Dubai wins hosting rights for ICOM 2025, world’s largest conference for museums

The Advisory Council of the International Council of Museums (ICOM) has elected Dubai to host its 27th General Conference in 2025.

Every three years, the international museum community comes together for the biggest conference of its sector: the triennial ICOM General Conference.

During ICOM’s 2021 annual meetings in June, three potential candidates were announced to host the 2025 edition: Kazan, proposed by ICOM Russia; Stockholm, proposed by ICOM Sweden; and Dubai, proposed by ICOM UAE.

ICOM UAE presented the bid to host the conference around the theme “The Future of Museums in Rapidly Changing Communities”, focusing on change, recovery, accessibility, and transparency.

The 90th Advisory Council of ICOM, which took place on November 18-19, thereafter elected Dubai over the other two cities to host the 27th General Conference.

Dubai wins the bid to host the International Council of Museums General Conference in 2025. Over 4,000 experts from 119 countries will meet to discuss the Future of Museums. This achievement was made possible thanks to @LatifaMRM, @DubaiCulture, @DMunicipality & @dubaitourism.

— Hamdan bin Mohammed (@HamdanMohammed) November 20, 2021

Since its first edition in 1948, the ICOM General Conference has become a reputed hub for exchange about the topical issues museums tackle today and the most innovative solutions around them.

“Dubai’s win to host the largest museum conference in the world, ICOM 2025, with the attendance of 119 countries covering 20,000 international museums, gives a strong impetus to the country’s cultural sector,” tweeted Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai.

Latifa bint Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, chairperson of Dubai Culture and Member of Dubai Council also tweeted adding, “The 27th ICOM conference in Dubai will be an opportunity to mobilise efforts, ideas and capabilities to enhance the role of all museums as protectors of human and knowledge heritage and enhance their cultural and societal role in a more effective manner.”

Before Dubai hosts the conference, the 26th ICOM General Conference based on the theme of “The Future of Museums” will be held during week of August 20-28, 2022 in Prague.