The 15th edition of Communicating the Museum, an International Council of Museums- (ICOM) funded major annual conference connecting the art world, took place in Istanbul from Sept. 9 to Sept. 12. For this important event, 300 professionals from museums including Barbican Centre, Musee du Louvre, POLIN Museum of the History of Polish Jews, Philadelphia Museum of Art, Van Gogh Museum and the Tate, from 30 countries, came to Istanbul. This year's theme was "The Art of Being Contemporary." Participants were offered an exciting four-day program. The program included best practice training about branding, 23 workshops, nine keynote speaches and an orientation tour of Istanbul. Delegates had the opportunity to attend exclusive visits of UNESCO World Heritage sites, including Topkapı Palace Museum, the Hagia Sophia, Hagia Eirene and the Istanbul Archeological Museum as well as private collections, artist studios and galleries.Daily Sabah got together with Corinne Estrada who is the founder of the Communicating the Museum organization and talked about the impacts of art on society.Daily Sabah: What is the mission of Communicating the Museum conferences and why did you decide to hold the conference in Istanbul this year?Corinne Estrada:The mission of this conference is to train museum professionals so as to increase their expertise, develop a brand vision for their organization and build an international network of partners. We chose Istanbul because it is a vibrant and captivating city with a very dynamic art scene. In one word, it is a contemporary cityIMPACT OF CULTURE IS MORE RELATED TO TRADED.S.: I read in a study that one of the fastest growing sectors in the travel industry worldwide with an annual average growth rate of 15 percent, which is three times the average growth of general tourism, is cultural tourism where arts and heritage are the key components. How do you measure the impact of museums on their communities?Estrada: The impact of culture is more related to trade and investment than tourism. People want to come to live or work or invest in a country because it is dynamic, innovative, friendly and welcoming and where the art scene is open and rich.D.S.: What are the economic, social and cultural impacts of city art and culture museums?The opening of the Tate changed the way the British look at art and also the way people look at London. It is about museums that can shape a destination and contribute to its economic development. It is also about involving communities and opening a social dialogue.D.S.: How do you describe a good, successful museum?A successful museum is a museum, which is sustainable, which can engage in a long-term relationship with its audience, which can bring a business model to produce shows for all.D.S.: Social impact is a new trend in which museums find their place as agents of social change. But what about the future? What will museums be like in the future?The museum of the 21st century is not just holding a collection, it has become a social platform to share ideas, arts and time. Future museums will be highly focused on their audiences, which will be closely involved with its curatorial programs.D.S.: How do you describe Istanbul as an artistic city? What would you like to say about museums in Istanbul? Are there any particular ones you like and why?I like the new Islamic Art Museum because it has a contemporary approach to talk about heritage and archeology. I think it is difficult for a history museum to talk to a large audience, and that the new Islamic Art Museum did it very well. Istanbul is indeed a contemporary art destination with a lot going on such as the art biennial, the art fair, a lot of private collectors and a love for art in general.D.S.: If you were granted one single wish, what would you change in the cultural system?Work together instead of in silos - involve other people, other staff from junior to senior and learn from the other sectors.TURKISH PEOPLE ARE LOOKING FOR THEIR ROOTSD.S.: Do you think the art world is having a Turkish moment? I mean can we say that modern and contemporary art in Turkey is an emerging market with new modern museums opening in the past years and art fairs growing each year?Definitely, Istanbul is on the map of the emerging art scene with interesting artwork and art fairs. It is at the crossroads of Europe and Asia. Turkish people are going more and more to museums, which means that people are looking for their roots and for their identity.D.S.: What is your favorite Communicating the Museum project?I think that the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam has done an amazing job for the reopening of their museum in 2013 following a strong military plan and a strong brand definition. This year, the Whiney in New York has also developed a major innovative and successful campaign involving locals. They will talk at the conference on Thursday morning at Communicating the Museum.SOCIAL MEDIA IS A PART OF COMMUNICATING STRATEGYD.S.: What is the importance of social media for museums?Estrada:Social media is part of a global communication strategy. It should be integrated in all departments of a museum and not just in silos. All museum staff should be involved in social media. It is the role of the institution to develop a consistent tone of voice across the organization, which will be used on social media. Social media is a vital and necessary process to engage with new museum visitors.