One week to go: American Express Heritage Leadership Panel (Wednesday 13 September)

Dame Fiona in the Amex Panel at the Victoria ICNT in 2011

We are delighted that the American Express Foundation is once again supporting the International Conference of National Trusts (ICNT), convening this year in Bali and co-hosted by the Indonesian Heritage Trust, Gianyar Regency and INTO.

This is the 17th such gathering of National Trusts and it’s an honour to be working with the American Express Foundation on a session that brings together leaders (young and established) from the INTO network and high profile speakers from across the globe.

The “American Express Heritage Leadership Panel: New strategies for expanding our audiences” session will take place on Wednesday 13 September.  Moderated by INTO Chairman, Dame Fiona Reynolds, it will feature interventions from Katherine Malone France (Executive Vice President for Historic Sites of the National Trust for Historic Preservation); Emily Drani (Executive Director of the Cross-Cultural Foundation of Uganda); Bonnie Burnham (President Emerita of the World Monuments Fund); and Richard Engelhardt, former UNESCO Regional Advisor for Culture in Asia and the Pacific.

The shift from managing cultural heritage ‘for people’ to managing ‘with people’ is one the National Trust movement has embraced and championed. Our expert panel will share case studies and emerging trends from across the globe around engaging communities where heritage is at risk; how private fundraising can deepen and expand connections; ways in which heritage contributes to sustainable, liveable communities; and the use of programming and unlikely partnerships to challenge perceptions of heritage.

It promises to be a lively debate!  And we are deeply grateful to the American Express Foundation for their support in helping make it happen.   For those that can’t make it Bali, we will of course be sharing the outcomes on this website.  Watch this space!

Tim McClimon, President of the American Express Foundation, speaking at the 16th ICNT

In 2015, INTO had the pleasure of working with the American Express Foundation on the 16th International Conference of National Trusts, which took place in England.

As part of a day focused on ‘Growing the Movement’, Tim McClimon, President of the American Express Foundation, gave an inspirational presentation of Partners in Preservation, and the use of social media to raise awareness and engage people in debates about cultural heritage, as well as Amex’s work with World Monuments Fund.

We are thrilled to continue this association, which began in Victoria, Canada in 2011.

American Express is a longtime supporter of historic preservation around the world as it believes in helping people value and protect their natural and built heritage.  The company is delighted to sponsor the 17th International Conference of National Trusts where National Trust organisations from around the world will gather to develop new strategies for championing heritage, for engaging people and communities, and for growing public understanding of the importance of protecting, preserving and reusing historic places for the enjoyment and benefit of people today and future generations.

The ICNT is a biennial programme that began in the 1970s and brings together National Trusts and heritage NGOs to educate and develop professional expertise among staff and volunteers, building worldwide capacity for preservation. The ICNT remains at the heart of the National Trust movement and is one of INTO’s most high profile events. We are expecting around 200 delegates from an estimated 40 countries across 5 continents, as well as many local supporters of the Indonesian Heritage Trust and its partner organisations.