ICOMOS-UK

What ICOMOS-UK does

ICOMOS-UK is the UK National Committee of ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), an independent charity (CIO 1175871) founded in 1965 that promotes the appreciation, understanding, conservation, and management of cultural heritage in the UK and worldwide. It operates as a membership-based professional organization serving heritage professionals (architects, archaeologists, conservators, planners, heritage managers), heritage institutions, government and policy bodies including DCMS, and the heritage-enthusiast public. The organization benefits from a special advisory role to the UNESCO World Heritage Committee on cultural World Heritage sites and is connected to ICOMOS International's network of 10,100+ individual members, 320 institutional members, and 110 national committees across 153 countries.

ICOMOS-UK's core offerings are services rather than technology products: a quarterly bulletin publication, advisory work on World Heritage Site nominations and management, events and conferences (e.g., £60 member tickets), photography competitions, and committee-led programmes including an Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee and a Cultural Heritage Manifesto. Operational technology is limited to standard digital channels — website, Mailchimp newsletter distribution, YouTube event recordings, and Eventbrite ticketing — with no proprietary platform, software product, or AI/ML capability.

The business model is a non-profit subscription-and-events model. Revenue is generated from individual and institutional membership fees, conference and study visit ticket sales, and publication sales. The organization is staffed by a single part-time paid staff member and operates through an unpaid executive leadership tier (President Clara Arokiasamy, General Secretary Dr Alison Hems, Treasurer Andrew Webster) and a Board of Trustees with elected Committee Chairs. Its headquarters are at 70 Cowcross Street, London. Strategic priorities are pursued through formal MoUs with peer bodies (World Heritage UK in 2022, IHBC in 2024) rather than acquisitions or external funding rounds.

Name

ICOMOS-UK

Legal name

ICOMOS-UK

Website

https://icomos-uk.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1965

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

ICOMOS-UK is the UK National Committee of ICOMOS International and an independent charity (CIO 1175871, founded 1965) that promotes cultural heritage conservation. It serves heritage professionals, institutions, and policymakers through membership, advisory work on UNESCO World Heritage Sites, publications, events, and committee-led programmes.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Cultural Heritage Conservation Services

NAICS

Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (712), Museums, Historical Sites, and Similar Institutions (7121)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Indigenous, Ethnic & Folk Arts/Heritage Organizations (BPAGAHAI)

Keywords

• Cultural heritage conservation
• World heritage advisory
• Heritage policy research
• Conservation membership services
• Heritage professional development

Headquarters

HQ city

London

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Revenue generated from individual and institutional membership subscriptions. Members receive benefits including free or discounted entry to heritage sites, access to resources, and event discounts.
2. Events and Conferences: Revenue from conference tickets, study visits, and educational events. Example pricing: World Heritage for Tomorrow conference at £60 for members, £65 for non-members.
3. Publications: Sale of publications including the ICOMOS-UK Bulletin (quarterly), conference papers, and research reports. Some publications available as free downloads, others for sale.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

ICOMOS-UK is a membership-based professional charity (UK National Committee of ICOMOS) that delivers cultural heritage conservation services through individual and institutional membership subscriptions, a quarterly bulletin, conferences and study visits, World Heritage advisory services, specialist committees (Intangible Cultural Heritage, Wood, Cultural Landscapes, Cultural Tourism), and an annual Heritage Photography Competition. Its offerings are aimed at heritage professionals, conservation institutions, government bodies, and heritage-interested members of the public, with member benefits including free or discounted entry to heritage sites and event discounts.

Product overview

ICOMOS-UK is the UK National Committee of ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites), operating as a membership-based professional organization and registered charity (CIO 1175871). The organization does not offer a software product but provides a portfolio of services including quarterly bulletins, cultural heritage resources and publications, World Heritage advisory services, events and conferences, photography competitions, and committee activities focused on intangible cultural heritage, digital technology, cultural landscapes, and other specialized areas.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• ICOMOS-UK Quarterly Bulletin Quarterly publication generated from contributions by ICOMOS-UK membership and various Committees, providing specialized knowledge on tangible and intangible heritage topics. Available to members and (for some editions) for sale or free download.
• ICOMOS-UK Cultural Heritage Resources Information service providing resources and links on conservation and cultural heritage, including ICOMOS guidelines, statements, charters, and research publications, aimed at heritage professionals and members.
• ICOMOS-UK Events and Conferences Organization and hosting of conferences, study visits, symposia and virtual events on heritage conservation topics, with member discounts available (e.g., World Heritage for Tomorrow conference at £60 members / £65 non-members; RTM Cultural Tourism Conference 2020 priced at £15-£45).
• World Heritage Advisory Services Independent advice on World Heritage Sites protection, management and nomination, working with UNESCO and supporting UK World Heritage Sites. Delivered through ICOMOS-UK's World Heritage Committee chaired by Peter Marsden.
• Intangible Cultural Heritage (ICH) Committee
• Heritage Photography Competition

Quantifiable outcome

• Active in over 130 countries through ICOMOS International
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Nine partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 26 January 2024Memorandum of Understanding to establish closer ties and cooperation in the field of heritage conservation. Collaboration focuses on advancing conservation knowledge and skills, sharing international standards from ICOMOS International Scientific Committees, and jointly creating new conservation responses to emerging issues such as climate change, tangible-intangible value relationships, rights-based approaches, and decolonisation of conservation practice.
• World Heritage UKcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 3 February 2022Formal Memorandum of Understanding establishing closer working relationship between ICOMOS-UK and World Heritage UK. Collaboration aims to work with and on behalf of the UK's UNESCO World Heritage Sites, providing greater exposure for World Heritage and the World Heritage Convention, and greater benefits for members of both organizations through aligned communications and activities.
• Arts Council EnglandminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborative partnership for the Exploring Intangible Cultural Heritage in Museum Contexts pilot project. Arts Council England provided funding for this developmental initiative exploring how museums can integrate intangible cultural heritage into collection management.
• ICOMOS InternationalcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerParent international organization. ICOMOS-UK is the UK National Committee of ICOMOS (International Council on Monuments and Sites). ICOMOS develops best practice in conservation and management of cultural sites and has advisory role to UNESCO World Heritage Committee.
• ICOMOS International Wood Committee (IIWC)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational scientific committee network. ICOMOS-UK hosted the IIWC 21st Symposium in York 2018 on 'New Horizons in the Conservation of Wooden Built Heritage'.
• Hastings Museum & Art GalleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four museums participating in the ICOMOS-UK Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee pilot project exploring intangible cultural heritage in museum contexts.
• Weald and Downland Living MuseumminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four museums participating in the ICOMOS-UK Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee pilot project exploring intangible cultural heritage in museum contexts.
• Museum of CambridgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four museums participating in the ICOMOS-UK Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee pilot project exploring intangible cultural heritage in museum contexts.
• Peterborough Museum and Art GalleryminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerOne of four museums participating in the ICOMOS-UK Intangible Cultural Heritage Committee pilot project exploring intangible cultural heritage in museum contexts.

Scale indicators5 records

Recent moves7 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• English Heritage: Self-funding public body that manages over 400 historic sites and monuments across England. Comparable as a leading UK heritage organization with overlapping interests in conservation and World Heritage Sites, but operates from a property-management angle rather than as a professional membership body.
• Historic England: UK government's statutory adviser on the historic environment, providing expert advice on heritage protection and World Heritage Sites. Comparable as an authoritative UK heritage advisory body, though it operates as a public body rather than an independent membership charity.
• National Trust: UK's largest conservation charity, operating heritage sites and managing conservation programs. Comparable as a major UK heritage nonprofit, though its focus is on property stewardship rather than professional advocacy, giving it broader public reach but narrower policy influence than ICOMOS-UK.
• National Lottery Heritage Fund: UK's largest dedicated funder of heritage projects, distributing National Lottery funds for heritage conservation. Comparable as a major UK heritage institution with overlapping ecosystem interests, though it operates as a grant-funder rather than a professional body.

Direct peers

• Chartered Institute for Archaeologists (CIfA): UK professional body representing archaeologists and heritage practitioners. Comparable as a chartered membership organization that sets standards and supports professionals in the heritage sector, with overlapping practitioner membership with ICOMOS-UK.
• World Heritage UK: UK-focused organization championing World Heritage Sites. Directly comparable as a UK heritage organization focused on UNESCO World Heritage Sites, with formal MoU partnership with ICOMOS-UK and overlapping member constituencies.
• Institute of Historic Building Conservation (IHBC): UK professional body for built and historic environment conservation practitioners. Most directly comparable peer — a membership-based professional organization serving heritage conservation practitioners, with whom ICOMOS-UK has signed a formal MoU in 2024 to advance shared objectives.
• ICOMOS International: Parent international organization of which ICOMOS-UK is the UK National Committee. Comparable as the global professional body for monuments and sites conservation, providing international best practice standards and advisory input to UNESCO on World Heritage.
• Institute of Conservation (Icon): UK professional body for conservators and heritage science practitioners. Closely comparable as a membership organization serving cultural heritage conservation professionals, providing accreditation, training, and resources in overlapping domains with ICOMOS-UK.

Emerging players

• ICCROM: International Centre for the Study of the Preservation and Restoration of Cultural Property, an intergovernmental body providing training and knowledge for heritage conservation globally. Comparable as an international heritage body operating in the same conservation policy space as ICOMOS-UK, though it focuses on capacity-building rather than professional membership.

Market position

Strengths2 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks4 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• YouTubeyoutube.com/@icomos-uk2516
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/icomos-uk

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ICOMOS-UK