Tickets for IA 2026 can be booked through our Trybooking portal at:
https://www.trybooking.com/DKYKW
There you can purchase tickets for the conference, awards dinner and the free twilight tour of the Australian Botanic Gardens. Tickets for each day’s live-stream are also available through the portal.
Reistrations and tickets are only available until early september so PLEASE jump on there swiftly so as not to miss out if you want to come join the throng.
Full Conference Program Released
Interpretation Australia is pleased to release the final ( though always subject to change if circumstances dictate!) program for your 2026 Ripples of Meaning conference.
Conference Sponsors
Interpretation Australia thanks our awesome conference sponsors for their ongoing support of the organisation.
Our Conference Theme
Interpretation is never static, it moves, connects, and transforms. In 2026, Interpretation Australia invites you to gather on Ngunnawal Country at the National Museum of Australia for two days of inspiration, connection, and shared insight.
Our theme, Ripples of Meaning: The Art of Interpretation (we hope you like our 2026 Conference identity specially designed by Studio Mirobo), explores how meaning radiates through our work, from guides and storytellers to digital innovators and cultural custodians. Together, we’ll follow the ripples: from place to people, past to present, insight to action.
Location
We are headed to Canberra for IA2026 and we are so thankful for the National Museum of Australia for their huge generosity in sharing their venue for our 2026 Conference.
2026 KEYNOTE SPEAKERS
We’re excited to announce our first keynote speaker for the 2026 IA National Conference: Helena Vičič, Co Director of Interpret Europe.
Helena has been involved in Europe’s interpretive community for more than a decade and serves as a director of IE since 2020. Her journey spans tourism, rural development, guiding, training, and co leading IE’s international team. She founded her own training and consultancy business in Slovenia and has completed postgraduate study in Interpretation: Management and Practice in the UK. Her work blends practical experience with deep philosophical insight into how people make meaning.
Her keynote will explore how interpreters help people make sense of the world, drawing on European hermeneutical traditions and the broader concept of meaning making in heritage interpretation. She’ll unpack how interpretation can deepen understanding, connection, and care for diverse audiences and why interpretive literacy matters more than ever in today’s complex social landscape.
A powerful way to open the conference.
It is our pleasure to present Dr Keir Winesmith, Chief Digital Officer at the National Film and Sound Archive as our second keynote speaker at the IA 2026 Conference.
Dr. Keir Winesmith is the Chief Digital Officer at the National Film and Sound Archive, with previous roles at the National Gallery of Australia and the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. In 2024 he convened Fantastic Futures, the international conference on AI for Libraries, Archives and Museums. Dr Winesmith publishes on culture, digital and the future, including the entry on digital interpretation for the ‘Encyclopedia of New Media Art’ (Bloomsbury, 2024) and the book ‘The Digital Future of Museums’ (Routledge, 2020).
Dr. Keir’s keynote is titled The Future of Knowledge: Cultural institutions in a post-AI world.
As we imagine the next decade for our sector, there are a range of disruptive forces impacting cultural and memory institutions that need to be considered. First among those is the rise and prevalence of digital technologies and their use in the creation and consumption of culture. The most extreme and contemporary form of this is the rapid rise of machine learning and artificial intelligence. As an artist and as a professional with experience working in galleries, libraries, archives and museums Keir Winesmith has been exploring new technologies for over two decades. Through a set of lived examples and speculative provocations, this talk will sketch potential futures for cultural institutions in these uncertain times.
Call for Expressions of Interest: 2026 IA Conference Photographer
Interpretation Australia is inviting EoIs for a stills photographer to come and join the IA Conference Team in Canberra. We are seeking a member with strong photography skills to document our 2026 National Conference and Awards Night. This is a great opportunity to contribute your talent to the sector, build your portfolio, and be part of the energy and storytelling of the event.
In exchange for your work, we are offering a full conference registration (including the Awards Night).
Download the EoI: https://interpretationaustralia.asn.au/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/2026-Conf-Photog-EoI.pdf
Want to Help Shape the Experience?
We’re looking for volunteers who’d like to be part of bringing the 2026 Conference to life. Whether you’re keen to help with planning, support on the day, or simply contribute your ideas, we’d love to have you involved. It’s a great way to connect with others in the sector and help create a meaningful experience for everyone.
If you’re interested, please reach out to our Membership Engagement Coordinator via submissions@interpretationaustralia.asn.au, they’ll be happy to chat about how you can get involved.
Optional Twilight Tour - Tuesday 08 September - 6.30-8 PM
Arriving early? Join us the evening before the conference for a special twilight experience in a beautifully immersive landscape.
It’s a chance to connect, unwind, and see interpretation come to life in a whole new way.
