President’s Letter for 2026

Dear colleagues and friends of IATM,

Christmas is coming, another year has gone by quickly again.

We all face great challenges, financial restrictions, political influence, a rapidly emerging AI and war in many parts of the world.

In these times, it it important for us to concentrate on what we do best: Inspiring our visitors with our exhibitions, giving families a good time in our wonderful museums, and giving people orientation in a rapidly changing world.

Our great conference “The AI Shift” in Germany has shown a lot of examples where we are already successfull in competing with these new conditions. Thanks again to all the colleagues who made this wonderful conference come true.

As a representative of IATM, I was at the General Conference of ICOM in Dubai some weeks ago. To me, one of the positive outcomes of this conference was to see in how many regions of the world governments and societies are convinced of the vital role of museums to create a better society. Many museums around the globe are under construction or have recently opened their doors, like the Grand Egyptian Museum close to Gizeh.

Therefore, I am looking forward to our future. I am looking forward to the upcoming year 2026 where we will meet in Belfast from 13 to 16 September. A fascinating city with a great legacy in transport and communication history. Not only the legendary Titanic was built here and we will be guest at the Titanic Belfast, we will also see historic railways and other important means of transport and commuciation of Northern Irelands history.

Belfast is proof of the fact, that peace is possible. Struck by violence in a civil war for many years, today the city strives and becomes more and more attractiv to tourists and business people.

I wish you a Merry Christmas and all the best for 2026 and hope to see many of You in Belfast in September.

Yours sincerely,

Joachim Breuninger