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In the days running up to the Friday on which Exchange took place, it became increasingly obvious that the heat in London was going to be not just high, but higher than forecast. So when we saw that even a conference on extreme heat had been cancelled on account of the extreme heat, it was time for a plan B.

Fortunately we were able to pivot to an online event on Zoom at a few days notice, with our original lineup intact. Thank you to the speakers and to all the attendees who joined online – and to our venue, Coram, for putting the venue's fee on credit for next year.

Fresh from winning an award for their work, Head of Student Engagement and Social Media Communications Emma Gilmartin and Chinese Social Media Officer Vivian Zhu of the University of Glasgow discussed how to adjust communications to the expectations of Chinese audiences, including topics and approaches that resonate well in China, and others that don't.

See Emma and Vivian's presentation.

With the steady demise of Twitter and rise of TikTok, Instagram Reels and YouTube, the social media landscape of 2026 is very different to that of even five years ago. Our panel looks at the techniques to land content that chimes with the audiences on social platforms, and how the landscape is changing. The Conversation's audience manager Alastair Tibbett chaired the discussion with speakers Sarah-Jean Ng, Social Media Manager at the University of Cambridge, Alistair Beech, Social Media and Digital Communications Manager at the University of Manchester, and Francesco Dorazio, President and Chief Product Officer at social media listening platform Pulsar.

This year has seen the creation of another wave of combined authorities, a new set of regional government structures seeking evidence upon which to base their policies – and an opportunity for universities to engage. Chaired by Olivia Stevenson, co-chair at the Universities Policy Engagement Network, the panel comprising Liz Shutt, Programme Director at Insights Northeast, Ben Cook, Senior Projects and Policy Officer at the Greater London Authority, and Max Nathan, Professor of Economic Geography at UCL, shared its experience working at the policy-research interface across the country.

Following the arrival of Google's AI Overviews and AI-powered chatbots and browsers, discussion has focused on how to adapt content to be discovered and cited by AI answer engines and generative tools. The AMEC generative engine optimisation (GEO) principles were released in May, and contributor James Crawford, managing director at PR Agency One in Manchester, explained the approach for a post-AI web.

Read James Crawford's presentation.

The Conversation UK's editor-in-chief Stephen Khan introduces some of the recent work made possible by the Prototypes for Humanity project. Based in Dubai, the project encourages applications from diverse academics worldwide and funds the best ideas and takes them forward to application or commercialisation for the global good. In this session we heard from three academics, Jeremy Howick, Professor of Empathic Healthcare at the University of Leicester, Patricia Maguire, Professor of Biochemistry at University College Dublin, and Michael Head, Senior research fellow at the University of Southampton, whose research had been taken up by Prototypes for Humanity, and the impact and opportunities that had provided them.

While some academics find opportunities in media, consultation, policy work and other activities outside research and teaching, others find that the game is rigged against them. In a discussion with Jo Adetunji, The Conversation's Executive Editor, Partnerships, chief executive of WHEN Equality Alice Chilver laid out the landscape of barriers that can prevent those from minority groups from having the same success, and propose ways universities can help overcome them.

Typically our workshop session at the end of the day provides an opportunity to discuss in smaller breakout groups the subjects arising during the day's sessions. This year we rebranded it an 'unconference', with the idea that attendees could put forward their own suggestions for topics they'd like to see discussed. As a way of sharing the insights and perspectives of the breadth of attendees at the event with the whole group, we think this is a great way to get people talking.

An unconference online is a tall order, but we look forward to hosting it in person again in 2027.

Thanks to all our speakers, attendees and to Coram for making Exchange 2026 possible.