The International Museum Construction Congress (IMCC), an event that brings together museum and architecture professionals to explore sustainability, planning, project management, construction, renovation and expansion of museums, has published its post-congress report following IMCC 2025 in Copenhagen.
The conference was held from 3 to 5 November, welcoming 275 members of its international network of museum leaders and design professionals to explore the theme of Storytelling in Museum Design.
The conversation spanned questions of identity, authenticity, public trust, technology, participation, political pressure, and the future role of museums as civic actors.
"A shared principle resonated throughout," says Natalie Dunning, head of content, MuseumINSIDER, "Storytelling is not the finishing touch sprinkled on top of design — it is a structural, ethical, and strategic foundation that shapes how museums build, communicate, and operate."
IMCC's post-congress report, published by the Mandrier Group in collaboration with MuseumINSIDER, offers in-depth insights, session takeaways, and keynote transcripts and serves as a valuable resource for future projects.
The report is available to download in full here.
Pre-congress reports are also available from the InFocus Tokyo 2025 and Edinburgh 2024 events.
'A field in transformation'
The conference identified five key themes impacting the museum design sector. Storytelling as identity emerged as a central thread, emphasising that museums must define not only what stories they tell but why, for whom, and to what social purpose.
In the physical environment, storytelling as a spatial strategy increasingly blends architecture and interpretive design, with narrative influencing circulation, form, and guest movement. The congress also explored the audience's role, as playfulness, co-creation, and agency move from educational approaches to design fundamentals.
Discussions covered ethical transparency: as scrutiny grows, institutions need to approach authentic and difficult histories with honesty, openness, and courage. Furthermore, storytelling is key as a stabilising force during times of transformation, whether physical, political, or organisational.
"The conference did not present a single unified narrative," says Dunning.
"Instead, it offered a constellation of perspectives that together form a picture of a field in transformation — courageous, complex, playful, and profoundly aware of the weight of its stories.
"If there was one shared belief across all sessions, it was this: Museums must become storytellers not because it is fashionable, but because it is necessary."
Upcoming events include two InFocus Editions and a congress in Munich in late October.
Recently, IMCC announced details of the first IMCC InFocus event taking place from 10 to 12 May 2026 in the Basque Country, Spain.
