Spanish Young Friends delegate report about the FEAM Congress in Caceres : April 11, 2024
Report of the XXX National Congress of Friends of Museums
Cáceres, Spain, 15-17 March 2024
By Irene Benito, Young Friends delegate from the FEAM (Federación Española de Amigos de los Museos)
Challenges and opportunities for Friends of Museums through the eyes of Artificial Intelligence
From 15 to 17 March I had the pleasure of participating in the organisation of the XXX National Congress of Friends of Museums in Cáceres. Every year, the Spanish Federation of Friends of Museums (FEAM) holds a congress that brings together representatives of associations, programmes and foundations of Friends. This meeting forum aims to encourage debate on current issues of cultural interest as well as the management of associations and their activities in support of museums.
In this edition the proposal was the challenge of exploring the opportunities and challenges that Artificial Intelligence (AI) presents to the Friends of museums. The main objective was to learn about the tools available to streamline daily management, create content and achieve more effective communication. And to learn how to generate knowledge from the information we handle and to better measure and evaluate the impact of our actions. This is an interesting challenge that can help us to perfect strategies, be more effective and demonstrate with more precise data the social and economic impact of the Friends' associations.
Each edition offers an academic programme, based on a specific theme, and a cultural programme, aimed at all those interested in learning about the artistic and cultural environment of the region they are visiting. In the academic session held on
Saturday 16 March, we had the participation of 3 AI specialists : Alba Mejide, Carlos Fernández and Manuel Mejide.
Overall, the session was very entertaining, as it dealt with such a topical and attractive subject. Despite the variety of institutions and ages, we were all able to understand the basic concepts of the AI. And personally, I was able to take note of those tools to implement in the Associations in order to facilitate and enrich the work in social media.
An important event to highlight at the Congress is the presentation of the ODS 2023 Excellence Award to the Association of Friends of the Museum of Fine Arts of Asturias for its Educational Initiatives for Young People Programme at the Museum of Fine Arts of Asturias. The Aon España Foundation and the Spanish Federation of Friends of Museums have created this distinction to be awarded annually to an Association or Foundation of Friends of a Museum for its alignment with the 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the 169 goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda.
It was a real pleasure to be hosted by the Helga de Alvear Museum, an international reference point for contemporary art in Spain. And to be delighted by the city of Cáceres, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1986. Next year's National Congress will take place in the southern Spanish city of Córdoba.