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BGEN Conference 2027
Small Gardens, Big Impact

Tuesday 26th & Wednesday 27th January 2027
University of Leicester Botanic Garden

The BGEN Conference 2027 brings together educators, interpreters, horticulturalists and other professionals working across botanic gardens, arboreta, parks, zoos and the wider natural world education sector.

This year’s theme, Small Gardens, Big Impact, explores how organisations of all sizes can create meaningful experiences, inspire learning and engagement, and make a difference through plants, gardens and the natural world.

Join us for two days of talks, workshops, networking and opportunities to share ideas and experiences with colleagues from across the sector.

What to expect

The conference programme includes a mixture of keynote and plenary talks, practical and creative workshops, networking opportunities, a garden tour and opportunities to share experiences with fellow BGEN members and delegates.

Across the two days, sessions will explore different approaches to plant and nature education, interpretation, engagement and learning – from creative and reflective approaches to practical skills and new ways of connecting people with plants.

There will also be plenty of opportunities to meet other professionals working in the sector, exchange ideas and take inspiration back to your own organisation.

Keynote Speaker
Dawn Sanders – University of Gothenburg
Revealing the Lives of Plants in Botanic Gardens: A place for art-based education and interpretation?

Botanic gardens “stage nature” in “presented worlds”. Educators in such settings are often presented with the dual challenge of revealing the lives of plants beyond specimens as spectacle and narrativizing their ecological relationships.

Here, perhaps, is a place for art in the botanic garden: a place that provides diverse apertures into Life as Plant in ways that reveal qualities of “plantiness” through revelatory sensorial, emotional, and conceptual invitations.

Through such artistic portals, plants can be transformed from “strangers in our midst” into enigmatic others, appreciated for their difference rather than their resemblance to humans.

Being an educator in these contexts means becoming sensitized to the ways in which both plant and human are represented, translated, and spoken of in relation to the frames we bring to bear.

This talk will explore these questions and discuss what role art-based practices might play in these spaces.

Plenary Panel

In this plenary talk, the team at the University of Leicester Botanic Garden share their experiences and approaches to managing a small garden, the challenges and opportunities for growth and how gardens small in size like Leicester can deliver meaningful impact.

Workshops (see Conference Programme for Workshop Overview)

The conference includes a varied programme of practical, creative and thought-provoking workshops. Workshops are included in the conference ticket price, with delegates choosing one workshop from each session they attend.

Tuesday 26th January

Session 1 (choose 1)

1. Dragons and Rainforests: Maths in Botanic Gardens
2. Mindful Garden: Fading Plants & Forgotten Words
3. Art as a Way of Knowing

Session 2 (choose 1)

1. Mindful Garden: Fading Plants & Forgotten Words
2. Sharing the World’s Most Variable Flower and its Pollinating Fly
3. Explore, Discover, Learn: A Self-Led Visits Workshop

Wednesday 27th January

Session 1 (Choose 1)

1. Forest School Sessions
2. Winter Tree ID
3. Nature Notebooking

Session 2 (Choose 1)

1. Winter Tree ID
2. Nature Notebooking
3. Natural History GCSE – Is your Garden Ready?

The workshops offer opportunities to explore new techniques, develop practical skills and consider different approaches that could be adapted for use within your own garden, organisation or educational setting.

Garden Tour

Delegates will have the opportunity to explore University of Leicester Botanic Garden as part of the conference programme.

The garden tour will provide an opportunity to discover more about the site and its collections while considering how gardens themselves can be used as spaces for learning, interpretation and engagement.

Networking and sharing

BGEN conferences are an opportunity to connect with colleagues working in plant and natural world education across the UK, Ireland and beyond.

There will be dedicated time for informal networking and conversations throughout the programme, as well as opportunities to share experiences, ideas and approaches with other delegates.

Whether you work in a large botanic garden, a small community garden, an arboretum, park, zoo, museum or another outdoor learning setting, the conference is designed to provide opportunities to learn from one another.

Conference Dinner

Join us for an optional conference dinner at Herb Restaurant on Tuesday 26th January from 6.30pm.

The dinner will provide an opportunity to continue conversations from the first day of the conference in a relaxed setting.

£25 per person for BGEN Members and £35 for non-members, including a welcome refreshment and three-course meal **

The dinner is optional and must be pre-purchased when booking your conference place. It is available to all delegates, including those attending the conference on Wednesday only.

Why attend?

The BGEN Conference is an opportunity to:

Learn from colleagues and practitioners working across plant and natural world education.
Explore new ideas and approaches to education, interpretation and engagement.
Develop practical skills through a varied programme of workshops.
Gain inspiration from other organisations, including approaches that can work within smaller gardens and with limited resources.
Make new connections with professionals working across the sector.
Share your own experiences and ideas and contribute to conversations about the future of plant and nature education.
Experience University of Leicester Botanic Garden and consider the ways in which gardens can support learning and engagement.

Who is the conference for?

The BGEN Conference is for anyone involved in plant, garden, environmental or natural world education and engagement, including professionals working in:

Botanic gardens and arboreta
Parks and public gardens
Zoos and wildlife organisations
Museums and visitor attractions
Schools and educational organisations
Community and voluntary organisations
Outdoor learning and environmental education
Horticultural and conservation organisations

You do not need to work in a large organisation or botanic garden to benefit from the conference. Small Gardens, Big Impact recognises the valuable contribution made by organisations and individuals working at every scale.

Conference Information

Date: Tuesday 26th & Wednesday 27th January 2027
Venue: University of Leicester Botanic Garden
Theme: Small Gardens, Big Impact

Conference tickets

BGEN Members

Two days: £180
Early bird two-day ticket: £150 – available from 7th to 21st October 2026
Tuesday only: £100
Wednesday only: £100

Non-members

Two days: £240
Tuesday only: £140
Wednesday only: £140

Students

Two days: £50
Includes BGEN Student Membership until 31st March 2027

Student tickets are subject to verification of current student status.

Conference dinner: £25 per person for BGEN Members and £35 for non-members, including a welcome drink and three-course meal.

Booking

Please register each delegate individually. If you are booking on behalf of colleagues, please complete a separate registration for each person.

When booking, you will be asked to provide your delegate details, dietary and accessibility requirements, workshop choices and whether you would like to attend the optional conference dinner.

Workshop places are included in the conference ticket price – there is no additional charge for workshops.

Organisational Bookings

If you have a large amount of attendees (contact Samantha, BGEN Coordinator – info@bgen.org.uk) to assist with a bulk booking. Please have attendee name, email, workshop choices, conference dinner and any dietary/access requirements and consents available please, together with a purchase order number for your invoice (if applicable). Thank you.

We look forward to welcoming you to Leicester

Join BGEN for two days of learning, sharing, practical exploration and conversation as we consider how small gardens and organisations can have a big impact through plants, people and education.

**TRAVEL AND HOTEL INFORMATION WILL BE ADDED SHORTLY**