From 3 – 5 June 2025, Ecsite will host its annual conference at the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw, Poland. Ecsite 2025 is the largest gathering of science engagement professionals, bringing together over 900 attendees from all around the world to share expertise, learn from one another and make valuable connections.
The conference programme features over 340 speakers across more than 80 sessions. Networking opportunities, including the Networking Gateway and Nocturne events, will accompany the sessions. Meanwhile, the trade show will showcase the latest innovations and services.
In addition, a range of in-depth events are planned for 3 June, including the CEO Focus and a one-day marketing programme. Furthermore, Deep Dives learning workshops will offer insights into the museum and science centre community’s response to the climate emergency, approaches to training explainers, and exhibit prototyping.
Copernicus Science Centre
This year’s host is the Copernicus Science Centre in Warsaw. This is home to three permanent exhibition galleries, one temporary exhibition, two theatres, two laboratories, an educational FabLab (EduFactory) and the Thinkatorium workshop space, alongside a conference centre and planetarium.
It also houses the Copernican Revolution Lab, which opened in 2023. This facility focuses on research and development, crafting lesson scenarios, exhibits, content, and teaching materials. The Copernicus team collaborates closely with scientific, educational, and business partners to generate new knowledge and practical solutions, enabling others to experience, learn, and understand.
See also: Ecsite 2024: artificial intelligence, art & dancing exoskeletons
Why attend Ecsite 2025?
The Ecsite Conference is a welcoming and accessible event focused on science engagement. With interactive sessions, networking with professionals is easy, allowing attendees to explore vital issues and gain inspiration from the latest science engagement practices.
Attendees include professionals who shape the programme at science centres and museums, as well as exhibition developers, directors of education, university students, professors and researchers, managers and coordinators of EU and global projects, CEOs, managing directors and senior-level managers.
The conference programme places equal emphasis on learning and networking. It features over 78 parallel sessions and two keynote addresses. There are also various networking opportunities included with the conference ticket.
Returning by popular demand, the CEO Focus is designed for CEOs and senior directors of Ecsite Full and Associate Member Organisations. Also new for 2025 is the Marketing Focus. This networking event is specifically designed for marketing professionals and those responsible for marketing.
The Newcomers Meetup for first-time attendees and the Farewell Party are offered at an additional charge.
In 2025, two new tools will enhance event accessibility. The first is a simultaneous translation service enabling participants to generate subtitles or translations on their mobile devices during plenary events and selected parallel sessions. Additionally, a new wayfinding tool will be available to help participants navigate the conference venue.
The Ecsite 2025 agenda
Tuesday 3 June 2025
As well as the CEO Focus and Marketing Focus, Tuesday morning features several parallel Deep Dive sessions, with topics including It’s 2050: The climate crisis is over… How did we do it?; Training explainers to meet the evolving needs of today’s visitors; Prototype like a pro: Build, test, and iterate your exhibit ideas; Experience different technologies in research and evaluation: Understanding challenges and opportunities; and Engaging audiences with space.
After lunch, attendees can head to the opening ceremony. During this, the Mariano Gago Ecsite Awards will also be announced.
Concurrent sessions in the afternoon cover a wide range of topics from marketing to co-creation.
Instagram, marketing, and getting hands-on
Elsewhere, in Marketing: A dirty word? speakers from Universcience, experimenta, International Centre for Life and Naturalis Biodiversity Centre will debate whether marketing compromises the core values of science museums or serves as a vital tool for enhancing education and engagement.
In Exploring the value of Instagrammable exhibits, participants will look at how photography and social media sharing can be leveraged to enhance interaction and learning. This session is delivered by speakers from Experimentarium, Museum für Naturkunde, Hidrodoe, Kiss the Frog, and Archimedes.
(Can’t) touch this! Benefits and challenges of visitor engagement with authentic objects features speakers from the University of Leiden, Natural History Museum Denmark, Leibniz-Institut für Wissensmedien, and the University of Oslo.
Meanwhile, Future-proof learning: Advancing climate education through VR, art, storytelling, and hands-on science will explore innovative approaches to climate education. Speakers are from the Center for the Promotion of Science (CPN), the University of Exeter, Adam Mickiewicz University, and Apopsi.
Evening events on Tuesday at Ecsite 2025 include the Newcomers Meet Up, Ecsite New Members Onboarding, and the Networking Gateway Social Event.
Wednesday 4 June
On Wednesday, Kris De Meyer will deliver the first keynote address. The session’s title is How neuroscience can help science engagement deal constructively with controversy and polarisation.
De Meyer is the director of the UCL Climate Action Unit and a neuroscientist at King’s College London. He is passionate about belief and how our brains decide whether something is true or false, particularly in regards to how this polarises society on topics such as climate change.
Concurrent sessions will also run throughout the day. Highlights include the annual What’s new in travelling exhibitions session. This is a whistlestop tour of the latest offerings from the world of touring exhibitions.
Participants include the American Museum of Natural History, Scitech, Science North, National Museums Scotland, Imagine, Natural History Museum London, Naturalis Biodiversity Center, Megalodon Creations, and Universcience.
In Approaching visually inclusive exhibitions, speakers from DASA Working World Exhibition, Archimedes Exhibitions, Buro Happold, Heureka, NEMO Science Museum and Universcience will explore challenges. They will also share examples of truly inclusive exhibitions designed with and for the blind and visually-impaired.
Just ask it! Using AI to explore AI through artistic inquiry is a hands-on workshop exploring AI using a question-driven methodology and creative inquiry. Meanwhile, How science engagement heals communities affected by war and civil unrest will explore how science engagement activities can contribute to the well-being of communities affected by the hardships of conflict, war and civil unrest.
Sustainability, prototyping, and leadership
In Key performance indicators (KPIs) for science centres, speakers from Ontario Science Center, Science North, Museum of Science Boston, Heureka, Universcience, the American Museum of Natural History, and Imagine will explore best practices in defining and applying KPIs that align with the institution’s goals.
Other highlights on Wednesday afternoon include Inspiring future generations: Female leadership in science engagement. This includes speakers from the American Museum of Natural History, Imagine, Ciencia Viva, the Griffin Museum of Science and Industry, Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace-Le Bourget, and Science North.
Elsewhere, Let the object do the talking is an exhibit prototyping workshop. This will be delivered by speakers from Universcience, Archimedes Exhibitions, Creo, Technisches Museum Wien, and the Natural History Museum Vienna.
Beyond awareness: What’s next for sustainability science communication? will look at new methods and strategies for sustainability science communication. Panellists include speakers from the University of Copenhagen, Fiocruz, and Universcience.
In the evening, attendees can visit the Trade Show Happy Hour as exhibitors share food and drinks from their countries. The annual Nocturne also takes place on Wednesday evening. It is a chance to join an evening of networking and connect with fellow professionals in an inspiring and vibrant atmosphere.
Thursday 5 June
The second keynote address for Ecsite 2025 will be delivered by Mary Flanagan. It is entitled Unusual encounters: Playful exploration in speculative museums.
Flanagan is an award-winning artist, writer and scholar. Her transdisciplinary work explores how technology, play, and human experience connect and influence one another. Flanagan is known for her “critical play” approach, which reveals hidden technological biases through interactive artworks and thought-provoking installations.
More educational panels, discussions and workshops will run throughout the day. Notable sessions include From exhibitions to engagement: Fostering meaningful long-term relationships with new audiences. In this, attendees will hear practical insights into designing exhibitions that engage underserved communities. Speakers are from Ciencia Viva, Experyment Science Centre and Experimentarium.
In Developing community partnerships and co-creating museum experiences, attendees can discuss practices that museums can use to establish deep relationships with communities and co-create meaningful experiences. Speakers are from Arizona State University Center for Innovation in Informal STEM Learning, Yellow Cow Consulting, Tekniikan Museo, and Heureka.
The AI Spotlight is also back for 2024. It features case studies from the University of Copenhagen, Center for the Promotion of Science (CPN), Miraikan – The National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, Archimedes Exhibitions, Museum für Naturkunde Berlin, National Museum of Natural Science, Copernicus Science Centre, and more.
Re-defining the voice(s) of museums through text and language rethinks the role of text within the museum space to create more meaningful connections between knowledge, artefacts, experiences and audiences. Speakers include Universcience, Yellow Cow Consulting, V!VANT / Culture Instable Ltd, and Staatliche Museen zu Berlin.
Inspiring visitors and decolonising narratives
In the afternoon, From dilemmas to design: Tackling socio-scientific issues in exhibitions will feature case studies and insights from NEMO Science Museum, Rijksmuseum Boerhaave, Deutsches Museum Nuremberg, and Universcience.
Meanwhile, Educating and inspiring a new generation of environmental advocates will explore and discuss innovative approaches to inspire confidence in young people to tackle the climate and nature crises. Speakers are from the Natural History Museum London, Dharohar, CoCentre for Climate+Biodiversity+Water, and Territoire de Sciences.
Attendees can investigate colonial and Eurocentric narratives in science engagement and work together to reshape them in Decolonising science narratives. This features insights from Universcience, Futurium, and more.
Elsewhere, From worst to best: Unlocking the potential in every idea is a chance for attendees to bring their worst programme and exhibition ideas and transform them together into something special in this hands-on workshop. It is led by the National Museum of Natural Science, National Geographic Society, Heureka, and Parsons School of Design.
During the closing ceremony, attendees will hear from the organisers of Ecsite 2025 and the hosts of Ecsite 2026. In the evening, the Farewell Party will feature music, dancing, and a social programme especially designed for participants.
Meet the exhibitors at Ecsite 2025
The Ecsite Trade Show will gather together a unique group of 65 exhibitors from around the world. Booths not to miss include:
American Museum of Natural History
The American Museum of Natural History (AMNH), one of the world’s major scientific, educational, and cultural institutions, will showcase its travelling exhibitions catalogue during Ecsite 2025.
Using the museum’s extensive scientific and educational knowledge, along with award-winning science visualisation and design, AMNH content is designed to spark intellectual curiosity and foster discovery among visitors of all ages.
This includes Sharks. The new panel exhibition unveils the mysteries of one of the ocean’s most magnificent and often misunderstood creatures.
AMNH collaborates with educational institutions, museums, science centres, planetariums, promoters, publishers, and others worldwide to deliver engaging science to audiences globally. Over 433 venues have showcased AMNH-produced or affiliated content across more than 57 countries on six continents.
Cosm
Cosm, a leading immersive technology, media, and entertainment company, will showcase its CX System. This is a premium LED dome solution for science and education, and is redefining museum theatres.
The company recently installed the world’s first and largest LED dome in a museum at the Fort Worth Museum of Science and History. The attraction has transformed the iconic Omni Theater into a next-generation experience where science, history, and imagination converge in 8K+ resolution.
Across the industry, museums use Cosm’s technology to reimagine storytelling, connect with audiences in new ways, and advance their missions through powerful, immersive experiences.
Exhibits Development Group
Exhibits Development Group (EDG), a global leader in travelling exhibitions, will reveal several new partnerships and exhibitions.
Highlights include Princess Diana: Love, Life, and Legacy, Costume Couture: 60 Years of Cosprop, The Cavern Club Experience, and Masterpieces of the Mineral Kingdom. EDG are also showcasing two photography exhibitions from Govinda Gallery: Becoming John Lennon and Elvis at 21.
National Geographic
National Geographic, a leading creator of documentaries, live events, experiences, and travelling exhibitions, will highlight its portfolio at Ecsite 2025. This includes Pristine Seas: Bringing the Ocean Back, which shows how marine protected areas illuminate and protect our world’s oceans.
Attendees can learn about hosting this or other wildlife-focused exhibits. They can also pick up the latest catalogue of photo+ shows, immersive experiences, and large-scale interactive exhibitions. These are available for booking in the US and internationally.
See also: One World, One Chance: immersive media inspires a movement for nature
Research Casting International
Research Casting International, an expert in the preservation, restoration, and fabrication of museum specimens, will share some of its most recent projects.
This includes the Yale Peabody Renovation project and the Happy haplocanthosaurus installation at the Cleveland Museum of Natural History. The firm also worked on mounting and installing Gnatalie, the green diplodocid. Gnatalie was uncovered in Utah in 2007 and is now on display at the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County.
Earlier this year, Research Casting International revealed more details about a project with the Grand Rapids Public Museum in Michigan. It has been working to scan, 3D print and recreate a unique mastodon specimen.
Science North
Science North, a creator of world-class, dynamic experiences, will also exhibit at Ecsite 2025.
Its exhibitions have been seen in over eight countries and are designed to engage diverse audiences using compelling, relevant scientific content across all international venues. Examples include collaborating with Ripley’s on the production of The Science of Guinness World Records and The Science of Ripley’s Believe It or Not.
Other popular experiences include Extreme Sports: Beyond Human Limits and past exhibits like Creatures of the Abyss.
See also: Science North: inspiring science education locally and globally
Triotech
Triotech, an award-winning creator of media-based attractions, will showcase its latest dynamic, immersive, and interactive experiences. The firm has developed a reputation for the high quality of its customised attractions and its ability to create exciting ‘edutainment’ experiences for museums, zoos, aquariums, and tourist attractions.
Together with its technical and creative team, Triotech can help museums and science centres create immersive and interactive experiences. These include dynamic seat theatres, flying theatres, dome theatres, dynamic cabins, interactive dark rides, VR journey experiences, walkthroughs, or any custom project.
Universcience
Universcience, an organisation that works to make science accessible to all, will also highlight its range of travelling exhibitions at Ecsite 2024. This includes IA, Dance, Metamorphoses, Banquet, Microbiota, Cats & Dogs, Crowdology, Cancers, Fragile!, Body and Sports, Jeans, and many more.
The company recently announced the global launch of its new travelling exhibition, Cave Journey: Through the Chauvet Discovery.
Created by the Cité des sciences et de l’industrie in Paris, this innovative exhibition is on display from October 2024 to May 2025 in Paris. It then moves to the Chauvet 2 site in Vallon-Pont-d’Arc, Ardèche, where it will remain until January 2027.
