOPRAK-DENIS

CENTRE POMPIDOU

Inspiration Conferences

Heritage: new uses, local roots, and resilient models

Long regarded primarily as a driver of tourism, heritage is now increasingly finding its place—amid the pressing challenges of preservation and territorial regeneration—within new ways of living and working. These emerging approaches outline innovative, sustainable, and resilient balances between tourism objectives and responses to local needs. By giving a voice both to entrepreneurs who are bringing new life and meaning to heritage, and to a public operator leading a program that links preservation and revitalization through entrepreneurship, this session deepens a theme already introduced in the Inspiration programme. It will place particular emphasis on four forward-looking dimensions at the heart of these initiatives: entrepreneurial approaches, new uses of heritage for and with audiences, inspiring economic models, and the gradual construction of a renewed collective narrative.

LA CHARTREUSE DE NEUVILLE

Thibault LE MARIÉ

PLUS VIVANT QUE JAMAIS

Inspiration Conferences

Intangible Cultural Heritage: Opportunity and Catalyst for All Museums

Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) encompasses the practices and knowledge that communities inherit, sustain, recreate, and transmit. It offers meaningful opportunities for museums of all types—an idea this panel aims to explore. Since the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage, practices, representations, expressions, knowledge, and skills have been formally recognised as part of cultural heritage. More recently, the new ICOM museum definition and updates to the Code of Ethics for museum professionals have further affirmed ICH as a core concern for all museums. Yet ICH is still often seen as the domain of ethnographic or folklore institutions, or associated primarily with educational programming. At a time when museums are seeking to strengthen their local relevance and renew their relationship with audiences, ICH can serve as a major strategic lever. It places human practices at the heart of museum narratives, stimulates scenographic innovation, enriches digital museum interpretation, and opens the door to ambitious participatory approaches. By fostering transmission, co-creation, and intergenerational dialogue, ICH enables museums of all kinds to rethink their missions and develop new forms of collaboration.

Valérie PERLÈS

FEMS / MUSÉE D’ART ET D’HISTOIRE PAUL-ELUARD DE SAINT DENIS

MINISTÈRE DE LA CULTURE

WORKSHOP INTANGIBLE HERITAGE

Sergio SERVELLÓN

FELIX ART & ECO MUSEUM

Marie POTTECHER

FEMS / MUSÉE ALSACIEN

Inspiration Conferences

The Integration of Digital Technologies in Chinese Museums: Visitor Experience, Accessibility and Sino-European...

Carte Blanche Conference to the Chinese Museums Association (CMA). With the widespread adoption of advanced technologies in Chinese museums, how do Chinese visitors perceive and respond to these innovations? What are the future prospects for the application of such technologies? What new trends and directions are emerging in the use of technology as China advances the development of accessible museums? Finally, what potential exists for cooperation between French and European museums and their Chinese counterparts?

Muses Space - Organisateur du CHINA PAVILION

TIANJIN HENGDA WENBO S.&T. CO., LTD.

Philippe CHARLIER

CMA - CHINESE MUSEUMS ASSOCIATION

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