Proposals to host Photon 2026

Proposals are invited from members who are interested in hosting the next Photon conference in 2026. Photon is the major Optics and Photonics conference organised by the Institute of Physics in the UK. Previous conferences have been held in Cardiff, Glasgow, Manchester, Edinburgh, Southampton, Durham, Imperial, Leeds and Nottingham; repeat bids would be considered.

The conference will be organised by the IOP Combustion, Environmental, Optical, Quantum Electronics and Photonics, Instrument Science and Technology and Quantum Optics, Quantum Information and Quantum Control groups.

Preferred dates for the conference are early September however, late August would also be considered. Please include dates and a break-down of all costs in your proposal. The conference is typically held from Monday to Thursday with access on Sunday for setup.

If you are interested in hosting Photon 2026, please contact claire.garland@iop.org to register your interest.

Venue requirements

1 x tiered lecture theatre (minimum capacity 450)
3 x lecture theatre (cap. between 100 - 200)
2 x lecture theatre (cap. 50 - 100)
Data projector, screen and laptop in each theatre
Option to stream the lectures via Zoom or similar
Minimum area of 800 square metres for the exhibition, refreshments, lunch and posters
250 x en-suite bedrooms (with provisions to increase numbers if necessary)
Venue for gala dinner (capacity 450)
Local sponsorship opportunities
Representative for local chair

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