Client: Museum Association
Event Organiser: Museum Association & Sain Ffagan National History Museum
Event Name: Museum Association Annual Conference 2025 – MA’25
Venue: Sain Ffagan Amgueddfa Werin Cymru – St Fagan National Museum of History
Dates: 7-9 October 2025
Background to Destination and Venue Selection
A key differentiator to the 2025 annual conference was the location. Not just a venue it was a live, operational museum and cultural attraction, Sain Ffagan, The National History Museum of Wales. Located on a 100acre site, the open-air museum features over 40 re-erected, original historic buildings from different periods of Welsh history, set within the grounds of the 16th-century St Fagans Castle and extensive landscaped parkland, the museum became the conference venue.
Situated on the outskirts of Cardiff, the capital of Wales, St Fagans National Museum of History was selected due to its national cultural significance, accessibility, sustainability credentials and suitability for hosting a large‑scale hybrid conference with UK‑wide and international reach.
Creating a Sense of Place
A strong Welsh identity was embedded throughout the event via bilingual branding and conference delivery under the theme “Perthyn – Belonging”, Welsh language integration, music, food provenance and curated cultural experiences. Delegates engaged with nationally significant venues, museums and locally rooted content delivered in partnership with national and local organisations.
Event Outputs
- 1,516 delegates reached (862 in person; 654 hybrid)
- 40+ sessions plus workshops, training, fringe meetings, tours and networking
- Three large scale social events hosted at major cultural venues (Temple of Peace, National Museum Wales and Cardiff Museum)
- Curated cultural tours rated the best across the past five MA conferences
- Strong national promotion of Wales across digital, media and social platforms
Best Practice Highlights
- Hybrid delivery at scale, widening access while reducing travel and environmental impact
- Deep cultural integration, embedding Welsh language, food, music and place rather than treating them as add ons
- Exceptional use of cultural venues, creating memorable, place based delegate experiences
- Sustainability in practice, with digital first delivery, low waste catering, public transport uptake and alignment with ISO 20121 principles
- Inclusive, wellbeing focused design, including captioning, quiet and prayer spaces, accessible transport and a strong code of conduct
- Clear legacy impact, securing future MA events in Wales and ambassador advocacy
Event Outputs & Impact
Delegate Experience:
• 90% rated museum tours excellent or good
• 85% rated networking opportunities excellent or good
• 88% positive rating for the conference theme “Perthyn – Belonging”
Economic & Sustainability Impact:
• 11 Cardiff hotels utilised, securing over 250 known room nights
• 59% of delegates travelled to Cardiff by rail
• Hybrid participation reduced travel demand and carbon impact
Profile of Wales:
• Cardiff ranked as the third most common location for Museums Association website users in 2025
• Social media promotion reached over 190,000 followers
• Ministerial keynote reinforced Wales’ national cultural and creative proposition
Legacy:
• Commitment secured for further Museums Association events in Wales with future activity already under discussion.
