Our Events

Heritage Debate

Our Heritage Debates aim to be at the forefront of discussions about issues and insights in the heritage sector. Each debate centres on an issue or goal for the heritage sector, and seeks to spotlight diverse voices on each topic. We hold our Heritage Debate annually in November.

Attendees find the Debates both exhilarating and engaging, generating new ideas, cross-sector relationships, and key points for underscoring new research and policy.

After each debate, the Alliance conducts follow-up projects to explore further issues raised.

Heritage Debate Logo

Careers at a Crossroads: How Can We Future-Proof the Heritage Sector Workforce?

We will hold this event from 11am-1pm on 15 November 2023.

We’ll be exploring the challenges facing people working in our sector today at every stage of their careers. From the first apprenticeship to the board of trustees (and everything in between), we’ll be asking where we need to focus our efforts to maintain heritage as a viable and rewarding career choice.

Stay tuned for more details on speakers and timings in the coming weeks. Explore the programme below which will be updated as further details are confirmed, or book your ticket!

Heritage Day

The Heritage Alliance’s Heritage Day is an annual event that aims to bring together the Heritage Sector. It presents an opportunity to hear about best practice, network with others, and celebrate that year’s Heritage Heroes. It is also often used as a platform by ministers to make significant policy announcements.

Heritage Day Logo

Booking for Heritage Day 2023 is now live! Our signature event will once again this year bring together leading voices from across our membership and the wider heritage sector. Heritage Day is in two parts, 1st & 2nd March 2023 (virtual and in person). We’ll be bringing together keynote speakers - including the Heritage Minister Lord Parkinson, Chair of the National Trust René Olivieri, and our CEO Lizzie Glithero-West - foster connection through a series of interactive breakout sessions with sector experts and bring together heritage professionals to network, discuss issues, find solutions and gather valuable insight.

It’s our 20th Anniversary Year, as well as the business of the day, Heritage Day 2023 will include the opportunity for reflection and celebration of the sector’s collective achievements at our dinner that will round off the event. Book your tickets here.

At each Heritage Day we announce the winners of our annual Ecclesiastical's Heritage Heroes Awards, which recognise the incredible contribution of volunteers in the heritage sector each year.

Report Launches

Funding for our core costs comes from membership subscriptions, donations from members and through Historic England under its National Capacity Building Programme grant scheme and sponsors. Ecclesiastical Insurance is our core sponsor.

Heritage, Health and WellbeingHeritage, Health and Wellbeing Report Launch

Our report on ‘Heritage, Health and Wellbeing‘ explores the positive impact heritage can have on individual and community wellbeing. While the case for arts and culture supporting wellbeing is well developed, there is comparatively less understanding of the power of heritage to help people to “feel good”.

As COVID-19 turned traditional business models on their head, and individuals are more focused on their wellbeing than ever before, this report came at a timely moment. We suggested that by expanding their offer into supporting wellbeing, heritage organisations can weather the storm and be sustainable into the future.

At this event, we discussed the recommendations in our report, and heard from a number of speakers from across the heritage sector about their experiences in integrating wellbeing into their work. You can watch a recording of the event here on Youtube and the slides from the event are available to view here as a PDF (29.8mb).

Heritage Dialogues

Sponsored by the Oxford University Humanities Division, the ‘Heritage Dialogue’ series of webinars were held to provide a forum for debate, discussion and sharing on important issues to the sector. All events were chaired By Dr Oliver Cox, Heritage Engagement Fellow at Oxford University and Co-Lead of the Oxford University Humanities Division.

Image

Heritage in Quarantine: The wellbeing benefits of heritage during Covid-19

This Dialogue explored how the Heritage Sector continued to support public wellbeing during Coronavirus.

Speaking at the event were Jo Sofaer, Professor at the University of Southampton, who discussed her project ‘Places of Joy’, which looks at the contribution of historic places to wellbeing during Covid-19; Katie Buckley from Waterloo Uncovered, who talked about how the charity adapted their wellbeing programme when the pandemic hit; and Claire Walker, Chief Executive at the National Churches Trust, who talked about their recent publication ‘The House of Good’, which explores the local support churches provide.