Heritage Network Conference 2026
27th – 29th September 2026 Belfast & Armagh
The community heritage networking event of the year is back for 2026 and this year we are in Northern Ireland.
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
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 the great hall of Belfast City Hall
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’.
Networking
Our conference is a great opportunity to network with peers, other professionals in the sector, and heritage businesses and funders. We will be including some structured networking into the main conference day, as well as plenty of opportunities for informal networking throughout the 3-day event.
Tours and Visits
The main conference day sits between two sessions of tours and visits to heritage projects and places. This year we’ll have our regular Sunday afternoon tours across Belfast city.
Then on Tuesday 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’re still figuring out where these will be and the logistics of getting everyone around, but we’ll keep updating here as plans are confirmed.
Get your tickets
Network, Partner and Supporter class member of the Heritage Network save £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. Simply add that to the box on the Eventbrite page which 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! (external link) (opens in new tab)What is a Heritage Network conference like? We understand that conference is a big event, and buying a ticket might be a big commitment, we’ve included a few quotes from last year’s attendees to give a flavour of the event.
Inclusive and safe
We aim for all of our events to be inclusive, safe spaces where everyone’s views and experiences are respected.
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.
Speaker and workshop call out!
From 19th March 2026, Heritage Network will be seeking talk & workshop proposals for our 2026 annual conference in Belfast & Armagh. We are looking for proposals that:
- Highlight collaboration, partnership and cross sector working
- Reflect on the impact, experience and evaluation of heritage projects and practice
- Explore sustainability, wellbeing and digital heritage work
- Offer practical skills, tools or case studies that colleagues can apply in their own settings
- Share innovative approaches to accessibility, inclusion and community engagement
Talks and workshops will take place on Monday 28th September at the Assembly Buildings, Belfast.
Audience & Tone
Our conference audience is made up of a mix of not-for-profit heritage organisations; professional advisors, consultants or contractors; national agencies, membership bodies and funders; voluntary and community organisations, and local authorities, please bear this in mind when submitting your proposal.
The tone of our conference is informative but friendly, we are not an academic conference and encourage plain and accessible language, avoiding acronyms and any exclusionary language. For further detail on tone and language, please refer to page 8 of our Brand Guidelines.
Timeline
Applications open: 19th March 2026
Application deadline: 29th May 2026, 5pm
Shortlisting & steering group input: 1st – 12th June 2026
Applicants informed: 15th June 2026
Talks and Workshops
Past & Potential Themes and Topics:
- Heritage impact
- Working collaboratively to sustain & enhance the historic environment
- Accessibility & Inclusion
- Cross sector / Arts & Culture in Heritage
- Meanwhile use
- Driving social value in heritage projects
- Community engagement
- Creating space for failure in project work
- Working with young people
- Commercialisation of heritage spaces & creating sustainable income sources
- Heritage & wellbeing
- Creating a diverse board / Inclusive volunteering
- Staff resilience and succession
Talks
Talks will be included in the morning plenary session and would need to 30 minutes or less, a preference for local case studies and meaningful examples to be used with UK wide applications or lessons. Higher strategic or conceptual themes or topics can be brought in for talks.
Sometimes we will include talks in the breakout sessions, these will need to involve an element of discussion or question & answer time.
Workshops
Workshops will be breakout sessions across the afternoon, around 45 minutes in length. These can cover a broad range of topics but need to have applicability across the UK and heritage sector.
Preference will be given to interactive workshops where delegates can implement learning through activity or frame for their own context.
Sponsorship, Advertising & Exhibiting
Heritage Network Conference is a unique opportunity for heritage businesses to connect with leaders of community heritage organisations carrying out restoration projects and managing sites throughout the UK. Throughout the event there are sponsorship, advertising and exhibiting opportunities, please get in contact for more information.
Sponsorship, Advertising & Exhibiting Prospectus (PDF) (opens in new tab)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 (external link) (opens in new tab)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 are sharing hotel delegate booking offers with those who have booked tickets their tickets to the conference.
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:
- Things To See & Do (external link) (opens in new tab)
- Places To Eat & Drink (external link) (opens in new tab)
- Sustainable Belfast (external link) (opens in new tab)
- What’s On (external link) (opens in new tab)
- Essential Information (external link) (opens in new tab)
Visit Belfast has put together a selection of exclusive offers and discounts for conference delegates (external link) (opens in new tab) attending events in the city. This link is continually updated.
(The Heritage Network can not be held responsible for the content of external links.)
Financially supported by Visit Belfast, Tourism NI and Belfast City Council.
Financially supported by Visit Belfast, Tourism NI and Belfast City Council
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