About IMPD

International Museum Professionals Day

The objects get the spotlight. We celebrate the people who put them there.

Museums may look effortless. They are anything but.

Behind every exhibition, discovery, collection, and cultural experience stands an extraordinary community of professionals whose knowledge, imagination, and dedication bring heritage to life.

International Museum Professionals Day (IMPD) is a global initiative dedicated to recognizing these individuals, from curators, conservators, archaeologists, and researchers to educators, designers, technicians, administrators, and the countless others who make museums possible.

Our Story

Launched in 2015 as Hug A Museum Worker, the initiative evolved into International Museum Workers Day (IMWD) in 2017 and, following its first decade, became International Museum Professionals Day (IMPD).

What began as a spirited gesture of appreciation grew into an international movement. By 2018, the initiative had engaged heritage professionals across 170 countries, communicating in 21 languages on 12 platforms.

The name has evolved. The mission has not.

Our Philosophy

Independent, inclusive, multicultural, and multilingual, IMPD celebrates the diversity of professions, perspectives, and experiences that sustain our shared heritage.

We believe museums are more than collections and buildings. They are places of discovery, dialogue, education, and cultural exchange, made possible by people.

Join the Celebration

Every year, IMPD invites museum and heritage professionals, cultural organizations, and the public to celebrate the people behind the museum.

Share their stories. Recognize their contributions. Introduce the world to the remarkable people whose work is too often invisible.

Because behind every great museum stands an even greater cast of characters.