INTERCOM Doha 2023 Conference' sees wide range of presentations

The activities of the INTERCOM Doha 2023 Conference continued Monday at the Qatar Museums' premises.Hosted by the Qatar National Committee of ICOM, the three-day conference, which got underway on Sunday, comes under the theme *The Future Museum: Framing the Skills and Mindsets of the Visionary Leader, and is organised by ICOM-INTERCOM in partnership with Qatar Museums, in collaboration with CIMAM, ICOM SEE, and ICOM Croatia with the participation of delegations from around the world.In a statement to Qatar News Agency (QNA), INTERCOM Chairperson Dr Goranka Horjana said that the conference comes with a clear objective to set a course for new and successful museums' leaders, something which is very important, because in changing environmental circumstances, new mindsets of museum directors, persons in charge of museums are needed to secure a sustainable future for museums.The conference has an interesting format including keynote presentations, presenters, and "poster” sessions. This is also a meeting point for professionals to exchange ideas and benefit from each other's experiences.The director of the Department of International Co-operation in Qatar Museums, Dr Fatima al-Sulaiti, said the posters' session that was embraced by the Qatar National Library is part of the conference, where research programmes have been presented with the engagement of researchers and employees, including museums professionals from 12 countries.The posters discuss different topics that highlighted the challenges facing the museum sector, in addition to the positive topics pertaining to the museums for which research poster sponsors work.Meanwhile, Dr al-Sulaiti pointed out that the posters depicted the obstacles that face museums, including ways to overcome them, which would lay out solutions for the museums' department in a better way.She indicated that the scientific or academic posters are usually used by researchers and academics, and are either showcased in universities and local forums, or conferences to highlight the ideas of research and projects.Dr al-Sulaiti explained that the research poster is a kind of presentation of ideas and projects in one paper summarising the most important achievements, and highlighting the research idea clearly and directly to the public.The Head of the Cameroon Department of International Museums Association (ICOM), Christian Nana, hailed the good organisation of the conference to discuss everything that concerns museums' leaders.He hoped that the next conference would be organised in Doha because Qatar enjoys a premium reputation for organising international forums.Nana said that he aspires to forge partnerships with Qatar Museums and deepen the cultural ties between the two sides.The event also featured the remarks by professor and head of the Department of Art and Design at the Hang Seng University of Hong Kong, Desmond Hui, under the theme of *Visions for the Future: A Cross-Cultural Exchange, National Museum of Tanzania director-general Dr Noel Biseko Lwoga, and Cristina Beard from the Lugo regional museums network, along with William Geblerkpor from the Museum of Natural and Cultural Heritage at Shai Hills, University of Ghana, under the theme of *The Museum as a Family Home: Reshaping a New Mindset for Museum Leadership in West Africa.The intervention from Anna Dentoni from Galata Museum, Genoa, Italy came under the title *Leadership and Patrons.