On December 3-4, 2024, an international seminar titled “Everything in a Museum Communicates” was jointly organized by Academia Europaea Tbilisi Hub, the Georgian National Museum, ICOM-MPR (the International Committee for Marketing and Public Relations of the International Council of Museums), and ICOM Georgia (the Georgian National Committee of the International Council of Museums).
The seminar was opened by Professor David Lordkipanidze, Academic Director of Academia Europaea Tbilisi Hub and General Director of the Georgian National Museum, together with Deborah Ziska, Chair of ICOM-MPR.
Led by ICOM-MPR Board Members Luis Marcelo Mendes and Natia Khuluzauri, the seminar offered a fast-paced and intensive program designed to help professionals in the fields of culture and science understand communication and strategic brand management as essential structural components of cultural and scientific institutions. The program focused on raising awareness of the powerful impact that both verbal and non-verbal communication elements can have on audiences, and on identifying effective ways to implement institutional missions and highlight their societal value.
The project coordinator and principal speaker, Luis Marcelo Mendes, is a Brazilian journalist and communication specialist with extensive experience in museum-sector communications. His primary aim was to engage participants in discussions on innovative leadership approaches through communication tools, as well as on the key communication-related challenges facing the sector in the 21st century.
Reflections on traditions, post-Soviet challenges, and emerging opportunities for cultural and scientific institutions in Georgia were presented by Natia Khuluzauri, Executive Director of Academia Europaea Tbilisi Hub. By profession an art historian and journalist, she brings many years of experience in cultural, scientific, and popular science communication.
One of the core components of the workshop was an overview and discussion of contemporary trends in science communication. Particular attention was given to methods for disseminating and popularizing scientific knowledge.
The initiative was funded by the ICOM Strategic Allocation Review Committee (SAREC), which promotes excellence and solidarity in the museum sector by supporting innovative projects. The program was aimed at museum professionals involved in communication processes, including museum communicators, science communicators, directors, curators, educators, and others.
At the conclusion of the seminar, participants were awarded certificates of participation.
