The ICOM 21st General Conference was held in the city of Vienna, Austria on 19-24 August 2007. The Annual Meeting of the International Committee for Museology (ICOFOM) took place within the framework of this General Conference, on 20-22 August. It is worth highlighting the joint meetings and scientific discussions which addressed the issue of Museology, Universal Heritage and Techniques. On 20 August 2008, ICOFOM held a joint meeting with the Education and Cultural Action Committee (CECA) on Museums: public institutions for personal learning, at the Auditorium Maximum, University of Vienna. On this occasion the speakers were Dr. Hadwig Kräutler, member of CECA and Dr. Hildegard Vieregg, President of ICOFOM. Dr. Martin Schäerer, Vice-President of the ICOM Executive Council and member of ICOFOM was keynote speaker and Dr Richard West, member of the ICOM Executive Council and of CECA also took the floor. Dr. André Gob, from Belgium; Prof. Lynn Maranda from Canada; Silvia Singer, President of ICOM Mexico and member of CECA, and Susan Abassa from New Zealand all participated in the debate. The first scientific session of ICOFOM was then held. At this session an Analytic Summary of the working papers presented in the (ISS), annual ICOFOM publication for 2007, prepared by Mónica Gorgas from Argentina, was read. At 6 p.m. that same day the ICOFOM Regional Committee for Latin America and the Caribbean (ICOFOM LAM) met under the chairmanship of Nelly Decarolis from Argentina. Afterwards, ICOFOM members then had dinner together. On 21 August at 9 a.m., the meeting started with a report on the different ICOFOM Projects. A joint meeting was then held with the Schnittpunkt Group on the Theory and practice of museum exhibitions, chaired by Charlotte Martinz-Turek from Austria. Among the speakers were Dr. Martin Schäerer, from Switzerland; María Claudia Cristofano, from Italy and Carol Vitagliano, from Argentina. In the afternoon a joint meeting was held with the participation of ICTOP, ICEE, CECA and ICOFOM. The meeting was chaired by Alissandra Cummins, President of ICOM. In the absence of Mónica Gorgas, who had been asked to address the floor, Prof. Decarolis read to the audience Mrs. Gorgas working paper. The second ICOFOM scientific meeting also took place in the afternoon. Dr. Anita Shah from India and Dr. Yun Shun Susie Chung, from Korea/USA presented the Analytical Summaries. The sub-topics of the Meeting were then discussed: Museology, universal heritage and techniques, Dr. Ann Davis, Canada. Museology, society undergoing transformation and techniques, Prof. Jan Dólak, Czech Republic. Museology, techniques and ICOM Code of Ethics, Dr. Jennifer Harris, Australia.

To conclude, a series of reports were submitted: the ICOFOM Report by Dr. Hildegard Vieregg from Germany; the ICOFOM LAM Report, by Nelly Decarolis from Argentina; the ICOFOM SIB Report, by Olga Truevtseva from Siberia and the 2008 ICOFOM Meeting Report by Dr. Vieregg, together with An Laishun and two representatives of Chinese museums. Dr. Vieregg informed the attendants about the negotiations carried out to hold the next ICOFOM Meeting in Siberia and China and talked about the proposed itinerary. Nonetheless, no agreement was reached among those ICOFOM members present at the Vienna Conference. Consultations will thus continue until an agreement is reached by a majority of members on the venue for the next Annual Meeting.
On 22 August in the morning, the third and last ICOFOM working meeting was held with a Round Table made up of Jennifer Harris, Kirsten Smed, Eva Rosenthal, Ann Davis and Nelly Decarolis as Coordinator.
First thing in the afternoon, elections were held to appoint President, Vice-presidents, Secretaries and Members of the Executive Council of the International Committee for Museology (ICOFOM) according to a list of eligible candidates which had been submitted beforehand, so that all members with a right to vote could know who were eligible for election and, moreover, had accepted to be included as candidates.
Dr. Vinos Sofka, Honorary President of the Committee counted the votes with the aid of two assistants.