Each year ARA hosts an annual conference, bringing together a wide range of people working in the recordkeeping sector as well as academics and people from allied sectors with an interest in recordkeeping.

The conference usually takes place in the week following the August bank holiday, running from Wednesday to Friday.

The conference package includes accommodation, all meals and refreshments and at least two social events - on the Wednesday and Thursday nights. We sometimes host an informal social on the Tuesday night depending on the venue location.

In 2021 due to COVID-19 restrictions the conference was held online, since then we have visited Chester and Belfast and Birmingham. In 2025 we will host our first hybrid conference with in-person conference in Bristol and an option for delegates to join online.

A call for papers goes out in the autumn before each conference year (so November 2024 for our 2025 conference) and each conference has a specific theme.

The conference is organised by a the ARA Conference Committee made up of volunteers from the ARA Membership, members of the ARA staff team and our external conference delivery partners.

ARA Conference 2023 delegates visiting the Public Records Office of Northern Ireland (PRONI) as part of the Wednesday social.