Book your place at i-PLACE 26 – Liveable (and lovable) places

20–22 October 2026 | Southampton

The national platform for place innovation

i-PLACE 26 brings together leaders from local government, universities, industry, the third sector and national organisations to explore how innovation can create more liveable, resilient and inclusive places.

Created by the Key Cities Innovation Network, i-PLACE is where research meets practice. The conference focuses on real projects, practical ideas and new partnerships that can help shape the future of our towns, cities and communities.

This year's theme, Liveable (and lovable) places, explores not only how places perform economically, but how they support wellbeing, identity, opportunity and resilience.

Why attend?

Across three days you'll hear from leading thinkers and practitioners, discover innovative projects from around the UK, and meet people working at the forefront of place innovation.

Highlights include:

• Tuesday: Place, identity and belonging
• Wednesday: Innovation in Action – live projects, research and practical case studies
• Thursday: Resilient Places – climate adaptation, investment and the Key Cities Symposium

Alongside keynote speakers and panel discussions, i-PLACE offers extensive opportunities for networking, collaboration and knowledge exchange.

Summer Discount Tickets

Available until midnight (BST) on 21 September 2026

• Summer Discount Conference Ticket: £225
• Summer Discount Ticket (Public / Academic / Third Sector): £175

Your conference ticket includes access to the full conference programme, keynote sessions, Innovation in Action presentations, networking opportunities, and the Tuesday evening Civic Reception at Southampton City Art Gallery.

Free Member Passes

If you represent a Key City or a member university, you may be eligible for a complimentary Member Pass.

Please contact secretariat@keycitiesinnovation.org before booking to claim your pass or find out whether your organisation is eligible.

Present your work

The Innovation in Action programme on Wednesday 21 October showcases practical innovation, research and partnerships from across the country.

The Call for Presentations is open until 7 September 2026. Successful presenters will also be invited to develop their work into papers for publication in the next peer-reviewed i-PLACE Compendium.

Join us in Southampton

Whether you work in local government, academia, industry, the voluntary sector or civic leadership, i-PLACE 26 offers an opportunity to exchange ideas, build partnerships and help shape the future of place innovation.

We look forward to welcoming you to Southampton this October.