By the end of January 2012, a delegation of four people from EXARC & La Ciutadella Ibérica de Calafell visited ICOM Headquarters in Paris. EXARC is an ICOM Affiliated Organisation, so it is important to better understand ICOM and how we can cooperate. We were welcomed by Julien Anfruns, Director General. On the ICOM side of the table, there were also the Director of Administration and Finance, the Director of Programmes and the Director for Communication & Network Promotion.

EXARC is considered an active affiliated organisation and there are several possibilities for cooperation. We discussed how archaeological open-air museums can be pitched as a museum category per se. ICOM itself, both international and at national level, is standing strong for museums and with funding and political support getting tight, it becomes increasingly important to show EXARC members are part of the existing museum world, of ICOM that is. More EXARC members should turn ICOM member.

We also discussed what expertise EXARC has to share - ICOM is very much a think tank. Interpretation in museums, not only live interpretation, is a strong point of EXARC members. Intangible heritage too, is where we have our expertise. There are several cases where EXARC members are included in UNESCO World Heritage Sites; exactly these areas are a focus for ICOM: how can museums contribute? Enough leads for future cooperation!