The Museums Association’s annual conference 2026 will take place on 2-4 November 2026 at Birmingham Repertory Theatre/Library of Birmingham. Delegates in Birmingham will have the chance to explore the city on a range of tours on Monday 2 November, with conference sessions delivered on Tuesday 3 and Wednesday 4 November.
This year’s conference celebrates how the sector is finding inventive ways to work with communities through challenging times to create a positive future for all.
We explore how museums are helping to restore civic pride, create hope and encourage social change by forging deeper and more meaningful links with the communities that they serve.
We look at the ways in which museums are working alongside partners to encourage fresh thinking about our collections, buildings and people. We discuss ways to share power more effectively and help people to tell their own stories and support their creative potential.
As the sector rethinks what museums can and should be, we discuss what a resilient, inclusive and innovative museum looks like in the 21st century and how we can operate sustainably, ethically and collaboratively.
Birmingham and the Midlands provide the perfect context for these discussions as a vibrant and varied region that has a history of innovation and radicalism, where diversity is nurtured and celebrated.
Conference is for everyone working in and with museums – whatever your role or interests, there is something for you. At the heart of conference are the people who work to make museums and their communities better – sessions are run by people like you, who bring their experience to drive forward essential conversations on contemporary practice.
At conference you will experience different kinds of content including practical and training sessions, core sessions, round table discussions and panels. You will also have the opportunity to visit some of the wonderful cultural venues throughout Birmingham and beyond on a day of tours to start the conference, or at our three uplifting evening networking events.
