Partner with the Federation to host the next generation of Congress

Welcome over 5,000 scholars, researchers, and community leaders to your campus while showcasing your institution’s research strength on a national stage.

Express interest for 2028 and beyond

Why partner with the Federation?

The Federation is at a unique inflection point. Guided by our 2026–2030 strategic plan, the Federation is reimagining Congress to create more inclusive, impactful, and sustainable opportunities for knowledge sharing.

Our redesigned model drastically cuts operational complexity for host institutions by shifting core event delivery and logistics directly to the Federation. This allows your campus to focus on what matters most: academic leadership, institutional activation, and research impact.

The value of hosting Congress

National visibility: Spotlight your institution to thousands of academic leaders, policymakers, and public sector partners.
Research leadership: Showcase your unique research strengths and regional expertise to a national audience.
Reduced operational burden: Eliminate complex logistics with centralized planning, catering, and AV coordination led by the Federation.
Student and community engagement: Provide students with hands-on professional development while connecting your local community to national conversations.
Institutional legacy: Position your campus as a forward-thinking hub for Canadian scholarship.

Congress: 2027 and beyond

Since 1931, Congress has grown into Canada’s largest annual academic gathering, bringing together over 10,000 scholars, researchers, and students across dozens of scholarly associations.

While hosting Congress remains a prestigious opportunity to showcase institutional strengths on an international stage, the post-pandemic landscape and evolving expectations around equity, diversity, inclusion, and accessibility revealed clear challenges in the traditional host bidding model. High operational complexity and financial constraints prompted a fundamental shift.

In response, the Federation—guided by a national task force—reimagined Congress to preserve its incredible value while removing unnecessary strain on host institutions.

The result?

A more accessible, sustainable, and collaborative partnership. By taking on core operational and financial logistics, the Federation ensures host universities and colleges can focus on what matters most: leading scholarship, engaging their local community, and inspiring the next generation of researchers.

The four pillars of the reimagined Congress model

We’ve fundamentally transformed how Congress is planned and delivered to ensure accessibility, financial transparency, and operational ease for our host partners.

New Congress model	Previous Congress model
Open programming: All registered participants can access all sessions across disciplinary boundaries, driving interdisciplinary discovery.	Siloed programming: Attendees were largely restricted to participating within their specific association conference.
Separate virtual and in-person experiences: Intentional 5-day in-person gathering (~5,000 attendees) paired with a separate virtual program. No hybrid tech required from the host.	Single hybrid event: Required simultaneous in-person and complex virtual event delivery.
Single registration fee: Simple, all-inclusive registration covering programming and catering.	Layered fees: Complex "stacked" registration combining individual association and Federation fees.
Centralized services: Federation leads core logistics including AV, catering, and registration administration.	Decentralized services: Fragmented operational and financial coordination split across individual associations.

Roles and responsibilities: A true strategic partnership

Hosting Congress is a collaborative effort. The Federation leads overarching operations, allowing host institutions (or co-hosting regional campuses) to focus on delivering a memorable on-campus experience.

Federation leads: Operations and engagement

Project management: End-to-end event planning, scheduling, and execution
Financial and revenue administration: Full registration administration, single-fee collection, and financial management.
Centralized services: Coordinating core audiovisual setups and participant catering
Stakeholder engagement: Scholarly association coordination, Congress Expo management, and contractor hiring.
National outreach: Driving national marketing, media relations, and nationwide sponsorship development.

Host institution leads: Campus experience

Campus welcome: On-site hospitality, welcoming participants, and community connection.
Venue operations: Providing campus facilities, room allocations, and accessibility support.
Academic leadership: Showcasing institutional research strengths and co-designing programming.
Student engagement: Volunteer recruitment and student professional development opportunities.
Local sponsorship: Assisting with regional/local sponsorship opportunities and campus activations.

Logistical and campus requirements

To ensure a successful 5-day event (typically held Monday–Friday between late May and early June), host campuses generally provide:

Space and inventory: Approximately 100 meeting spaces/classrooms of varying capacities per day.

Accommodations: Roughly 4,200 residence room nights on campus, supported by local hotel room blocks negotiated by the Federation.

Tech capabilities: Standard classroom AV setup (laptop, projector, mic/sound) and reliable high-speed Wi-Fi.

Host project team: A designated part-time Academic Convenor and full-time Project Manager starting ~1 year prior.

Financial model: transparent, simplified, and sustainable

The reimagined Congress introduces a fundamentally restructured financial model built to simplify administration and ensure long-term sustainability for all partners.

Single registration fee: Attendees pay one comprehensive fee covering full program access and catering, replacing the previous multi-tiered fee structure.
Federation-administered finances: The Federation handles all registration revenue, payment processing, and core event expenses, taking the financial and administrative burden off host institutions.
Balanced revenue sharing: Revenues are distributed through a transparent sharing model that aligns financial incentives between the Federation, host campuses, and participating scholarly associations.
Coordinated sponsorship: The Federation drives national sponsorship campaigns while collaborating with host institutions to unlock regional opportunities and maximize overall revenue.

Ready to host Congress on your campus?

Let's discuss how hosting Congress can elevate your institution’s national profile while supporting the future of humanities and social sciences.

Contact our events and membership team

Camille Ferrier

Vice President, Membership, Communications and Events

Federation for the Humanities and Social Sciences

Future Congress dates

The Federation and Simon Fraser University are collaborating on the 2027 edition of the Federation's Congress of the Humanities and Social Sciences, set to take place in British Columbia in early summer 2027.

Congress 2027

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