ICOM Exhibitions By-Laws, 2025

BY-LAWS OF THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE FOR EXHIBITIONS  (ICOM EXHIBITIONS)

SECTION 1. GENERAL ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY OF ICOM INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEES

SECTION 2. NAME AND STATUTE

SECTION 3. MANDATE

SECTION 4. MEMBERSHIP

4.1. Registration and composition

4.2. Rights of members

4.3. Protection of Personal Data

SECTION 5. MEETINGS

5.1. Annual Meeting

5.2. Conferences

5.2. Voting rights and proxy

5.3. Quorum

SECTION 6. GOVERNANCE

6.1. Composition of the Board

6.2. Tasks and responsibilities

6.3. Elections

6.4. Mandate and renewal

6.5. Vacancies

SECTION 7. WORKING GROUPS

SECTION 8. FINANCIAL RESOURCES

8.1. Delegation of authority

8.2. Sponsorship

8.3. Reporting

SECTION 9. EVALUATION

SECTION 10. ARCHIVES

SECTION 11. APPROVAL OF BY-LAWS AND SUBSEQUENT AMENDMENTS

SECTION 12. DISSOLUTION

 

SECTION 1. GENERAL ROLE AND RESPONSIBILITY OF ICOM INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEES

  1. International Committees (IC) are principal instruments for the work of ICOM and for the realisation of its programmes of activity. They are channels of communication between ICOM members with similar professional interests. International Committees are responsible for the development and implementation of ICOM’s programmes and activities related to each IC’s specific mandate. Furthermore, the ICs provide valuable advice to the ICOM Executive Board, the Advisory Council, and the Director General on matters relevant to ICOM’s mission and programmes.
  2. International Committees are components of ICOM and subject to the ICOM Statutes and Internal Rules, Code of Ethics for Museums, Rules for International Committees, and relevant decisions of the ICOM General Assembly and the ICOM Executive Board.
  3. Each International Committee is represented at the ICOM Advisory Council by its Chair(s) or its appointed representative, and at the ICOM General Assembly as determined by the ICOM Statutes and Internal Rules.

SECTION 2. NAME AND STATUTE

  1. ICOM Exhibitions is the International Committee for Exhibitions. It is established under Article 16 of the ICOM Statutes and Article 7 of ICOM Internal Rules.
  2. ICOM Exhibitions is not entitled to operate as a legal entity. As all International Committees, ICOM Exhibitions must operate within the generally accepted framework of the organization with respect to ICOM Exhibitions specific mandate described in the following section.

SECTION 3. MANDATE

  1. ICOM Exhibitions’s aims are: To work with members and other organisations in developing a global forum for the exchange of ideas and experiences related to the circulation and exchange of exhibitions in all disciplines.

SECTION 4. MEMBERSHIP

4.1. Registration and composition

  1. ICOM Exhibitions membership is open to all ICOM members in good standing upon request and without undue delay or restrictions.
  2. Members of ICOM Exhibitions are members of ICOM, either individual members or representatives of institutional members, who have nominated ICOM Exhibitions as the one International Committee of which they wish to be members. Any ICOM member shall be allowed to choose ICOM Exhibitions as their designated International Committee.
  3. Members of ICOM wishing to join ICOM Exhibitions shall update their personal data in the ICOM database by ticking ICOM Exhibitions as their IC in their personal space on the ICOM Website.
  4. Each IC is composed of those ICOM members who have chosen to be a member of ICOM Exhibitions and must maintain a membership of at least fifty (50). The ICOM Exhibitions membership list is maintained by the ICOM Secretariat on behalf of the Committee and for its purposes. The ICOM Secretariat shall provide restricted access to the Co-Chairs and the Secretary of ICOM Exhibitions to the relevant parts of the ICOM membership database.
  5. Membership of the IC shall cease if the member:
    1. resigns from the Committee or
    2. is no longer a member of ICOM

4.2. Rights of members

  • ICOM Exhibitions members are entitled to participate in ICOM Exhibitions activities and programs, to attend and vote during AGM and other general Meetings and to stand for election to the Board as provided in Sections (Meetings) and 6 (Governance).
  • General information shall be distributed to ICOM Exhibitions members on a regular basis as a membership service.

4.3. Protection of Personal Data

  • While working with personal data from its members, ICOM Exhibitions takes all the necessary measures in respect of the provisions of national and international legislations, especially comply with the European Union General Data Protection Regulation (EU-GDPR).

SECTION 5. MEETINGS

5.1. Annual meeting

  1. ICOM Exhibitions shall hold a meeting with its members at least once a year. ICOM Exhibitions shall determine the venue and arrangements. In the year of an ICOM Triennial Conference, the annual meeting may be held at the same time and place as the Triennial Conference.
  2. The Co-Chairs shall set the agenda of the annual meeting, in consultation with the Board. An official invitation to the annual meeting shall be sent at least thirty (30) days before the date of the meeting to all members of ICOM Exhibitions. The official invitation shall include the date, time and place of the meeting, as well as the agenda. Documents shall be made available in sufficient time for reflection and debate among ICOM Exhibitions’s members, preferably at the time of the official invitation.
  3. While organising annual meetings ICOM Exhibitions shall inform the ICOM National Committee in the host country of the forthcoming event.
  4. ICOM Exhibitions may accept other members of ICOM as well as non-members as observers in its annual meetings. The observers do not have voting rights.

5.2. Activities of the annual meeting

  1. ICOM Exhibitions may organise a wide range of activities to fulfill its mission and achieve its objectives: conferences, workshops, local and regional meetings and other activities that seem appropriate to promote ICOM Exhibitions and/or museum education and cultural action.
  2. To ensure the proper legal and financial management of funds associated with its annual meeting and to certify the proper audit of related accounts, ICOM Exhibitions shall establish an agreement of cooperation with an entity in the host country (a museum, university, foundation, the ICOM National Committee, or similar public-oriented body).
  3. ICOM Exhibitions may accept as participants in its meetings or conferences and include in its communication network other members of ICOM as well as non-members.

5.3. Voting rights and proxy

  1. Each ICOM member in good standing who is a member of ICOM Exhibitions shall have the right to vote and shall have, for that purpose, one vote.
  2. A voting member is entitled to carry up to five (5) proxies for absent voting members of ICOM Exhibitions. Voting Members giving a proxy must be up to date with the payment of their membership fees.
  3. Electronic voting may be used whenever technically and logistically possible.

5.4. Quorum

  1. No business may be transacted at any general meeting of the members of ICOM Exhibitions unless a quorum is present when the meeting starts.
  2. (b) Subject to the following provisions, the quorum for general meetings shall be the greater of 5% or twenty members.
  3. (c) If the meeting has been called by or at the request of the members and a quorum is not present within 15 minutes of the starting time specified in the notice of the meeting, the meeting is closed.
  4. (d) If the meeting has been called in any other way and a quorum is not present within 15 minutes of the starting time specified in the notice of the meeting, the meeting chair must adjourn the meeting. The date, time, and place at which the meeting will resume must either be announced by the Co-Chairs at the meeting or be notified to ICOM Exhibitions members at least seven clear days before the date on which it will resume.
  5. (e) If a quorum is not present within 15 minutes of the start time of the adjourned meeting, the member or members present at the meeting constitute a quorum.
  6. (f) If at any time during the meeting, a quorum ceases to be present, the meeting may discuss issues and make recommendations to the trustees but may not make any decisions. If decisions are required which must be made by a meeting of the members, the meeting must be adjourned.
  7. ICOM Exhibitions decisions shall be subject to a simple majority between the members present and being represented.

SECTION 6. GOVERNANCE

6.1. Composition of the Board

  1. The management responsibilities of ICOM Exhibitions reside with an elected Board composed of at least five (5) persons and a maximum of 11 persons, including the following functions: a Chair or Co-Chairs, a Vice-Chair or Co-Chair, a Secretary, and a Treasurer. Board Members not holding office should be known as Ordinary Board Member(s).
  2. The Board may also invite observers to attend its meetings. The observers do not have voting rights.

6.2. Tasks and responsibilities

  1. The ICOM Exhibitions Board, represented by the Co-Chairs, shall ensure that the IC’s activities do not compromise ICOM.
  2. The ICOM Exhibitions Board, represented by the Co-Chairs, shall fulfil its financial obligations, as described in section 8, and shall ensure that the financial accountability does not compromise ICOM.
  3. The members of the Board undertake to devote sufficient time and to find the means necessary to carry out their functions. All members of the Board are expected to actively advocate for ICOM Exhibitions’s programmes of activities and participate in the efforts to promote the committee’s work.
  4. The Board is also responsible for:
    1. the overall management and functioning of ICOM Exhibitions, according to the aims set out in Section 3;
    2. the proper preparation of the annual meetings, such as but not limited to, securing the venue and logistical arrangements, as set out in Section 5.
    3. the annual reporting to ICOM Secretariat (report of activities and financial report), as set out in paragraph 43;
    4. the conservation of ICOM Exhibitions’s archives, as set out in Section 10.
  5. Board members shall participate in the planning and delivery of each annual conference.
  6. Board members shall participate in no less than three-quarters of board meetings as well as the annual general meeting be this in person or online. Board members who are unable to attend meetings shall address their absence with the executive committee with the understanding that board members who are unable to fulfill their responsibilities may be asked to relinquish their board seat while retaining their ICOM Exhibitions membership and benefits.

6.3. Elections

  1. Only ICOM members in good standing who are members of ICOM Exhibitions are eligible to stand for election.
  2. Elections shall be held every third year, preferably coinciding with the ICOM Exhibitions annual meeting that occurs during the ICOM Triennial Conference. A call for candidates shall be sent to all members of the International Committee at least thirty (30) days in advance. A candidate may apply for a single function only. Elections will be held online.
  3. All members of the Board must be approved by a simple majority of votes between the ICOM Exhibitions members present and being represented. The Co-Chairs shall be elected separately and prior to the other members of the Board.

6.4. Mandate and renewal

  1. The Co-Chairs and the other members of the Board shall be elected for three (3) years, and their mandate can be renewed once for a specific role. A member of the Board may subsequently be elected and renewed once for a different position. However, no one may remain on the Board for more than twelve (12) consecutive years.
  2. The Co-Chairs of an International Committee may not serve as Chair of a National Committee or an Affiliated Organisation or a Regional Alliance or as a member of the Executive Board.

6.5. Vacancies

  1. In case of vacancy of one or both of the Co-Chairs’ office, the Board shall appoint an interim Chair or Co-chair from the Board to assume this function until the following election of the Board.
  2. In case of vacancy of the Vice-Chair/Secretary/Treasurer office, the Board shall appoint one of its Ordinary Members to assume this function until the following election of the Board.
  3. In case of vacancy of a position of Ordinary Member, the position may be filled by a board selected ICOM Exhibitions member until the following annual general meeting of the committee or may remain vacant until the following annual general meeting of the committee.

SECTION 7. WORKING GROUPS

  1. ICOM Exhibitions may create working groups for specific purposes depending on the needs of a programme or on request by members.

SECTION 8. FINANCIAL RESOURCES

8.1. Delegation of authority

1. Where the ICOM Exhibitions Board, represented by the Co-Chairs, needs to engage itself in a contractual agreement, a request for a      delegation of authority should be asked to the ICOM President.

8.2. Sponsorship

  1. ICOM Exhibitions may accept sponsorship and apply for subventions, grants or other supports for its activities and projects. It may request fees for special activities and services rendered (within the limitations stated in Section 2 and subject to prior agreement by ICOM).

8.3. Reporting

  1. ICOM Exhibitions shall submit an annual report of activities and an annual financial report to ICOM. Upon the submission of these reports and according to the number of registered members, ICOM Exhibitions is eligible for a subsidy from ICOM.  ICOM may withhold the subsidy if these reports are not delivered in a timely fashion or are incomplete.
  2. International Committees shall be evaluated at such times as may be deemed necessary, to determine the IC’s conformity with the ICOM Statutes, Internal Rules, Rules for International Committees and the relevance of the IC’s activities in relation to the ICOM mission, core values, and programmes.

SECTION 10. ARCHIVES

  1. ICOM Exhibitions shall complete and keep records of financial accounts and expenditures, annual financial reports, annual reports of activities and minutes and proceedings of the Board, annual meetings and, if relevant, meetings of the working groups. Such records will be maintained by the Secretary in electronic and hard copy form and will be communicated to the ICOM Secretariat for its archives.

SECTION 11. APPROVAL OF BY-LAWS AND SUBSEQUENT AMENDMENTS

  1. Each IC may establish By-laws. These must be based on the ICOM Internal Rules 7 Rules for International Committees.  They are subject to approval by the ICOM Executive Board.
  2. Proposed amendments to the present By-laws must be sent to the ICOM Exhibitions members at least thirty (30) days before voting and must receive a majority of the cast votes to be adopted.

SECTION 12. DISSOLUTION

The majority of the members of an International Committee or the ICOM Executive Board may decide that the IC may be suspended if the Committee is no longer functioning effectively or has acted in violation of the ICOM Statutes or Internal Rules or the Code of Ethics for Museums and failed to comply with such norms despite formal notice from the ICOM Executive Board. In the event of dissolution being declared, the ICOM Executive Board shall appoint one or two liquidators. Any remaining assets shall be transferred to ICOM.