User:Kitreid/The Vital Spark Conference

The Vital Spark International Heritage Interpretation Conference was held from 30 September - 3 October 2007 in the Aviemore Highland Resort in the Highlands of Scotland.

The conference brought together over 300 heritage interpreters from many countries around the world who shared experiences, learned from each other and reinforced the networks of professional interpretation organisations and individual interpreters around the world. It featured around 70 speakers who presented papers based upon current interpretation issues and particularly concentrating upon the conference themes of :-

- The Vital Spark: interpretation as the driver for cultural regeneration

- Creativity and innovation: interpreting remote and fragile areas

- Voices in interpretation: languages, cultures and communities

- Authenticity and re-interpretation: traditional icons in the 21st century

The Vital Spark Interpretation Conference was run by Interpret Scotland and the Association for Heritage Interpretation. The name 'the Vital Spark' refers to the name of the Clyde puffer, Vital Spark, in Neil's Munro's Parahandy stories and was chosen to reflect the importance of interpreting our cultural and natural heritage to the public.