Museums are the link between the past and the future. We invite you to join us in Tartu, Estonia for the International Committee for Exhibition Exchange’s (ICOM Exhibitions) annual conference, Momentum: Exhibitions and Memory, taking place September 29 – October 2, 2024.

This 2024 conference will provide a space for big conversations, expansive questions, and new ideas. Each day will have a grounding theme and will start with two international keynote speakers, one international and one from the Baltics, who will engage the attendees in a discourse. The daily themes will include around topics of the role of memory in future building, new innovations in exhibit development and an sustainability and interactivity in traveling exhibition expo. As always, the ever-popular Exhibition Marketplace will also be taking place. The goal of these conversations is to generate diverse and thought-provoking reflections. Each afternoon, will include concurrent sessions and will end participants will with visits to local museums where the participants will have the opportunity to explore, learn and discuss how museums in Estonia are serving their community in new and different ways. Throughout the 3 days, participants will also have opportunities to network, plan B2B meetings, and explore our host venue with special behind-the-scenes tours.

Momentum will coincide with programming planned in celebration of Tartu as the European Capital of Culture in 2024. The general concept of the Tartu 2024 cultural program, The Art of Survival, is more relevant than ever before. This idea centers around three aspects related to the influence of art on the future of Europe — an environmentally friendly culture with an emphasis on real human interactions and strong communities.

Momentum is presented by the International Committee of Exhibition Exchange and ICOM-Estonia and is hosted by the Estonian National Museum. The goal of this conference is to support the work of museum and cultural professionals in Estonia, the Baltics, and across our entire global membership. Efforts have been made to make attendance economically accessible for students, independent professionals, and regional professionals. Additionally, Momentum is committed to sustainable practices in identifying strategies to lower our carbon footprint, including: low paper waste, use of public transportation, and using locally sourced food.

Building off of the success of the 2023 conference in Medellin, Colombia, Momentum 2024 plans to host 150 attendees from museums all over the world. This three-day conference will include intimate conversations, thought-provoking discussions, and exciting excursions.

About us:

The International Committee for Exhibitions (ICEE) is a community of dreamers and risk-takers of content creators and museum leaders. It is a forum where new content can be shared, where ideas can be pitched, and where partnerships are formed. Exhibition exchange is more than just traveling exhibitions; it is about big ideas and how we share them.

The International Coalition of Sites of Conscience is the only global network of historic sites, museums and memory initiatives that connects past struggles to today's movements for human rights.

The Estonian National Museum is an ethnographic museum, focusing on the everyday life and cultural changes of Estonian and Finno-Ugric peoples. Opened in a new building in 2016, the museum comprises of vast collections, professional conservation, research, and educational departments. It also functions as a cultural center with diverse exhibitions and program activities. The museum's primary goal has been to broaden its impact on society by increasing the participation of various communities and cultural groups in the museum's activities and serving as a catalyst for innovation based on heritage.