Annual Conference sessions
Browse all conference sessions since 2010
Science ♥ society
2019
"The blob: a genius without a brain".
2019
"Mathematics as Material Play"
Equity & Inclusion
2019
A blindfolded experience to grasp visual accessibility requirements.
Business & fundraising
2019
The session explores different models for financing our institutions and tackling the biggest challenges we face in the search for a diversified and balanced model.
Strategy & vision
2019
The Supreme Court of the Ecsite Conference will decide whether virtual reality (VR) in museums and science centres is visceral reality providing vital reactions, or just virtually rudimentary and very rubbish.
Research, theory & evaluation
2018
James Beacham is a particle physicist involved in the ATLAS experiment at CERN. Watch a video of his keynote.
Science ♥ society
2018
“Go forth and collide, Multiply and create” is the motto of our Science Assembly. Inspired by religious revival meetings, we will offer you songs, laughter, inspiration, and meaning.
Exhibit development
2018
Are you facilitating creative team processes? Tired of always using the same old tricks? Interested in the wider potential of creative techniques? This session is for you.
Strategy & vision
2018
What is the future of science centre exhibitions? Do we need to stick to scientific phenomena, or focus on high tech and current science? Do we concentrate on objects or interaction? Or are physical exhibitions becoming obsolete in the digital era?
Research, theory & evaluation
2017
Professor Alice Roberts is an anthropologist, author and broadcaster, and Professor of Public Engagement in Science at the University of Birmingham. Watch a video of her keynote.
Science ♥ society
2017
Nina Simon has been described as a “museum visionary” by Smithsonian Magazine for her audience-centred approach to design. Watch a video of her keynote.
Research, theory & evaluation
2016
Dr. Frans de Waal is a Dutch-American biologist and primatologist known for his work on the behaviour and social cognition of primates. Speech title: Prosocial Primates: The Cooperative Background of Our Species
Equity & Inclusion
2016
Dr. Elizabeth Rasekoala is the President of African Gong – the Pan-African Network for the Popularisation of Science & Technology, and Science Communication. Watch a video of her keynote.
2015
Andrea Illy is the Chairman and CEO of illycaffè S.p.A., a family coffee business founded more than 80 years ago. Watch his speech on Ecsite's YouTube channel.
Strategy & vision
2014
Professor Ian Goldin is Director of the Oxford Martin School and Professor of Globalisation and Development at Oxford University. He delivered a speech entitled "Individual and Collective Wisdom and Failure".
Science ♥ society
2014
Ahmet Üzümcü is the Director general of the Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW). The OPCW is the winner of the Nobel Peace Prize 2013.
Strategy & vision
2013
Dominique Pestre is a social and political historian.Hos speech was entitled "What kind of innovation for the Anthropocene?". Watch the keynote on the Ecsite YouTube channel.
Strategy & vision
2013
Susan Greenfield is a neuroscientist at the University of Oxford and delivered a speech entitled “ The neuroscience of creativity – Making the most of 21st century technology”. Watch the keynote on the Ecsite YouTube channel.
Strategy & vision
2012
Martin Rees, Professor of Cosmology and Astrophysics at the University of Cambridge, gave a speech entitled "Space exploration, life and the cosmos".
Strategy & vision
2012
Carlo Ratti, Professor at the MIT, gave a talk entitled "Future Cities - The real-time city is now real!"
Science ♥ society
2011
Derrick de Kerckhove, Professor at the Department of French and former Director of the McLuhan Program in Culture and Technology at the University of Toronto, gave a speech entitled "Navigating among the shoals and reefs of social, state and business controls in science and technology".
Strategy & vision
2011
Michael Jones Chief Technology Advocate, Google, gave a speech entitled "The Billionth Visitor".
The first Ecsite Conference took place in 1989. Here you can browse all Conference sessions since 2010. Use the search engine to look for people, topics...
Looking for an older session? Our digital records start in 2007, with programme pdfs attached to each conference page.
A networking highlight! Ecsite invites all participants to come together for a drink among exhibitors’ booths. Traditionally, exhibitors bring specialities from their home countries.
Raphael ChanayThomas B BergViola HoffmannNils Petter HauanLizzy BakkerFranziska Lang
Climate change is one of the biggest global challenges we face, but simply presenting an exhibition or a publication on the facts and figures doesn’t seem to have the desired effect on the public. What could be more effective? Should our...
Maria ZоlоtоnоsаTamar FuhrmannBrendan OwensChagit TishlerNavit Houri
The pandemic has put further pressure on schools and teachers by overloading them with work, forcing them to operate constantly in troubleshooting mode. Making changes in education on a systemic level is very much needed, but difficult; even with...
Marianne AchiamSheena LaursenMairéad HurleyVasyl DunetsClayton Cutajar
This workshop is an opportunity for attendees to really tackle the topics raised by the speakers in the first part of this in-depth session of "Reimagining Educational Systems for the 21st Century". It is not essential to have attended Part 1 to...
Hillary SpencerSandro DebonoHerbert Muender
March 2020: Science centres and museums around the world shut their doors to the public and staff are tasked with coming up with new ideas on how to engage with the public. After two years of being opened, closed, and reopened again, venues are...
Martin KulhawczukKai Håkon SundeFederica TamburriniMarco MirandaDerek FishRonen MirSabine HaakeRannvei SætherOla KleivenHanna SathiapalEva HaasKim Ludwig-PetschRebecca KlemmChristina ClassenBrenda Shivanandan
Welcome to the Grand Bazaar, an informal drop-in session featuring dozens of table-top activities – and their facilitators. This long-time favourite session returns to take you on a creative and inspiring journey with spicy experiments, hands-on...
We'll be joined on Friday 3 June by Sinéad Burke, Founder and CEO of Tilting the Lens, a consultancy that brings visibility to inaccessibility, advising global brands including Gucci, Ralph Lauren and Starbucks in their move from awareness to...
Sebastian MartinSamar D. KirreshAmos BlantonCristina OlivottoRyan JenkinsJon Haavie
“Good tinkerers borrow, great tinkerers steal.” - As A. Kleon emphasises in his book “Steal like an Artist”, "no idea is original and all creators and their output are a sum of inspirations and heroes…”. Art & artists can inspire children,...
Agnes RuizJulie LeclairTim PethickMichael BradkeTobias Wolff
Travelling exhibitions have recently been criticised for their environmental footprints. Most of them transit their crates via trucks or shipping containers, which use fossil fuels, and often use plastic wrap to palletise the items. Works of art...
The Ecsite Annual General Meeting (AGM) is open to all Ecsite members.
Only Full members of Ecsite have voting rights.
Marianne AchiamVasyl DunetsSaku TuominenOlivia Levrini
Covid-19 showed us that new models for education are not only possible, but can be enacted in a previously unimaginably short timeframe. The time is ripe for new, more equitable educational systems, in which multiple actors contribute to the...
Explainers & visitor services
Giasemi VavoulaCecilia EkstrandTorhild SkåtunGène BertrandStamatina AnastopoulouCatherine Oualian
Remote and virtual engagements during the pandemic changed how visitors interact with the science centre. In its aftermath, we are left with new digital tools at our disposal to shape experiences that blend digital and physical interactions and...
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