Presidents letter: Join us at this year’s conference!

Dear IATM members and non-members,

This past year we had a wonderful conference that took us to Lucerne, Berne and through the historic tunnels to the Ticino district of Switzerland on the Italian border. We were warmly welcomed by the Transport Museum in Lucerne, the Museum of Communication in Berne and to Bellinzona in Ticino and the Castello Sasso Carbero.

As always it was wonderful to bring together colleagues from museums facing the same issues with the same lack of resources. You can read the full report at here.

In Switzerland we tried a new type of model for the sessions. Instead of having presenters at each session we broke into groups and were given a problem to solve. It was an issue that the host museum was facing but one that everyone could relate to. The result was a great set of solutions and a tighter knit group of participating museums. We will feature the same format for some of the upcoming sessions this October in Ottawa where we will delve even further in to the issues we face in the 21st century as transport and communication museums.

This brings me to my yearly pitch to invite every member and any non-members who are considering membership to join us at this year’s conference. It is a wonderful way to engage with colleagues, share experiences and to remember how important the work that we accomplish actually is for our respective nations and the world around us. We work hard at getting the business of running a museum right but we often feel isolated in seeking solutions. There is always a moment at every conference, no matter how experienced the museum professional that we have that aha moment or epiphany during a conversation with others or one of the sessions. If you are going to invest in one thing this year I would enjoin you to make it this conference.

For many it is a long trek to North-America. But we have a great program ready for you and Ottawa is home to the national museums of Canada and a wealth of attractions. As Canada’s capital it plays host to many wonderful initiatives and you will be just in time for the changing leaves for which we are renowned. We will be in both Ottawa and Montreal for the conference. So please consider making the journey to Canada and join us for a great conference that we are cohosting with CIMUSET. This year will feature an even wider scope of museum professionals from both IATM and CIMUSET.

I look forward to greeting you all this fall.

Sincerely,

Stephen Quick

President,
International Association of Transport and Communications Museums