Accession UAA-1993-087 - UAA-1993-087

In 1985, a group of Canadians organized the first World Congress on Heritage Presentation and Interpretation in Banff, Alberta from September 30 - October 4. The Banff conference brought together members of the public, private or voluntary sectors of the interpretation, visitor services, heritage preservation, and resource management fields from across the globe. It resulted in the creation of Heritage Interpretation International. Dr. John Lunn, who was an associate deputy minister and director of the Government of Alberta’s museum services, helped organize this first global conference, and became president of Heritage Interpretation International.
Heritage Interpretation International held conferences, attracting several hundred delegates, every three years for over a decade:
1985 in Banff, Canada
1988 in Coventry, England
1991 in Honolulu, Hawaii
1994 in Barcelona, Spain
1998 in Sydney, Australia
Key documents arising from these conferences include the Banff Declaration, which sought to affirm the value of global understanding and cooperation amongst heritage interpretation organizations, networks, and individuals; and the Honolulu Charter, which was drafted as a statement to the international travel industry, and shared with the United Nations, regarding the relationship of heritage interpretation and preservation.
The network disbanded after a planned meeting in Denmark did not attract enough participants.