website logo

Conference

27th – 29th September 2026 Belfast & Armagh

What is the Heritage Network Annual Conference?

Join hundreds of community heritage leaders in Belfast and Armagh for three days of networking, discussion, learning, exploration.
There is nothing quite like the Heritage Network Conference. In recent years it has grown into the most lively, informative and fun event in the heritage sector calendar. The emphasis is on the impact of community-led heritage on people and places, explored through the experience of heritage regeneration in our host towns and cities and beyond.
We explore the vital topics of funding and business planning, community engagement, access and inclusion, governance and succession, regeneration and place-making and so much more. These are serious topics, but we don’t take ourselves too seriously. This is the friendly conference, and we go out of our way to make everyone feel welcome, safe and included. We have a perfect mix of delegates; community heritage leaders, major heritage agencies and funders, local authorities, heritage businesses and early-career professionals, meaning you can Network and make the connections you need whatever your role.
As well as a day of compelling presentations, lively discussions and networking, Conference includes tours and visits to fascinating historic sites and ground-breaking projects. We seek out stunning locations for our main Conference day, dinner, drinks reception and farewell lunch.

Key contact

Izabella Maar

Conference Organiser

A photograph of an auditorium full of people.  They are all smiling at the camera and have a hand raised with the fingers crossed to symbolise thank you to the National Lottery Heritage Fund.

Programme

We are developing the programme for Belfast and Armagh 2026, in partnership with local heritage leaders, but here is the outline:
Sunday 27th September
An afternoon spent exploring fascinating sites and projects around Belfast.
Welcome drinks reception at an unusual historic location.
Monday 28th September
Our main Conference day of presentations, workshops, discussions, conference expo and networking in the Assembly Building, Belfast.
Conference Dinner – in a prestigious historic building.
Tuesday 29th September
We are off to the historic City of Armagh and the towns and villages in the Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon district to explore historic buildings streets and parks and see community-led heritage regeneration in action. We will come together at lunchtime in special location to hear from local leaders in this designated National Lottery Heritage Fund ‘Heritage Place’.
Visit Belfast has put together a selection of exclusive offers and discounts for conference delegates attending events in the city. The link is regularly updated. (The Network can not be held responsible for the content of external links.)
A photograph inside the Victoria Hall in Saltaire.  In the foreground is a drummer and the rest of the image is filled with smiling people who are standing or seated.

Get your tickets

Super Earlybird tickets
If you are quick off the mark you can save £55 on the full ticket price with a Super Earlybird ticket. There are a very limited number of these tickets available so act quickly and snap one up. When they are gone, they are gone.
Network, Partner and Supporter members can save an additional £50 and there is a special low rate for our Student Members. If your membership is in any of those categories you should have received an email with a code to access the discounted tickets. Click the red 'Get tickets' button and enter your code in the box that says 'Promo Code'. The discounted ticket options will be revealed.
If you did not get the code please email admin@heritagenetwork.org.uk
Why not join us today to get your Conference discount, free or discounted entry to lots more Network events and loads of other benefits. Visit our 'join us' page for details.
Book your tickets for conference!

Conference Ethos

Inclusive and safe

We aim for all of our events to be inclusive, safe spaces where everyone's views and experiences are respected. Please read our code of conduct for more information.

Accessibility

We aim to make conference as accessible as possible for all attending. More details about accessibility for the different venues and events will be posted nearer the time. In the meantime, if you have any questions about accessibility, feel free to reach out to us via our Contact Us page.

How to get there

It's easy to travel to Northern Ireland from England, Scotland or Wales

Green travel

We'll be handing out prizes to any delegate that travel over land and sea by public transport. It's easy and you can get lots of work done on the way. Check out Man at Seat 61's Northern Ireland page for tips and information.

Lift sharing

We will be setting up a mechanism to enable delegates who want to drive to share petrol and ferry costs.

Flying

You can fly to from nearly all GB regional airports to either Belfast International or Belfast City Airports. We will be looking into providing coaches to get you back from Armagh to your chosen airport on Tuesday afternoon.

Where to stay

Accommodation
We recommend delegates stay in Belfast and we will be sorting out hotel deals with the help of our partners in Visit Belfast
Why not stay longer?
Northern Ireland is a great place to visit. Here are some ideas from Visit Belfast if you want to extend your stay:
Financially supported by Visit Belfast, Tourism NI and Belfast City Council.

Conference testimonials

Thank you so much for organising such a wonderful conference... It was a great itinerary with fabulous venues for us to visit and interesting and relevant talks to listen to. Not to mention the excellent food! As a newbie, it could have been a slightly intimidating event to attend but your team was incredibly welcoming and friendly; thank you so much for making introductions and ensuring that everything ran so smoothly.
Conference delegate
What an amazing conference experience you all created - it was incredibly useful to me, at a pivotal and at times overwhelming stage in the project, to hear from such a range of projects, experts and experience. Thanks so much for ... putting on such a brilliant event.
Conference delegate
triangle-graphic

Be part of the Network preserving heritage and building communities

Share experiences, learn from the experts, feel supported, stay informed