About Congresses and Conferences

Events are one of the main ways in which ICA brings together and engages its global community. Each year, the organisation coordinates a wide range of governance, professional, and networking activities that foster international collaboration, knowledge exchange, and professional development across the archival sector.

At the centre of this programme is the ICA Congress, the Council’s flagship event and the largest international gathering of the archival profession. Organised every four years, the Congress brings together archivists, records managers, researchers, cultural heritage professionals, and institutional leaders from around the world for several days of high-level discussions, workshops, parallel sessions, keynote addresses, and networking opportunities. Beyond its extensive professional programme, the Congress plays a key role in strengthening the international archival community by creating space for collaboration, strategic dialogue, and in-person exchange among colleagues from across regions and sectors.

The following cities have hosted the last ICA Congresses:

In the years between Congresses, ICA organises its Biennial Conferences, held every two years (excluding Congress years). Conferences are more focused professional gatherings centred on current archival challenges, emerging trends, and specialised discussions within the field. While smaller in scale than the Congress, they provide valuable opportunities for professional exchange through lectures, panel discussions, workshops, and networking activities, bringing together members of the international archival community around timely and relevant topics.

The following cities have hosted the last ICA Conferences:

ICA Branches and Sections also hold their own events, mostly conferences, which are often financially supported by the Programme Commission (PCOM). Details of these may be found here.

ICA sometimes works with partners in organising events, or in offering them support in one form or another, for example by providing experts to make presentations or deliver workshops. Working with partners in the international environment is a key aspect of ICA’s mission, so these opportunities are a highly valued component of our work.