This important conference, sponsored by the Francqui Foundation, led to the establishment of a wide range of international contacts and cooperative activities. The Flemish Heritage Institute and the Ename Center were gratified to be able to play a continuing role in the development and advancement of the public interpretation of archaeology.

At the time of this conference, the importance of public interpretation and the tools with which the significance of cultural heritage could be most effectively communicated to the public had become matters of great concern. It was clearly recognised that archaeological sites and historical monuments on every continent were in immediate danger—not only of physical destruction, but in danger of losing their cultural value by being overly-commercialised, overrun by too many visitors, or, even in some cases, being exploited for political or ideological ends.

In this conference, scholars, government officials, heritage professionals, and community leaders discussed the effective presentation of archaeological and historic sites and agreed that they must work closely together to establish professional and practical standards to ensure the cultural value and economic sustainability of heritage development projects throughout the world.

Selected papers from this conference have been published in the volume Interpreting the Past I (Brussels: Flemish Heritage Institute, 2004). Future volumes of this series will offer an international forum for discussion and presentation of important new technological and methodological developments in the field of heritage presentation and management. It will feature continuing scholarly and specialist discussions on the ethics, philosophy and practical methodology of heritage presentation.