Directors' Meeting 2026
The annual Directors’ Meeting is exclusively dedicated to NEMO’s full members: national organisations that represent and support museums in their countries. The 2026 edition will be organised on Sunday 11 October at The Old Arsenal (National Museum of Lithuania) in connection to NEMO's European Museum Conference: Human after all – Museums in the wake of AI, in Vilnius, Lithuania.
The Directors' Meeting offers a unique opportunity for directors of national museum organisations to connect, exchange ideas, and discuss shared challenges and trends in the museum sector. This year, we will put a certain focus on how European museums and their umbrella organisations can navigate and advocate within an increasingly complex EU regulatory landscape on AI, including the EU AI Act. Through focused input and exchange, participants will discuss strategic responses and develop approaches to strengthen museums' advocacy at the European level.
- Who is it for? The meeting is only open to senior management of national museum umbrella organisations upon personal invitation
- Pre-registration is mandatory. The invitation to register has been sent. Get in touch with office@ne-mo.org if you did not receive it or might have other questions
The meeting takes place at At The Old Arsenal (National Museum of Lithuania) and starts at 10:00 on Sunday 11 October.
One senior representative per NEMO full member organisation is welcome to join the meeting. If the director cannot participate, we ask you to please appoint a representative to join on behalf of the organisation.
The public programme of the NEMO European Museum Conference starts in the afternoon on Sunday 11 October with tours followed by the opening reception. Please note that you must register separately for both the general conference programme and the Directors' Meeting (via the registration link sent by email).
Programme
10:00
Welcome and introduction
Moderated by Julia Pagel, NEMO
10:10
Tour de table
All participants give a short update.
10:30
Impulse talk and strategising museum advocacy
Marco Fiore (France), Policy Officer at Michael Culture Association
In recent years, we constantly hear about EU legislation and public policies governing AI systems, their development, and their application, but what does this actually mean for museums? During this participatory dialogue, we’ll explore the impacts of European strategies on the day-to-day and long-term work of museums, while also seeking to understand the value of museums as hubs of collective intelligence regarding the implementation (and critique!) of AI systems. The goal will be to understand the importance of museums’ voice in the political conversation at European level, both as defenders of cultural heritage and as spaces for community.
11:30
Coffee break
Stretch your legs and get some refreshments.
12:00
Open table discussions
Time to get talking in smaller group discussions on various topics.
13:00
Lunch
We will wrap up the meeting with an optional lunch from 13:00 to 14:00 (at participants’ own expense).
Supported by
Co-organisers
Financed by
Partners
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