Programme

Thursday, November 5 to Sunday, November 8 will be held at TBS Education Barcelona.
Monday, November 9 will be held online.
All times are Central European Time (UTC+1)

Conference Outline

*Please be aware that the above schedule may be subject to change.

Thu, November 5, 2026Fri, November 6, 2026Sat, November 7, 2026Sun, November 8, 2026Mon, November 9, 2026

Conference Venue: TBS Education Barcelona

13:00-13:30: Conference Check-in | Lobby (Ground Floor)

13:30-14:15: Orientation Session for First Timers | Executive Room (7F)

This session provides an overview of what to expect at the conference, including guidance on preparing your presentation, publishing opportunities, and ways to engage with IAFOR.

14:30-17:00: Workshop Sessions | Executive Room (7F)

    14:30-15:10: Workshop Session 1
    Heitor Alvelos, University of Porto, Portugal
    Susana Barreto, University of Porto, Portugal

    15:15-16:05: Workshop Session 2
    Senior Academic Leadership
    Anne Boddington, IAFOR, Japan
    Donald E. Hall, Binghamton University, United States
    Joseph Haldane, IAFOR, Japan (Moderator)

    16:10-17:00: Workshop Session 3

17:00-18:00: Welcome Reception | Attic (7F)
This is a free event open to all registered delegates

Conference Venue: TBS Education Barcelona

09:00-10:00: Conference Check-in & Coffee | Attic (7F)

10:00-10:30: Welcome Address & Recognition of IAFOR Scholarship Winners | Aula Magna (7F) & Online
Joseph Haldane, The International Academic Forum (IAFOR), Japan

10:35-10:50: Keynote Presentation | Aula Magna (7F) & Online
10:50-11:05: Q&A

11:10-11:35: Keynote Presentation | Aula Magna (7F) & Online
11:35-11:50: Q&A

11:55-12:20: Keynote Presentation | Aula Magna (7F) & Online
Alex Seago, Richmond American University London, United KingdomTBD
12:20-12:35: Q&A

12:35-12:40: Conference Photograph

12:40-13:55: Extended Break

13:55-14:55: Panel Presentation | Aula Magna (7F) & Online

15:00-16:00: Rumba Catalana Performance and Workshop | Aula Magna (7F)
A Journey Through the History of the Catalan Rumba

16:00-17:00: Conference Poster Session & Networking Coffee | Attic (7F)

20:00: Conference Dinner | Racó de la Vila
This is a ticketed event

Conference Venue: TBS Education Barcelona

09:00-10:00: Conference Check-in & Coffee | Room 304 (3F)

09:15-09:55: Flash Presentations | Room 304 (3F)
Maximise your visibility with the opportunity to network and showcase your research highlights. Simultaneously, you will gain a comprehensive overview of other presenters, helping you identify potential collaborators and must-see sessions. This session is open to all delegates, including those who have already presented.
Pre-registration is required. Space is limited.

10:00-11:00: The Forum (Onsite) | Room 208 (2F)
Melina Neophytou, IAFOR, Japan (Moderator)

The Forum is a plenary session designed as a platform for international, intercultural, interdisciplinary—and inclusive—discussions, joining experts and practitioners alike in an open dialogue format. Come share your thoughts and experiences as global educators and researchers.

11:10-11:25: Short Coffee Break

11:25-13:05: Onsite Parallel Session 2

13:05-13:35: Extended Break

13:35-15:15: Onsite Parallel Session 3

15:15-15:30: Short Coffee Break

15:30-17:10: Onsite Parallel Session 4

Conference Venue: TBS Education Barcelona

08:50-09:30: Conference Check-in & Coffee | Lobby (Ground Floor)

09:30-11:10: Onsite Parallel Session 1

11:10-11:25: Short Coffee Break

11:25-13:05: Onsite Parallel Session 2

13:05-13:35: Extended Break

13:35-15:15: Onsite Parallel Session 3

15:15-15:30: Short Coffee Break

15:30-16:45: Onsite Parallel Session 4

16:45-17:00: Onsite Closing Session

Location: Online

08:55-09:00: Message from IAFOR

09:00-10:15: The Forum (Online) | Live-Stream Room 1
The Forum is a plenary session designed as a platform for international, intercultural, interdisciplinary—and inclusive—discussions, joining experts and practitioners alike in an open dialogue format. Come share your thoughts and experiences as global educators and researchers.

10:20-12:00: Online Parallel Session 1

12:00-12:10: Break

12:10-13:50: Online Parallel Session 2

13:50-14:00: Break

14:00-15:15: Online Parallel Session 3

15:15-15:20: Closing Message from IAFOR

Conference Programme

The draft version of the Conference Programme will be available online on September 28, 2026. All registered delegates will be notified of this publication by email.

*Please be aware that the above schedule may be subject to change.

Featured Speakers

  • Anne Boddington
    Anne Boddington
    IAFOR, Japan
  • Donald E. Hall
    Donald E. Hall
    Binghamton University, United States
  • Alex Seago
    Alex Seago
    Richmond American University London, United Kingdom
To be Announced

Featured Presentations

  • The Forum
    The Forum
    Come share your thoughts and experiences as global educators and researchers.
To be Announced

Attendee Guide

Please carefully read the Attendee Guide.

Important Information Emails

All registered attendees will receive an Important Information email and updates in the run-up to the conference. Please check your email inbox for something from "iafor.org". If you can not find these emails in your normal inbox, it is worth checking in your spam or junk mail folders as many programs filter out emails this way. If these did end up in one of these folders, please add the address to your acceptable senders' folder by whatever method your email program can do this.

Accepted Presentations

One of the greatest strengths of IAFOR’s international conferences is their international and intercultural diversity. As of July 20, 2026, BCE2026 has received over 550 submissions from 95 countries and territories - including: Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Japan, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, the UAE, the UK, and the United States.

Accepted Submissions

Previous Programming

View details of programming for past BCE conferences via the links below.

BCE2025 BCE2024 BCE2023
BCE2022 BCE2021 BCE2020
Anne Boddington
IAFOR, Japan

Biography

Professor Anne Boddington is Executive Vice-President and Provost of IAFOR, and oversees the academic programs, research and policies of the forum.

Anne Boddington is Professor Emerita of Design Innovation and has held executive and senior leadership roles in Higher Education including as Dean of Arts & Humanities at the University of Brighton, Pro Vice Chancellor for Research, Business & Innovation at Kingston and Pro Vice Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Exchange at Middlesex University.

In 2022 she concluded chairing the Sub Panel (32) for Art & Design: History, Practice & Theory as part of the Research Excellence Framework (REF2021) and has extensive experience in the governance and conduct of peer review, research evaluation and assessment in REF2014 (Sub Panel Deputy Chair and Equality Diversity Advisory Panel [EDAP]) and RAE2008. A former member of AHRC’s Advisory Board, she is the current Chair of the Advisory Board for the UKRI’s National Interdisciplinary Circular Economy Research (NICER) programme (£30M), Deputy Chair and a Trustee of the Design Council, the government’s strategic advisor for design, and a member of both the InnoHK Scientific Committee (Hong Kong) and the Hong Kong Council for Accreditation of Academic and Vocational Qualifications (HKCAAVQ).

Since the 1990’s Anne has worked across the UK and internationally with a wide range of quality assurance, professional, statutory, and regulatory bodies in the UK, Europe, the Middle East, Hong Kong, and India.

As an independent consultant she now works as a strategic advisor and mentor and is committed to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion in practice, developing effective governance, supporting career development, reducing bureaucracy, and improving organisational design, integrity, and productivity in the changing workplace.

Previous Presentations

Panel Presentation (2025) | Soft Power in Contested Spaces: Education, the Arts, Language, and Media for Peace
Donald E. Hall
Binghamton University, United States

Biography

Donald E. Hall is Provost and Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs at Binghamton University (SUNY), USA. He was formerly Dean of the Faculty of Arts, Sciences, and Engineering at the University of Rochester, USA, and held a previous position as Dean of Arts and Sciences at Lehigh University, USA. Provost Hall has published widely in the fields of British Studies, Gender Theory, Cultural Studies, and Professional Studies. Over the course of his career, he served as Jackson Distinguished Professor of English and Chair of the Department of English (and previously Chair of the Department of Foreign Languages) at West Virginia University. Before that, he was Professor of English and Chair of the Department of English at California State University, Northridge, where he taught for 13 years. He is a recipient of the University Distinguished Teaching Award at CSUN, was a visiting professor at the National University of Rwanda, was Lansdowne Distinguished Visiting Scholar at the University of Victoria (Canada), was Fulbright Distinguished Chair in Cultural Studies at Karl Franzens University in Graz, Austria, and was Fulbright Specialist at the University of Helsinki. He has also taught in Sweden, Romania, Hungary, and China. He served on numerous panels and committees for the Modern Language Association (MLA), including the Task Force on Evaluating Scholarship for Tenure and Promotion, and the Convention Program Committee. In 2012, he served as national President of the Association of Departments of English. From 2013-2017, he served on the Executive Council of the MLA.

His current and forthcoming work examines issues such as professional responsibility and academic community-building, the dialogics of social change and activist intellectualism, and the Victorian (and our continuing) interest in the deployment of instrumental agency over our social, vocational, and sexual selves. Among his many books and editions are the influential faculty development guides, The Academic Self and The Academic Community, both published by Ohio State University Press. Subjectivities and Reading Sexualities: Hermeneutic Theory and the Future of Queer Studies were both published by Routledge Press. Most recently he and Annamarie Jagose, of the University of Auckland, co-edited a volume titled The Routledge Queer Studies Reader. Though he is a full-time administrator, he continues to lecture worldwide on the value of a liberal arts education and the need for nurturing global competencies in students and interdisciplinary dialogue in and beyond the classroom.

Professor Donald E. Hall is a Vice-President of IAFOR. He is Chair of the Arts, Humanities, Media & Culture division of the International Academic Advisory Board.

Previous Presentations

Keynote Presentation (2024): The Work of the University in Perilous Times
Keynote Presentation (2023): There Is No New Normal
Alex Seago
Richmond American University London, United Kingdom

Biography

Professor Alex Seago received his BA in American Studies from the University of Birmingham, United States, his MA in American Studies from the University of Kansas, United States, and his PhD in Cultural History from the Royal College of Art, United Kingdom. During an academic career spanning almost 50 years, he has taught a wide range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses in sociology, cultural studies, popular culture, criminology, development studies, art, and design history for several British and American universities and colleges of art, including the Royal College of Art, where he was responsible for supervising MPhil and PhD students. During the mid 1990s, Professor Seago developed the Research Methods lecture series for MPhil and PhD students at the Royal College of Art. His publications include Burning the Box of Beautiful Things (Oxford University Press, 1995), a cultural historical study of changes in graphic design at the RCA in the 1950s and early 1960s and Pop Art and Design (Bloomsbury Press, 2017) with Dr Anne Massey.

Keynote Presentation (2026) | TBA
The Forum
Come share your thoughts and experiences as global educators and researchers.

The Forum is a plenary session designed as a platform for international, intercultural, interdisciplinary – and inclusive – discussions, joining experts and practitioners alike in an open dialogue format. Come share your thoughts and experiences as global educators and researchers.

The Forum will take place in two separate formats.
The Forum (Onsite) will be held at the venue and is exclusively for Onsite participants

The Forum (Online) will take place on the Online Day and is open to all Conference participants and IAFOR Members.

Overviews of the ideas, conversations, and key takeaways generated from the discussion at these sessions are recorded and archived in the Conference Report and Intelligence Briefing (ISSN: 2759-4939)