On 5 September 2011, NAMES Board of Directors (BoD) convened during the 6th Science Centers World Congress (SCWC 2011) in Cape Town, South Africa, where NAMES was recognized as co-host of the South African Association of Science and Technology Centers (SAASTEC), one of NAMES’ sister networks. The BoD discussed the 3rd General Assembly Meeting to be hosted by Tunis Science City; they brainstormed potential themes and a diversity of potential subthemes.
During the SCWC 2011, NAMES President, Mr. Mijbil Almutawa, and NAMES Secretary, Ms. Maissa Azab, had a meeting with representatives of the Ecsite network to discuss means of meaningful collaboration between the two sister networks. That discussion led in a few months to the initiation of the Euro-Mediterranean and Middle East Summer School for Science Communication (EMME).