Museum consultant Sue Hodges on interpreting our heritage

Having a great collection of artifacts is certainly important to our regional museums. But it's not enough on its own. If you can't explain to enough visitors what makes that collection remarkable, museums simply won't survive. This week museum staff from around the country are gathering in Auckland to swap ideas about the big issues they're facing, and also to hear from international experts in the field - like Australian Sue Hodges whose company SHP's specialty is "heritage interpretation". That means helping museums, cities and even World Heritage sites to communicate with their visitors. Sue tells Lynn Freeman that tourists these days want both accurate information and authentic experiences when they go travelling: She's one of the guest speakers at the International Council of Museums conference in Auckland starting tomorrow.