Annual Conference

Our Unique Approach to Conference Planning and Programming

Heritage BC’s Annual Conference is grounded in the idea that heritage lives in place. Each year, the conference is designed with and by the host community, reflecting local priorities and perspectives. From the earliest stages of planning, we bring together local voices of Indigenous knowledge keepers, community organizations, heritage professionals, and residents to help shape the themes, suggest speakers, and ensure the program reflects the stories and values of the region.

In this sense, each conference program is intentionally hyper-local. Sessions highlight the projects, places, histories, and challenges of the host community. We believe the most meaningful learning happens when delegates can walk the streets, visit the sites, and hear directly from the people behind the stories. What emerges locally often resonates provincially, because the questions one region is grappling with, are rarely theirs alone. 

Since British Columbia’s heritage is as diverse as its landscape, the conference moves to a new region each year. Moving the conference around helps broaden access, brings attention and investment to different communities and gradually builds a richer and more connected picture of heritage across BC. This approach is part of our ongoing work to reimagine how we gather as a sector and design place-based conferences.

Conference Committee

An integral part of conference development is the Conference Committee. This is a small volunteer group of locally-rooted heritage practitioners, who meet monthly to shape the conference from the ground up, from the theme and title, to speakers, workshops, venues, and sponsors. You can learn more about our 2026 Conference Committee here.

Committee members bring deep knowledge of local heritage narratives, trusted relationships with community members and organizations, and the networks that connect us to the right voices, venues, and stories. Through this process, the Committee contributes their local expertise and community connections, helps to broker relationships with potential venues and speakers, and lends their organizational credibility to the event. IIn return, Heritage BC brings its provincial network, resources, and organizational capacity to amplify what’s already present in the region, as well as potential site visits by conference attendees.

If you would like more information about our Annual Heritage BC Conference or if you are interested in participating in a future Conference Committee, please connect with us at [email protected].

Upcoming and Past Conferences

The next Annual Heritage Conference will take place in the Victoria region in May 2027 (exact dates and details to be posted here).

Explore Past Conferences
Download the 2026 Program
Learn about the 2026 Speakers
Meet our 2026 Sponsors