More than 1,000 members of the science centre and science museums community will be arriving in Porto, Portugal, this week to attend the Ecsite Annual Conference.

Professionals from other science-led sectors, such as zoos, aquariums, natural history museums, as well as educational institutions and the private sector, will be among them.

Ecsite (the European network of science centres and museums) is celebrating the 28th edition of its yearly conference, which is held from 15-17 June at the Alfândega Congress Centre, the Natural History and Science Museum of the University of Porto and Ciência Viva. A two-day pre-conference is already under way.

Some 400 speakers will be presenting at Ecsite, with keynotes by anthropologist and TV academic Dr Alice Roberts, and Nina Simon, executive director of the Santa Cruz Museum of Art and History. Portugal’s own minister of Science, Technology and Higher Education, Manuel Heitor, will be giving a speech at the opening ceremony.

The conference menu offers more than 90 talks, sessions, maker spaces and workshops – many of them related to this year’s theme, Life Everywhere. Other topics that will be addressed include science in the post-truth era, a variety of global and climate-related issues, engaging wider audiences and designing for emotions.

“The Ecsite conference has a special spirit of openness, generosity and boldness,” said Michiel Buchel, president of Ecsite and CEO of NEMO science centre in Amsterdam, Netherlands. “It welcomes newcomers with open arms and returning participants like old friends. It is a congenial assembly, a trusted and honest arena to learn from each other’s experiences, try out new tools and ideas, critically question ourselves and shape our field’s future.”

Ecsite’s parallel trade show, the Business Bistro, with 50-plus exhibitors, is also taking place.