Congress Hubs
Congress Hubs bring the Ghent Congress to conservators around the world. Each Hub is organised independently by its own local lead as a stand-alone event — in person or online — following the Ghent programme in its own time zone and adding a round table on the themes that matter most in the region. Find your nearest Hub below.
Australia
Hosted and organised by the Australian Institute for the Conservation of Cultural Materials (AICCM), the Australia Congress Hub will bring the themes of the IIC Ghent Congress into conversation with the Australian conservation community hosting a series of round tables discussions in multiple venues. The first Australian Round Table Discussion (RTD) will explore “Heritage, Security and Resilience: Conservation as Critical Infrastructure”, bringing together perspectives on the increasingly important role of conservation in protecting cultural heritage and supporting resilient communities. Messages will then hopefully be shared with attendees in Ghent and via the Congress platform, providing an opportunity for everyone to engage with the topic wherever they are.
Follow AICCM on Facebook and LinkedIn for updates and news from the Australian conservation community.
Mexico
The Mexico Hub will take place on 10–11 September 2026 at the University Museum of Contemporary Art (MUAC) at the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM), beginning at 9:00 a.m. Designed to make the Ghent Congress accessible to conservation professionals across the region, the Hub will feature screenings of five Ghent Congress sessions with Spanish subtitles, two live roundtables with Mexican experts exploring collection care and the challenges of digital heritage, and technical visits to three UNAM laboratories and spaces dedicated to cultural heritage conservation.
The Hub is organised with the support of the Red Mexicana de Conservación y Restauración (REMECORE), the Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México (UNAM), the Museo Universitario Arte Contemporáneo (MUAC), the Laboratorio Nacional de Ciencias para la Investigación y Conservación del Patrimonio Cultural (LANCIC, Instituto de Física), the Biblioteca Nacional y Hemeroteca Nacional, the Dirección General del Patrimonio Universitario (DGPU), and the Unidad de Promoción y Difusión del Campus Central de Ciudad Universitaria.
Nigeria
The Congress Hub Nigeria, hosted in Lagos, convened by IIC Fellow, Ogechulwu Elizabeth Okpalanozie FIIC, National Commission for Museums and Monuments (NCMM), National Museum, Lagos, Nigeria, will bring the themes of the IIC Ghent Congress to the professional conservation and heritage community in Nigeria. The Hub will foster connections between colleagues across Nigeria's heritage sector, creating opportunities to share perspectives, experiences and expertise across disciplines.
The programme will introduce the Congress theme through a short presentation, followed by a round table discussion building on the theme of the Congress, "Ensembles: Conserving Interconnected Artworks, Artifacts and Collections" featuring invited speakers, with opportunities for Q&A and in person audience participation. An interactive workshop will provide a practical and engaging element, alongside lunch and group discussions designed to encourage exchange, collaboration and new professional connections.
Poland
The Polish Congress Hub, hosted by WKiRDS Conservation Studio for Paintings on Canvas in Warsaw associated with the Academy of Fine Arts in Warsaw, will bring together conservation professionals and students to engage with the IIC Congress in Ghent. On 9 September 2026, participants will follow selected Congress sessions via live streaming, creating a platform for discussion and exchange around the presentations and their relevance to local conservation practice.
The programme will also include a guided visit to the WKiRDS Conservation Studio for Paintings on Canvas, providing insight into its conservation work and professional practice. In addition, participants will hear about current research and conservation projects concerning a group of artworks from the Visitationist Sisters’ Monastery in Warsaw.
By connecting the international IIC Congress programme with Polish conservation practice, research and professional exchange, the Hub will foster dialogue between local professionals and students and the wider international conservation community.
Please connect with the hub’s social media:
Organisers:
IIC members, Magdalena Wsół and Łucja Nowak-Wróblewska
Puerto Rico
The Puerto Rico Congress Hub brings together students and faculty from the University of Puerto Rico, Río Piedras Campus, and members of the Centro de Conservación y Restauración de Puerto Rico (CENCOR) to participate virtually in the IIC Ghent Congress 2026. The Hub seeks to connect Puerto Rico’s emerging and established heritage professionals with the international conservation community and the discussions taking place during the Congress. Following the Congress, an in-person event will be held on 15 September 2026, led by Prof. Héctor J. Berdecía Hernández, FIIC, to reflect on key themes emerging from Ghent and discuss current challenges in managing and conserving cultural heritage in Puerto Rico and the Caribbean. The event will provide a space for interdisciplinary dialogue among students, educators, conservation professionals, and members of the CENCOR team.
South America Connected Hubs
The IIC Connected Hubs – South America initiative will bring together conservation professionals across the region through a network of locally led Hubs, coordinated through the Grupo Sudamericano de Conservación, South American Conservation Group. Each Hub will select a shared programme of pre-recorded Ghent Congress sessions of particular relevance to the region, which participants can watch according to their own schedules during Congress week.
Local Hub discussions will explore the key conclusions, gaps and opportunities emerging from the sessions, with Hub leaders then coming together to consolidate these conversations into a regional perspective. This shared South American voice will be brought back to the Ghent Congress through the South America meeting and the Congress closing session, ensuring that the Hubs are not simply receiving knowledge from Ghent, but actively contributing regional perspectives, experiences and priorities to the international conversation.
Please connect with the local hub’s social media:
South Asia Connected Hub Online
Taking place online towards the end of September, with a provisional date of 24 September at 9:00 UTC, the South Asia Connected Hub will bring together colleagues from different collecting institutions across the region for a focused programme of discussion and exchange.
This virtual Hub will be hosted by IIC and will feature a dedicated online round table dialogue linked to the IIC Ghent Congress theme, building on the Congress session “Weaving Place: Collections, Landscapes and Living Ensembles”. The discussion will explore how ideas around place, collections, landscape, and living heritage resonate across South Asia, creating space for participants to share regional perspectives, experiences, challenges and opportunities.
Registration: