GCDN Annual Convening – Doha 2026

THE POWER OF CONNECTION… CULTURE & PLACE AT THE GLOBAL CROSSROADS

Sitting at the intersection of culture and urbanism, cultural districts exist to connect.

They connect people to the arts, ideas, each other, and the places they inhabit. They bridge heritage and modernity, physical and digital, daytime and nighttime, local and global. They are platforms for exchange through which creativity circulates, stories emerge, and meaning is made.

Those who steward districts carry the responsibility for ensuring that this connective tissue remains strong, accessible, and authentic. Yet in a world where connection is increasingly transactional, visibility often outweighs depth, and trust is harder to earn than attention, this work demands clarity and courage. How can cultural leaders navigate a landscape so fragmented, so polarized, and so saturated with noise – and still weave pathways between culture, place, and society that build lasting relationships of relevance, reciprocity, and care?

Hosted by Qatar Museums in Doha from 13 to 16 April 2026, GCDN’s 12th annual convening explores connections in all their forms. Set within the capital of a young and ambitious nation that has deliberately positioned itself as a hub for global exchange through culture, the convening invites members and guests to reflect on the ties that bind us, the infrastructures that enable them, the strategies that sustain them, and the creative practices that renew them.

Combining a range of formats, the programme is designed to foster learning, conversation, and (re)connection among peers from across the world.

True to its theme, the convening forms part of a broader calendar of cultural programming animating Doha throughout spring 2026. Attendees are encouraged to come early for the Qatar Creates Spring programme and stay longer to experience the second edition of the Design Doha Biennial.

GCDN is an initiative of AEA Consulting. Find out more about GCDN here.