GCDN Annual Convening – Doha 2026: Full Schedule

09:30 GMT+03

FROM THE PRESENT TO THE FUTURE: QATAR’S CULTURAL TRAJECTORY

Tuesday April 14, 2026 09:30 - 10:30 GMT+03

Over the past five decades, Qatar has invested in cultural infrastructure – both ‘hard’ and ‘soft’' – as part of a long-term strategy to diversify the economy, underpin and celebrate national identity, cultivate talent, shape public space, and position the country as an active participant in global cultural exchange.

In this opening session, Her Excellency Sheikha Al-Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani will describe how Qatar is building its cultural ecosystem, where some common assumptions miss the mark, and the challenges and opportunities ahead. In conversation with Adrian Ellis, Her Excellency will reflect on the considerations behind major investments, the links between culture and place, infrastructure and community, and the local and global forces that shape cultural life – setting the scene for our wider explorations over the days ahead.

Moderators

Adrian Ellis

Chair, GCDN & Director, GCDN & AEA Consulting

Adrian is the founder of AEA Consulting (1990) and the Global Cultural Districts Network (2013). He has worked in senior management and as a board member in both museums and the performing arts and as a strategy consultant to leading clients in the cultural, public, and business sectors... Read More →

Speakers

H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani

Chairperson, Qatar Museums

H.E. Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani has the privilege of serving her country in the fields of culture, education, and philanthropy, taking a leadership role in Qatar’s programme of human, social, and economic development and environmental sustainability. She... Read More →

Tuesday April 14, 2026 09:30 - 10:30 GMT+03
National Museum of Qatar

Convening sessions, Plenary

11:00 GMT+03

[B/OUT] BLOWING HOT AND COLD: PUBLIC CULTURE IN EXTREME CLIMATES

OPT-IN

Tuesday April 14, 2026 11:00 - 12:00 GMT+03

National Museum of Qatar

Limited Capacity seats available

Climate and weather shape what public culture can be and when it can happen. Every place negotiates this, but some geographies have always had to treat it as a primary design and programming question rather than a backdrop. In the Gulf and other arid regions, heat pushes public life indoors or into the night. In far northern contexts, long winters, darkness and snow reshape how and when people gather outside. In both settings, artists and cultural leaders have developed a distinct curatorial language for working with time, seasonality, and comfort in environments hostile to lingering.

As climate extremes intensify everywhere, these places are becoming laboratories for how culture can keep public space usable and meaningful under changing conditions. How do artists, curators, and cultural leaders treat climatic extremes as a creative brief rather than a limitation? What does creativity look like when concerns over materials, maintenance, and energy use must come before artistic choices? Looking at contrasting examples from the Gulf and the “great north”, this breakout explores these tensions and asks what lessons other geographies might draw as they adapt to a less predictable world.

Moderators

Samuel Mayze

Managing Partner | Middle East, UAP Armetal

Speakers

Ameera Al-Aji

Community Art Lead, Qatar Foundation

Ameera AlAji is the Community Art Lead at Qatar Foundation, where is she oversees QF’s public art collections and creates engaging programs and activations for the public. She’s also a multidisciplinary artist, experimenting with different media such as writing, film, photography... Read More →

Arjun Bahl

Co-founder, St+art India Foundation

Arjun Bahl / Creative Entrepreneur
With over 20 years of experience, having worked on more than 300 commercial and high-end private events as well as having booked over 500 Indian and International artists, Arjun is an experienced, knowledgeable and driven specialist in the Creative Industry. As a passionate Creative... Read More →

Leena Pälli

Senior Advisor for Culture Services, City of Oulu

Leena Pälli is currently working as Senior Advisor in the City of Oulu Cultural Services. She has a BA from the Stockholm University, Art History as major and MFA from the Sibelius Academy, Arts management as a major. She has worked as General Manager for symphony orchestras, held... Read More →

Tuesday April 14, 2026 11:00 - 12:00 GMT+03
National Museum of Qatar

Convening sessions, Breakout session

11:00 GMT+03

[B/OUT] FROM FRANCHISES TO FRAMEWORKS

OPT-IN

Tuesday April 14, 2026 11:00 - 12:00 GMT+03

National Museum of Qatar

Limited Capacity seats available

Across the Gulf, some of the most visible cultural projects of the past two decades have been built through partnerships with Western museums, brands, and consultancies. Those alliances have helped deliver at speed and brought useful standards. They have also raised harder questions about authorship, dependency, and the risk of being defined through imported templates.

This breakout looks at how institutions can keep the value of global partnerships while shifting the terms. What does it take to move from one-way “knowledge transfer” to locally anchored frameworks that are co-written over time? What is worth carrying forward from Western models, and what needs to be consciously unlearned? And how do you build the local capability and confidence that lets international connections strengthen an ecosystem, rather than overwrite it?

Moderators

Jorge Pinto

Advisor, Irish Design and Craft Council

I was with design innovation projects, mostly international, in the context of public services.

Speakers

Nora Aldabal

Executive Director of Arts and Creative Industries, Royal Commission for AlUla

As the Executive Director of Arts and Creative Industries at the Royal Commission for AlUla (RCU), Nora Aldabal leads a team of creative, strategic and operational planners and enablers to craft the next chapter in AlUla’s legacy as a cradle of artistic inspiration. The team’s... Read More →

Vilma Jurkute

Executive Director, Alserkal

Vilma Jurkute is the director of Alserkal. She has spent the last decade developing creative industries across New York, Chicago, London and Dubai. Jurkute joined Alserkal in 2011 and has been instrumental in its evolution; she was responsible for overseeing Alserkal Avenue’s physical... Read More →

Ajmal Maiwandi

CEO, Aga Khan Trust for Culture Afghanistan & Qatar

Ajmal Maiwandi is an Architect and the Chief Executive Officer of the Aga Khan Cultural Services, Afghanistan (AKCS-A). Prior to joining AKCS-A in 2003, he worked as an architect in the United States, Japan, and Germany before establishing a small multi-disciplinary practice in London... Read More →

Tuesday April 14, 2026 11:00 - 12:00 GMT+03
National Museum of Qatar

Convening sessions, Breakout session

11:00 GMT+03

[B/OUT] ONLY CONNECT: HOW DIGITAL IS SHAPING MISSION

OPT-IN

Tuesday April 14, 2026 11:00 - 12:00 GMT+03

National Museum of Qatar

Limited Capacity seats available

Over the past decade, cultural organisations and districts have adopted digital tools and experiences to keep pace with changing audiences and operating conditions. Increasingly, though, digital is no longer confined to that terrain. It is part of national and regional strategies for growth and innovation, while continuing to shape how institutions understand their audiences, their role, and how they plan for the future.

This opens a harder set of questions. If digital is serving multiple ends – access, participation, visibility, revenue – which do we prioritise without losing the thread of mission? And what does “future-proofing” mean when the tools, audiences, risks, and opportunities keep shifting?

In a year shaped by Qatar Museums’ Years of Culture programme with Canada and Mexico, this session brings three vantage points into the same conversation – national direction, museum strategy, and an artist’s practice of building participation in public life – to explore what it takes to move from reactive adoption to intentional digital strategy.

Moderators

Hilary Knight

Senior Associate, AEA Consulting

I'm a Senior Consultant with AEA Consulting where, along with delivering strategic planning projects and business planning, I have a particular focus on the intersection of arts, culture and digital technologies. I have over 20 years of experience working in and for creative and cultural... Read More →

Speakers

Mouna Andraos

Co-founder, Daily tous les jours

Mouna co-founded Daily tous les jours in 2010 alongside Melissa Mongiat. The Montreal-based art and design studio is best known for its work in public spaces, inviting people to play a critical role in the transformation of cities. Considering technology as a vehicle for social change... Read More →

Eman Al Kuwari

Director of Digital Innovation, Ministry of Communications and Digital Technology

Eman Al Kuwari, the Director of the Digital Innovation Department at the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology in Qatar, is driving digital innovation. Her role extends beyond traditional technology and digital transformation, focusing on fostering a culture where... Read More →

Mutanu Kyany'a

Director of Programs, African Digital Heritage

Mutanu is a digital society scholar who works with African communities to identify how they can use technology to protect, preserve and promote their culture and heritage assets. She has
extensive experience in designing holistic digital approaches that support research and innov... Read More →

Tuesday April 14, 2026 11:00 - 12:00 GMT+03
National Museum of Qatar

Convening sessions, Breakout session

11:00 GMT+03

[B/OUT] PRACTICE, POLICY, POWER: WOMEN LEADING CULTURE IN THE GULF

OPT-IN

Tuesday April 14, 2026 11:00 - 12:00 GMT+03

National Museum of Qatar

Limited Capacity seats available

Women have long been key figures in cultural leadership throughout the Gulf and the wider Arab world. They are not recent arrivals but have historically shaped institutions, programs, and cultural diplomacy. Although outside narratives sometimes depict women’s leadership as a recent development or merely symbolic, the reality shows decades of meaningful influence across museums, cultural agencies, government ministries, biennials, and arts foundations.

This session explores how women in the region navigate institutional power, cultural governance, and public mandates spanning identity and heritage, creative economies, and global engagement. It will examine what shapes what becomes visible and supported, as well as how legitimacy, trust, and continuity are built – and how these leaders balance tradition and innovation across diverse sociopolitical environments.

Moderators

Manal Ataya

Advisor, Sharjah Museums Authority

Manal Ataya is a museum professional with almost 2 decades of experience in museum development and cultural diplomacy.

As Director General of SMA since 2008, she oversees a team of 700 staff working in Sharjah’s 16 museums which cover areas of modern and contemporary Arab art, islamic history, UAE heritage and archaeology. Ataya is a leading figure in the UAE cultural sector, dedicating her time... Read More →

Speakers

Sheikha Bibi Duaij Al-Jaber Al-Sabah

Chairperson, AlSadu Society

Bibi Duaij AlJaber Al Sabah, Chairperson of the AlSadu Society – Weaving Cooperative, has dedicated over a decade to preserving Kuwait's textile heritage. Transitioning from teaching accounting to philanthropy, she leads initiatives to propel traditional weaving into the contemporary... Read More →

Ahlam Bolooki

CEO, Emirates Literature Foundation

Fatma Al Sehlawi

Director of Qatar Blueprint, Qatar Museums

A Doha-based architect, urbanist, and beekeeper, Fatma Ebrahim Al Sehlawi is the co-founder of Atlas Bookstore (2015), a transient bookstore specialized in the natural and built environments in the Arab world, and co-founder of Studio Imara (2017), an interdisciplinary design practice... Read More →

Tuesday April 14, 2026 11:00 - 12:00 GMT+03
National Museum of Qatar

Convening sessions, Breakout session

12:30 GMT+03

[WORKSHOP] ADVANCING MUSEUM AND HERITAGE PROFESSIONALS IN SMALL STATES: FROM LOCAL CUSTODIANS TO SHAPERS OF INTERNATIONAL DISCOURSE

OPT-IN

Tuesday April 14, 2026 12:30 - 14:00 GMT+03

National Museum of Qatar

Limited Capacity seats available

Many small states, including Qatar, KSA, and others, are advancing national development strategies that place skills development at the center of societal growth. In this context, cultivating talent within museums and heritage institutions becomes a shared national imperative that contributes to broader nation-building objectives.

The challenge of advancing museum and heritage professionals, however, is no longer simply meeting global standards, but how to actively shape locally grounded expertise that engages with international practices while preserving authenticity and cultural autonomy.

At a pivotal crossroads between global collaboration and cultural self-definition, this session invites cultural leaders and policy experts to share approaches in how capacity building, professional mobility, cross-border partnerships, and talent pathways can foster not a one-directional transfer of expertise, but a dynamic, reciprocal process of mutual learning that advances skills within museum and heritage ecosystems. By examining scalable mechanisms that connect custodians of heritage and research from the region with global practitioners in sustained and equitable ways, especially across small-states contexts, participants will come out of the session with an understanding in not only new approaches to institutional resilience but also how to empower museum and heritage professionals in their journey to shaping international discourse. In particular, this workshop situates museum and heritage capacity development within the national strategic frameworks of small states, demonstrating how targeted talent pathways moves towards the goals of nation-building.

Moderators

Sherif El Itriby

Managing Principal, AEA Consulting

With two decades of consulting and project management experience in the international cultural and business sectors, Sherif supports AEA’s global growth with a focus on our work in Europe, the UK and the Middle East. He joined AEA in 2019 from Cultural Innovations, where he served... Read More →

Mayssa Kanaan

Consultant, AEA Consulting

Mayssa is a consultant based in Dubai with a focus on our Middle East portfolio, bringing experience in cultural strategy development, cultural programming, qualitative and quantitative research and project management, aiming to support the rapid growth of the arts and culture sector... Read More →

Speakers

Shaika Jabor H K Al Thani

Acting Head of Strategy & Planning Section, Qatar Museums

Tuesday April 14, 2026 12:30 - 14:00 GMT+03
National Museum of Qatar

Convening sessions, Workshop

12:30 GMT+03

[WORKSHOP] CULTURAL VITALITY: MEASURING WHAT MATTERS

OPT-IN

Tuesday April 14, 2026 12:30 - 14:00 GMT+03

National Museum of Qatar

Limited Capacity seats available

Cultural districts are more than collections of venues, they are civic spaces, social infrastructures, and places of identity and belonging. Yet what we measure often tells only part of the story. This interactive workshop invites GCDN members to explore how we define and measure 'vitality' in our districts. Moving beyond attendance figures and economic impact, the session introduces a practical framework for understanding cultural vitality across seven interconnected dimensions.
Through hands-on mapping, peer exchange and a guided self-diagnostic, participants will reflect on what their districts currently measure, what remains invisible, and how measurement shapes strategy and governance. The workshop will generate practical insights, shared challenges and new questions to take back to your organization's leadership and teams. It will invite participants to rethink how we evidence success, ensuring our cultural districts remain vibrant, inclusive and resilient for the long term.

Moderators

Stephen Dobson

Director, Centre for Cultural Value – University of Leeds

Steve provides strategic and research leadership for the Centre, develops our profile and builds partnerships with the academic and cultural sectors.

Steve is an Associate Professor of Creativity and Enterprise at the University of Leeds. His research explores cultural planning and tourism, entrepreneurial identity and creative enterprise, the creative workplace and leadership for fostering innovation and creativity. He routinely wo... Read More →

Natalia Vartapetova

Senior Consultant, AEA Consulting

Natalia's background includes 20 years of research, project management, and concept development in the cultural and creative industries. She focuses on cultural policy and evaluation; business planning; methodology development; sector studies; and feasibility studies.

Natalia has led research and evaluation projects for the Arts Council England, the British Council, and Nesta in the UK; and the Wallace Foundation and William Penn Foundation in the USA, among others. She has delivered programming and organisational strategies and feasibility studies... Read More →

Tuesday April 14, 2026 12:30 - 14:00 GMT+03
National Museum of Qatar

Convening sessions, Workshop

12:30 GMT+03

[WORKSHOP] FROM MEANS TO AN END: HOW TO BUILD A BRIEF

OPT-IN

Tuesday April 14, 2026 12:30 - 14:00 GMT+03

National Museum of Qatar

Limited Capacity seats available

Many ambitious cultural infrastructure projects end up solving the wrong problem, or trying to solve too many at once. The result can be architecture that is impressive on opening day but poorly aligned with the place it serves and the relationships it is meant to support. At its root, this is a brief problem. The “why” needs to be clear before the “what”. Buildings are oftentimes seen as a means to an end, but they can also be seen as vessels, as a way to be part of the delivery and implementation of the mission of the institution it is home to.

Drawing on the perspective of GCDN affiliate members, this workshop works through the questions that make a brief useful to architects, not just inspiring on paper. What is the project actually trying to change in this place? Who is it for in practice? What does “working” look like on a normal day? What are the non-negotiables, and where is genuine flexibility helpful? The aim is a clearer shared language between client and architect, so the building that follows fits its context and does what it was envisioned to do.

Moderators

Catalina Casas

Senior Consultant, AEA Consulting

Catalina brings experience in strategy creation, business planning, concept development, feasibility studies, and project management. Among her project work at AEA, she has led cultural planning work for the Lincoln Road BID (Miami Beach), supported strategic planning processes for... Read More →

Daniel Payne

Principal, AEA Consulting

Daniel's background merges architecture, design, and business; since joining AEA, Daniel has applied his skills to strategic and business planning for more than 150 clients, including:
Developing financial models and business plans for the Stavros Niarchos Foundation Cultural Center in Athens, the Huntington Theatre Company in Boston, and The Shed in New York;Space planning and capital project feasibility work for Haus der Kunst in Munich, Powerhouse Arts in Brooklyn... Read More →

Tuesday April 14, 2026 12:30 - 14:00 GMT+03
National Museum of Qatar

Convening sessions, Workshop

12:30 GMT+03

[WORKSHOP] FROM PARTY TO LIFE: RETHINKING NIGHTTIME IN CULTURAL DISTRICTS

OPT-IN

Tuesday April 14, 2026 12:30 - 14:00 GMT+03

National Museum of Qatar

Limited Capacity seats available

Nighttime is often associated with parties, music, and alcohol. The Nighttime Foundation challenges this narrow view, championing the hours after dark as a vital dimension of cultural, social, and civic life. Cultural districts can leverage the night as an extension of neighborhood life, enabling unique experiences, artistic experimentation, intergenerational gathering, and community building. This facilitates distinct forms of expression, even if the core activities mirror those found during the day.

As cities rethink how and when public life unfolds, activities after dark can also offer a more sustainable and inclusive choice – providing more comfortable conditions for participation and opening up cultural spaces to a wider range of people, including families, children, and older residents.

Drawing on the Creative Footprint (CFP), VibeLab's research methodology for assessing cultural value at a city scale, this workshop invites attendees to explore a more expansive vision of cultural life after dark. In collaboration with LUCI, the session will incorporate perspectives on lighting practices, examining how light shapes perceptions of accessibility, safety, comfort, and belonging in public spaces.

Together, we will explore three interconnected dimensions of culture at night: community, spaces, and operating conditions, to co-create a shared framework for inclusive cultural activity after dark. By translating global insights to hyper-local settings, this workshop is designed as a mutual exchange where participants are encouraged to bring examples from their own cities or districts, reflecting on how nighttime spaces are activated for culture, which demographics or communities these spaces cater to, and how lighting shapes the activities that can occur after dark.

Moderators

Anna Marazuela Kim

Chair of the Board of Directors, Nighttime Foundation

Anna Marazuela Kim is a cultural thinker, consultant and activist based in London.

Working across academia, the arts and urban revitalisation, with leading industries and foundations, Dr Kim is dedicated to fostering new approaches to civic and planetary thriving. Combining historical, philosophical and theoretical perspectives, she aims to bridge the gap between... Read More →

Jane Slingo

Director Asia Pacific, VibeLab

Jane is Director of VibeLab Asia Pacific and a proactive changemaker committed to the transformation of Sydney’s music and nightlife. Through persistent advocacy, Jane has contributed to outcomes including the repeal of the lockout laws and record government investment into the... Read More →

Tuesday April 14, 2026 12:30 - 14:00 GMT+03
National Museum of Qatar

Convening sessions, Workshop

12:30 GMT+03

[WORKSHOP] WORKSHOPPING THE DOHA DESIGN DISTRICT

OPT-IN

Tuesday April 14, 2026 12:30 - 14:00 GMT+03

National Museum of Qatar

Limited Capacity seats available

Envisioned by Her Highness Sheikha Moza bint Nasser and carried by Msheireb Properties, Doha Design District was established to anchor Msheireb Downtown Doha as a hub for design, innovation, and creative exchange in Qatar. As a recently designated district, it sits at a pivotal moment, moving from early momentum toward the harder work of defining a durable identity.

In this workshop, GCDN members will work alongside the DDD Director to open the hood of the district and examine foundational choices around identity, programming, partnerships, public space, and operating models. Drawing on peer experience from other contexts, the session focuses on what it takes to translate a strong creative ambition into a coherent, sustainable piece of city life.

Moderators

Luna BuGhanem

Consultant, AEA Consulting

Luna leverages an interdisciplinary background in architecture, art, and research in her work. Her knowledge of the built environment, artistic practices, and primary and secondary research skills inform her perspective on cultural analysis and strategy.

Beyond AEA, Luna has worked in art and design studios and academic research centers. She was most recently selected for a fellowship at the Nieuwe Instituut, where she developed original research and interviewed artists from the Arab diaspora. As a member of the RISD Research and... Read More →

Emily Harney

Senior Consultant, AEA Consulting

Emily has over 15 years of leadership experience in the non-profit arts sector, with broad expertise across areas of strategy, planning and assessment; facilitation for cross-functional and interdisciplinary collaboration among diverse stakeholders; partnership and community engagement... Read More →

Speakers

Dana Kazic

Director, Doha Design District

As the Director of Doha Design District (DDD), I get to bring people, ideas, and great design together in the heart of Msheireb Downtown Doha. I lead the district’s vision—everything from shaping our refreshed brand to building year-round programs that connect local creatives... Read More →

Tuesday April 14, 2026 12:30 - 14:00 GMT+03
National Museum of Qatar

Convening sessions, Workshop

09:00 GMT+03

KEYNOTE: LORD NORMAN FOSTER

Wednesday April 15, 2026 09:00 - 09:30 GMT+03

Museum of Islamic Art

Speakers

Lord Norman Foster

Founder & Executive Chairman, Foster + Partners

Norman Foster is Founder and Executive Chairman of Foster + Partners, a global studio for architecture, urbanism and design, rooted in sustainability. Over more than five decades, the practice has pioneered a sustainable approach to architecture and urbanism through a wide range of... Read More →

Wednesday April 15, 2026 09:00 - 09:30 GMT+03
Museum of Islamic Art

Convening sessions, Plenary

09:30 GMT+03

FROM THE PRESENT TO THE FUTURE: FOSTERING CULTURAL LEGACY

Wednesday April 15, 2026 09:30 - 10:30 GMT+03

Museum of Islamic Art

Legacy is often spoken about as something that comes later, assessed in hindsight once a project is delivered or a chapter closes. In practice, it is shaped much earlier through a steady accumulation of choices made in the present. It is not something that arrives at the end. It is constantly being made.

Opening a second day of conversations, this plenary looks at legacy as the connection between today’s choices and tomorrow’s publics – a collective effort of policy and stewardship beyond personal imprint. What gets set early and becomes hard to undo? How do decisions about mandate, governance, investment priorities, partnerships, talent, and the everyday relationship between institutions and public life shape what endures, what fades, and what others inherit? In places where cultural ambition moves fast, what must still move slowly if the work is meant to last? And how do leaders build continuity in ways that leave room for the next generation – not simply invited in once the story is written, but involved early, with real agency to help write it?

In other words, how can cultural and civic leaders act today to foster the legacy of tomorrow?

Moderators

Safwan Masri

Dean, Georgetown University-Qatar

Safwan M. Masri is the Dean of Georgetown University in Qatar and a Distinguished Professor of the Practice at Georgetown’s Walsh School of Foreign Service. Before joining Georgetown in October 2022, Professor Masri served as Executive Vice President for Global Centers and Global... Read More →

Speakers

Philip Ihenacho

Director, Museum of West African Art (MOWAA)

Phillip Ihenacho is director of The Museum of West African Art ( MOWAA ) in Benin City, Nigeria.

MOWAA is an independent, non-profit organisation devoted to preserving heritage, increasing knowledge, and celebrating West African arts and culture.

It was established as a catalys... Read More →

Noha Kattan

Deputy Minister, National Partnerships and Talent Development, Ministry of Culture

A strategic and visionary Deputy Minister for National Partnerships and Talent Development with the ability to advance cultural transformation, policy reform, and partnership ecosystems across Saudi Arabia. With 16 years of executive and advisory leadership, shaping transformation... Read More →

Bassam Essa Al Mannai

Assistant Secretary-General for Future Foresight & National Vision, National Planning Council

Bassam Al Mannai isAssistant Secretary-General for the Centre for Future Foresight and National Visions at the National Planning Council, where heleads Qatar’s national foresight agenda and oversees the development of long -horizon visions that guide the country’s strateg ic direction... Read More →

Wednesday April 15, 2026 09:30 - 10:30 GMT+03
Museum of Islamic Art

Convening sessions, Plenary

11:30 GMT+03

FOR-PROFIT CULTURE IN DISTRICT-MAKING

OPT-IN

Wednesday April 15, 2026 11:30 - 12:30 GMT+03

Museum of Islamic Art

Limited Capacity seats available

The most vital cultural ecologies – including cultural districts – are those in which the public, non-profit, and private sectors are all present, engaged, and interconnected.

Much public investment is, in practice, aimed at encouraging private activity – whether cultural consumption through commercial galleries, auction houses, music venues, commercial theatre and immersive experiences, or production across the creative industries, from film and TV to design, fashion, graphics, recording and sound stages.

This session considers the critical roles private sector cultural and creative entities play in successful districts – how this activity is planned for, how it is managed, and how its contribution to the cultural vitality of a district can be strengthened and optimised.

Moderators

Craig Hassall

President & CEO, Playhouse Square

Craig has worked in the arts in the United Kingdom, Australia and now, the United States. His current role is in Cleveland, Ohio as the President & CEO of Playhouse Square, a unique collection of 12 venues presenting an impressive season of performances and concerts as well as hosting... Read More →

Speakers

David Henry

CEO, MiSK City

Kirstin Mearns

CEO, QC+

As CEO of QC+, Kirstin Mearns leads a pioneering cultural strategy group focused on bringing culture to life through meaningful experiences that connect and inspire. Kirstin has worked at the intersection of culture and commerce internationally, bringing cultural insight and innovation... Read More →

Katharina Scriba

Director, Fondation Fiminco

Katharina Scriba is the Executive Director of the Fiminco Foundation in Paris/Romainville. With a career steeped in cultural leadership, Katharina joined the Foundation in 2022, following over a decade of curating and managing international cultural projects at the Goethe-Institut... Read More →

Wednesday April 15, 2026 11:30 - 12:30 GMT+03
Museum of Islamic Art

Convening sessions, Breakout session

11:30 GMT+03

LOOKING TO THE PAST TO DESIGN THE FUTURE

OPT-IN

Wednesday April 15, 2026 11:30 - 12:30 GMT+03

Museum of Islamic Art

Limited Capacity seats available

Most of the cultural infrastructure projects of the late 20th and early 21st centuries were envisioned to perform a simple trick: astonish. Over the past decade, that model has been steadily eroded. Cities are under tighter environmental and resource constraints, and cultural venues are being judged less on opening-day impact and more on long-term fit. That is pushing more projects toward reuse, flexibility, and buildings that can function as everyday civic space.

In that shift, the past is returning in a specific way. Not as nostalgia, but as building practices that grew out of place. Materials that suit the climate, layouts that match how people actually move, gather, and linger, and a relationship to the wider urban fabric that can’t be imported.

So what does this look like in practice? How do you learn from older techniques without just recreating the look? What gets carried forward, and what gets left behind on purpose? And how do architects and cultural clients hold on to what worked then while making room for new uses and new publics now? In other words, how can we successfully look to the past to design the future?

Moderators

Vincent Chang

Group Managing Partner, Grimshaw Architects

Vincent is Grimshaw's Deputy Chairman and Managing Partner, North America. He has been with Grimshaw since 1996 and has played an instrumental role in the expansion of the practice while maintaining a commitment to the quality, rigor and reputation for excellence that Grimshaw is... Read More →

Speakers

Abdullatif Al-Jasmi

Director of Cultural Heritage Protection, Qatar Museums

Abdullatif Al-Jasmi serves as Director of Cultural Heritage Protection at Qatar Museums, working across archaeology, conservation, and heritage protection. His work focuses on safeguarding cultural heritage as a living foundation for identity and continuity across generations.

Sandhya Naidu Janardhan

Founder & Managing Director, Community Design Agency

Sandhya Naidu Janardhan is the Founder and Managing Director of Community Design Agency in Mumbai. With nearly two decades of experience working on social impact projects worldwide, including in Singapore and Haiti, her focus is on creating safe and healthy spaces that support climate... Read More →

Kulapat Yantrasast

Creative Director, WHY

Hello I am an architect and thinker in the realm of Architecture, Urban Design and Sustainability . WHY studios are in New York City and Los Angeles with projects all over the globe. We partner with public and private sector clients to engage communities , ask questions in order to... Read More →

Wednesday April 15, 2026 11:30 - 12:30 GMT+03
Museum of Islamic Art

Convening sessions, Breakout session

11:30 GMT+03

MEGA-EVENTS AND THE SPECTACLE OF CULTURE

OPT-IN

Wednesday April 15, 2026 11:30 - 12:30 GMT+03

Museum of Islamic Art

Limited Capacity seats available

Mega-events create connection at scale. For a few weeks, cities and countries run at a frenetic pace with the eyes of the world fixed upon them. Arts and culture play a big part in that, participating in many ways in crafting the spectacle with the promise of benefits for the whole ecosystem.

This session asks what it takes to make that promise real. What does it mean when spectacle becomes part of national strategy, tied to tourism ambition, cultural diplomacy, and long-term positioning? How do host cities manage the tension between opportunity and strain as visitor surges collide with everyday public life? And what is the artist’s job when a commission is asked to carry symbolism on a global stage, while operating inside tight constraints and competing agendas? In other words, what does it take to convert a temporary surge into value that still holds once the moment has passed?

Moderators

Angelita Teo

Director, Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage

Angelita Teo joined the International Olympic Committee as the Director of the Olympic Foundation for Culture and Heritage in October of 2019. She was previously the Senior Director of the National Heritage Board of Singapore, where she was both the Director of the National Museum... Read More →

Speakers

Marjan Faraidooni

Chief HR Officer and Chief of Education and Culture, Expo City Dubai

Tasked with making sure Dubai’s Expo 2020 delivers an enduring economic and social impact Marjan Faraidooni spends her time contemplating all-important investments in infrastructure and the redevelopment of the Expo site, while promoting culture, history and traditions around the... Read More →

Aurélien Meyer

Founder and Artistic Director, Atelier BLAM

Aphrodite Moschoudi

Director of Planning and Quality, Qatar Tourism

Aphrodite Moschoudi is an accomplished professional with expertise in major sports projects and events. Her career highlights include extensive involvement in bidding, strategic planning and delivery of major events, including the Olympic Games, Asian Games, Arab Games, FIFA World... Read More →

Wednesday April 15, 2026 11:30 - 12:30 GMT+03
Museum of Islamic Art

Convening sessions, Breakout session

11:30 GMT+03

PLACEMAKING BEYOND THE WESTERN PLAYBOOK

OPT-IN

Wednesday April 15, 2026 11:30 - 12:30 GMT+03

Museum of Islamic Art

Limited Capacity seats available

Successful public spaces are shaped through the careful cultivation of relationships. When done well, creative placemaking moves beyond practical or visual outcomes to become cultural work, shaping how people experience places, recognise themselves in them, and feel entitled to remain. However, much of placemaking language, knowledge and metrics are rooted in Western practice. In many other contexts, the work sits in the grey zone between formal rules and informal life, where public space is negotiated day by day rather than delivered as a finished product.

This session leans into that reality and asks what we learn when we take local practice seriously while still looking for insights that travel. How do people come to feel ownership of place in practice, not just in principle? How are responsibilities shared when no single actor fully controls the space? And what does it take to hold space for connection over time, without defaulting to short-term visibility or imported templates that look good on paper but don’t hold on the street?

Moderators

Isabella Rossen

Urban Planning Curator, Qatar Museums

Isabella Rossen is a sociologist specializing in urban development and heritage activation. She completed a MA in Contemporary Social Thought at the London School of Economics in London and Political Science and a Research Masters in Urban Studies at the University of Amsterdam, for... Read More →

Speakers

Guillermo Bernal

Executive Director at The Place Institute, The Place Institute

Guillermo Bernal is the Executive Director of The Place Institute and a global leader in Placemaking with over a decade of experience transforming public spaces in Mexico and Latin America. As the Founding Director of Fundación Placemaking México, he has spearheaded over 500 projects... Read More →

Abdulrahman Gazzaz

Co-founder, Bricklab Architects

Brothers Abdulrahman and Turki Gazzaz were born and raised in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Abdulrahman holds a Bachelor's degree in Architecture and Planning from the University of the West of England (Bristol, United Kingdom) while Turki earned his Bachelor's degree in Architectural Engineering... Read More →

Turki Gazzaz

Co-founder, Bricklab Architects

Turki Gazzaz was born in 1988 in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. His professional experience includes architectural design, academia, research, real estate development, and curating. He has worked with established international and local design practices on a wide range of projects from the... Read More →

Natasha Sharma

Co-founder & curator, Govandi Arts Festival

Natasha is an artist-researcher and urban practitioner based in Mumbai, India. Her practice illustrates the role of arts and culture as a crucial scaffolding to urban development. Through artistic-community engagements, she creates social and spatial interventions of pause and play... Read More →

Wednesday April 15, 2026 11:30 - 12:30 GMT+03
Museum of Islamic Art

Convening sessions, Breakout session

13:00 GMT+03

BEYOND FOLKLORE: HERITAGE AS CONTEMPORARY STRATEGY

OPT-IN

Wednesday April 15, 2026 13:00 - 14:00 GMT+03

Museum of Islamic Art

Limited Capacity seats available

In many places, cultural prestige has long been signalled through Western canons and global contemporary circuits, while heritage practices and traditional crafts were pushed to the side as tourism attractions or symbolic backdrop. At the same time, local contemporary artists have often been drawing on their own histories, techniques, and materials, with or without institutional backing. That balance is shifting. Cultural leaders are increasingly treating heritage as a live source for contemporary work, and asking artists and communities to carry it forward.

This breakout asks what it means to build that shift into policy and long-term strategy. What does it look like to centre heritage in ways that strengthen ecosystems, leave room for artistic risk, and still speak to diverse publics? And what kinds of long-term commitments, governance arrangements, and investment choices are needed for this turn to the past to genuinely reshape how places present themselves to their own publics and to the world? In other words, how do past and present connect in ways that shape the future on their own terms?

Moderators

Paul Tam

Executive Director, Performing Arts, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

Mr Paul Tam joined WKCDA in March 2020. Mr Tam leads the Performing Arts Division to deliver world-class programmes and performing arts venues and facilities in the WKCD. He is responsible for steering the strategic planning and sustainable development of these venues, and overseeing... Read More →

Speakers

Charlotte Ashamu

Director of International Programs, Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (IPCH), Yale University

Charlotte Ashamu is the Director of International Programs at Yale Institute for the Preservation of Cultural Heritage (IPCH). She leads IPCH’s international strategy through public outreach and partnerships with museums, cultural institutions, and heritage bodies worldwide.

Prior to joining Yale, Ashamu served as the Associate Director of Advancement and External Affairs at the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art. Previously she was Senior Advisor and Mo Ibrahim Leadership Fellow at the African Development Bank in the Office of the President... Read More →

Bouthayna Baltaji

Director of Museography and Heritage Museums Development, Qatar Museums

Smriti Rajgarhia

Director, Serendipity Arts Foundation

Smriti Rajgarhia is the director of the Serendipity Arts Foundation and Serendipity Arts Festival. She has worked with large collections of Indian art that represent art in India from the 1800s up to now, and has been engaged with spreading arts education and arts awareness through... Read More →

Wednesday April 15, 2026 13:00 - 14:00 GMT+03
Museum of Islamic Art

Convening sessions, Breakout session

13:00 GMT+03

FROM INFRASTRUCTURE TO ECOSYSTEMS

OPT-IN

Wednesday April 15, 2026 13:00 - 14:00 GMT+03

Museum of Islamic Art

Limited Capacity seats available

In the last quarter-century, many cities and countries have poured immense resources into cultural infrastructure designed to anchor urban renewal and project global ambition. As these assets come online, it is increasingly clear that long-term sustainability rests less on the buildings themselves than on what surrounds and activates them: workforce, commissioning and programming strategy, institutional culture and governance, and the relationships that tie organisations to their publics and wider stakeholders.

So how do we connect capital projects to operating reality? How can cultural leaders navigate political pressure for visible capital projects while insisting on the slower investments that determine whether an institution takes root and matures with its community, or stalls after opening? Looking at the Gulf context and beyond, this session examines what it means to shift from infrastructure-driven strategies to the work of cultivating cultural ecosystems.

Moderators

Hilary Carty

Executive Director, Clore Leadership

Hilary Carty is the Executive Director, Clore Leadership, a role she took up after six years as a consultant, facilitator and coach specialising in leadership development, management and organisational change. Rooted within the arts and cultural industries, Hilary drew on her creative... Read More →

Speakers

Francesca Colombo

General and Cultural Director, BAM – Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano

Arts and culture entrepreneur. Public Speaker. Managing and Cultural Director of BAM - Biblioteca degli Alberi Milano, an innovative public-private partnership for the management of a public park, an open air theater for the performing arts. Senior consultant in corporate strategy... Read More →

Betty Fung

CEO, West Kowloon Cultural District Authority

Mrs Betty Fung Ching Suk-yee is appointed by the West Kowloon Cultural District Authority as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) with effect from 15 October 2021. She was on secondment from the HKSAR Government to the WKCDA as Acting CEO between December 2020 and June 2021. She joined the... Read More →

Douglas Gautier

CEO, Royal Arts Complex

Wednesday April 15, 2026 13:00 - 14:00 GMT+03
Museum of Islamic Art

Convening sessions, Breakout session

13:00 GMT+03

GOVERNANCE IS ALL

OPT-IN

Wednesday April 15, 2026 13:00 - 14:00 GMT+03

Museum of Islamic Art

Limited Capacity seats available

The quality of governance fundamentally affects organisational effectiveness. It is where vision either takes root or unravels. It shapes how choices are made, who carries authority, and what happens when things go wrong. Effective governance creates clarity and continuity. Ineffective governance blurs mission, saps confidence, and shrinkens resources.

This session treats governance as a working relationship, not a structure. How do boards and CEOs stay aligned on mission when trade-offs are real and conditions keep shifting? What does healthy challenge look like? How is the line between governance and management walked? And how should boards manage the tension between their roles of representation, resourcing, oversight and self-renewal in a context of greater transparency, sharper expectations, and faster-moving risk?

Moderators

Robin Abad Ocubillo

Co-Chair of the Board, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts

Robin Abad Ocubillo (co-chair of the board of directors at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts in San Francisco) is a dedicated public servant with a passion for civic innovation in public space design, planning, evaluation, and policy. For over a last decade, Robin has led several of placemaking programs at the City and County of San Francisco during a periods of intensive... Read More →

Speakers

Fatma Hassan Alremaihi

Chief Executive Officer, Doha Film Institute

Fatma Hassan Alremaihi, appointed CEO of the Doha Film Institute in 2014, is responsible for overseeing the strategic direction of the Institute, maintaining its focus on promoting film culture in Qatar and establishing its presence on the regional and international stage. Alremaihi... Read More →

Marilynn Gardner

CEO, Navy Pier Inc

Navy Pier President and CEO Marilynn Gardner oversees the complex daily operations, programming, long-term visioning, and fiscal wellbeing of one of Chicago’s greatest recreational assets and the Midwest’s most visited destination.

An enthusiastic ambassador and advocate for her native Chicago, Gardner has applied her passion for Navy Pier into a three-decade career, spanning several leadership roles. She is recognized as the driving force behind the ever-evolving landmark’s $400 million redevelopment and w... Read More →

Patrick Gyger

Director General, Plateforme 10

Patrick Gyger (born in São Paulo, Brazil, in 1971) is a Swiss historian, curator and author. From 1999 to 2010, he was director of the Maison d'Ailleurs, a museum of utopia in Switzerland. He created numerous exhibitions there (on outsider art, sustainable architecture, cosmic music... Read More →

Wednesday April 15, 2026 13:00 - 14:00 GMT+03
Museum of Islamic Art

Convening sessions, Breakout session

15:30 GMT+03

[WORKSHOP] ADVANCING MUSEUM AND HERITAGE PROFESSIONALS IN SMALL STATES: FROM LOCAL CUSTODIANS TO SHAPERS OF INTERNATIONAL DISCOURSE

OPT-IN

Wednesday April 15, 2026 15:30 - 17:00 GMT+03

Museum of Islamic Art

Limited Capacity seats available

Moderators

Sherif El Itriby

Managing Principal, AEA Consulting

Mayssa Kanaan

Consultant, AEA Consulting

Speakers

Shaika Jabor H K Al Thani

Acting Head of Strategy & Planning Section, Qatar Museums

Wednesday April 15, 2026 15:30 - 17:00 GMT+03
Museum of Islamic Art

Convening sessions, Workshop

15:30 GMT+03

[WORKSHOP] CULTURAL VITALITY: MEASURING WHAT MATTERS

OPT-IN

Wednesday April 15, 2026 15:30 - 17:00 GMT+03

Museum of Islamic Art

Limited Capacity seats available

Moderators

Stephen Dobson

Director, Centre for Cultural Value – University of Leeds

Natalia Vartapetova

Senior Consultant, AEA Consulting

Wednesday April 15, 2026 15:30 - 17:00 GMT+03
Museum of Islamic Art

Convening sessions, Workshop

15:30 GMT+03

[WORKSHOP] FROM MEANS TO AN END: HOW TO BUILD A BRIEF

OPT-IN

Wednesday April 15, 2026 15:30 - 17:00 GMT+03

Museum of Islamic Art

Limited Capacity seats available

Moderators

Catalina Casas

Senior Consultant, AEA Consulting

Daniel Payne

Principal, AEA Consulting

Wednesday April 15, 2026 15:30 - 17:00 GMT+03
Museum of Islamic Art

Convening sessions, Workshop

15:30 GMT+03

[WORKSHOP] FROM PARTY TO LIFE: RETHINKING NIGHTTIME IN CULTURAL DISTRICTS

OPT-IN

Wednesday April 15, 2026 15:30 - 17:00 GMT+03

Museum of Islamic Art

Limited Capacity seats available

Moderators

Anna Marazuela Kim

Chair of the Board of Directors, Nighttime Foundation

Jane Slingo

Director Asia Pacific, VibeLab

Wednesday April 15, 2026 15:30 - 17:00 GMT+03
Museum of Islamic Art

Convening sessions, Workshop

15:30 GMT+03

[WORKSHOP] WORKSHOPPING THE DOHA DESIGN DISTRICT

OPT-IN

Wednesday April 15, 2026 15:30 - 17:00 GMT+03

Museum of Islamic Art

Limited Capacity seats available

Moderators

Luna BuGhanem

Consultant, AEA Consulting

Emily Harney

Senior Consultant, AEA Consulting

Speakers

Dana Kazic

Director, Doha Design District

Wednesday April 15, 2026 15:30 - 17:00 GMT+03
Museum of Islamic Art

Convening sessions, Workshop

17:30 GMT+03

NAVIGATING THE NOISE: THE URGENCY OF CONNECTIONS

Wednesday April 15, 2026 17:30 - 18:30 GMT+03

Museum of Islamic Art

Culture connects people to places, to ideas, and to each other. It’s one of the few ways a society keeps talking to itself when so much else pulls it apart. Leadership, among other things, means taking responsibility for fostering those connections. That is becoming harder. Connection seems increasingly transactional, visibility often outweighs depth, and trust is harder to earn than attention. Leaders feel the pressure to respond quickly, be present everywhere, and prove relevance at all times.

This plenary asks what it takes to lead a cultural institution in 2026. How do you create enough consensus and momentum to move an organisation forward when trade-offs are real and scrutiny is constant? What do you owe to continuity, to stakeholders, to mission and values, and to staff, and what happens when those obligations collide? Are the expanded roles our organisations have taken on still the right ones? As societal and economic stresses grow, do we narrow our ambitions or set them more clearly and push harder? Which tensions have to be held rather than solved?

Moderators

Patrick McIntyre

CEO, National Film and Sound Archive of Australia

Patrick McIntyre is the CEO of the National Film and Sound Archive of Australia. His career spans three decades in arts and cultural management in Australia including previous roles as Executive Director of Sydney Theatre Company, Associate Executive Director of The Australian Ballet... Read More →

Speakers

Chereda Grannum

Programme Manager - Reclaiming Our Atlantic Destiny (ROAD), Prime Minister's Office, Barbados & Barbados Tourism Investment Inc.

Chereda Grannum is a Cultural Strategist and has been involved in public policy and programme development for over a decade. Her work has focused on building and strengthening Barbados' relationships, exchanges and interactions between population groups and institutions of the African... Read More →

Rachel Moore

President & CEO, The Music Center

Rachel S. Moore is president and CEO of The Music Center, Los Angeles’ premier performing arts center. In that capacity, she leads the $70 million company that manages The Music Center campus and operates and programs Grand Park on behalf of the County of Los Angeles. In total... Read More →

Shaika Nasser Al Nassr

Director, Museum of Islamic Art

Wednesday April 15, 2026 17:30 - 18:30 GMT+03
Museum of Islamic Art

Convening sessions, Plenary

18:30 GMT+03

CLOSING REMARKS & 2027 ANNOUCEMENT

Wednesday April 15, 2026 18:30 - 19:00 GMT+03

Museum of Islamic Art

Moderators

Adrian Ellis

Chair, GCDN & Director, GCDN & AEA Consulting

Gregorio Lucena Scarpella

Director, Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN)

Gregorio Lucena Scarpella is the Director of the Global Cultural Districts Network (GCDN), a membership organization of over 70 international cultural districts with a mission to improve the quality of urban life through the arts, culture and creative industries.

As Director of GCDN, Greg is responsible for the management and development of the network and the stewardship of its members. He devises the network’s overall strategy and oversees its portfolio of content and activities, including the GCDN annual convening – a flagship event... Read More →

Wednesday April 15, 2026 18:30 - 19:00 GMT+03
Museum of Islamic Art

Convening sessions, Plenary

09:30 GMT+03

11:00 GMT+03

11:00 GMT+03

11:00 GMT+03

11:00 GMT+03

12:30 GMT+03

12:30 GMT+03

12:30 GMT+03

12:30 GMT+03

12:30 GMT+03

09:00 GMT+03

09:30 GMT+03

11:30 GMT+03

11:30 GMT+03

11:30 GMT+03

11:30 GMT+03

13:00 GMT+03

13:00 GMT+03

13:00 GMT+03

15:30 GMT+03

15:30 GMT+03

15:30 GMT+03

15:30 GMT+03

15:30 GMT+03

17:30 GMT+03

18:30 GMT+03

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