Call for Proposals:

Museums Computer Group (MCG)’s Museums+Tech 2026 Conference
Theme: Using our spaces for authentic interactions
November 27, 2026
M Shed – Princes Wharf, Wapping Rd, Bristol BS1 4RN, United Kingdom and Online
https://museumscomputergroup.org.uk/mcg-museumstech-2026-using-our-spaces-for-authentic-interactions/

Deadline for submission of proposals: June 29, 2026

Something that unites and affects all museums is place. Some museums are sited where they are to help tell the story of the place they are in, occupying the sites of former works or heritage buildings. Others are designed to tell our stories to the people in and around the place they are in, such as many of our cherished local museums. In doing so they often tell the stories of that community, and offer the chance to foster a sense of belonging and see our society reflected to us. This can often be vital in areas where the safe space of the museum place allows a break from the outside world, a chance to connect with each other. Our museums can act as spaces for interactions with the collections, society and each other.

Yet digital has vastly affected our sense of space, and naturally that means museums as well. In our lives we are frequently involved in communities no longer bounded by place: a quick look at where your Instagram friends actually are in the world is a good example. What does this mean for museums, both for themselves and the stories they tell? How has the intersection of digital into the museum space changed our interactions?

How does this affect ‘who’ the visitor is, their demographics and what a meaningful ‘museum visit’ or interaction is? Is there such a thing as a ‘digital only visitor’ and what weight does that carry for a museum? What about the museum itself, can this be truly removed from the physical space?

As that interaction between people and the museum reflects our digital era, what about authenticity? Screens are ubiquitous, do museums offer a break from staring at them? Can digital enhance the authenticity of the experience? Does the wealth of extra potential data available for an item on display enhance our connection with it? Where can we create new authentic connections? How are we pushing the boundaries of what an interaction is? Is it looking, touching, talking or something else?

The MCG’s Museums+Tech 2026 conference seeks proposals for presentations addressing these issues. It’s time to celebrate good work, and share ideas for helping museums and other cultural institutions do better. We’re open to suggestions, and here are some thoughts:

The three key themes are:

• Place: Where the museum is and the space it contains, and how digital connects with that
• Authenticity: The sector’s role in digital authenticity, as an experience and source of trust.
• Interaction: How audiences interact with the museum, the collection and each other.

Areas we might be looking to stimulate conversation around:

• Reflecting the character of the museum’s place (both locally and nationally)
• Museum communities connected digitally
• Changing ‘who’ the visitor is – different demographics, digital only visitors, the journey between digital and physical visits?
• The idea of the digital museum
• Digital detox and ‘getting away from the screen’: are there new methods of enhancing interactions with collections, less intrusive technology or even should museums provide a break from technology?
• What interaction can be had at a museum and not elsewhere?
• People-centred practice in the field of digital for culture
• How and where can interactions with museums be experimented with, played with, have the boundaries pushed?
• How digital technologies can help or hinder access for people

The MCG’s annual conference attracts speakers and participants from some of the most innovative cultural organisations, agencies and university programmes in the world. We’re keen to hear from practitioners, researchers, funders, and those from related cultural heritage and technology sectors. All submitted papers will be reviewed by experts in the field.

Presentations

This year the conference will be at MShed in Bristol and streamed online. The programme will include:

• Full presentations (15 minutes + Q&A) are a great way to share the main learning points from a topic or project
• Lightning talks (7 minutes + Q&A) are best for sharing useful ideas that others in the sector can try, or to present a provocation

Please note that we may group these presentations into panels with a discussion component.

If you would like to present but are unable to attend in person, we will have up to two slots available for remote speakers. Please select this option when submitting your proposal. To help the event run smoothly we may ask you to pre-record your presentation and be available for live q&a.

Our audiences love our mixture of old and new voices, and we have a great track record in presenting a diverse range of speakers. Please also read our Guidance for Speakers before submitting your proposal. Our events have a code of conduct designed to help everyone enjoy the event.

Submission details

Proposals will need to note preferred format and include:

• a title and brief abstract (250 words max)
• a biography (150 words max) for the presenting author
• a brief (150 words max) non-technical summary of what attendees will learn from the presentation
• a brief (150 words max) explanation of how the paper relates to the conference themes

We will also ask whether the paper or project has been presented at any previous conferences, and we encourage potential speakers to share links to their videos, slides, blogs etc to help us get a sense of their presentation style.

Proposals deadline

Submit your proposal here:
https://app.oxfordabstracts.com/stages/82581/submitter

The deadline for proposals is 23:59 (UK time) on Monday 29th June. If you have any questions about submitting a proposal, please contact us at contact@museumscomputergroup.org.uk.