Call for organizers

Host World IA Day in your area! Join 20+ global locations. Get free resources, templates & community support to organize.

Bring World IA Day to your city

Join a global movement of 20+ locations celebrating information architecture. Whether you're planning your first event or continuing a local tradition, we provide everything you need to create a successful celebration in your community.

Start your application →

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Why organize?

Here are the key reasons people organize World IA Day events:

Professional development	Community impact	Knowledge sharing
To develop leadership skills through the organizing experience	To build and strengthen the local IA community	To share knowledge and promote good practices in the field
To provide speaking and presentation opportunities for local practitioners	To raise awareness about IA as a practice	To fulfill a need in their region or community
To gain organizing experience by continuing a successful tradition that people look forward to annually	To create networking opportunities for professionals and students	To help develop emerging markets in the IA field

"Whether you have 10 people in a coffee shop or 300 in a theater, your goal is the same; provide a place and time to discuss and learn about information architecture."

— Abby Covert, co-founder of World IA Day

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What's involved?

As a local organizer, you'll lead the celebration in your city while being part of a global community. Here's what to expect:

Your responsibilities

• Secure a venue - from coffee shops to conference halls, we support events of all sizes

• Curate content - presentations and activities that explore information architecture, ideally connecting to our annual global theme

• Build a local team - recruit co-organizers, speakers, photographer, and volunteers

• Handle logistics - marketing, registration, day-of-event coordination

• Connect globally - participate in organizer community and maintain communication with our Global Team

Time commitment

• Timeline: July through March (9 months)

• Monthly time: 5-40 hours depending on your event size and team structure

• Peak periods: September-November (planning), February-March (final preparations)

What we provide

• Free brand assets - logos, slide templates, marketing materials

• Website presence - dedicated location page on worldiaday.org

• Email setup - professional email address for your location

• Global community - access to organizer message board and shared resources

• Guidelines and templates - proven frameworks from 60+ successful locations

• Ongoing support - dedicated Global Team volunteers to help you succeed

Most organizers find the experience rewarding enough to return year after year.

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Ready to bring World IA Day to your city?

How to apply

We accept applications on a rolling basis throughout the year. The earlier you apply, the more time you'll have to plan an amazing celebration.

Start your application →

What happens next

1. Submit your application - tell us about your vision and local community

2. Review process - we'll evaluate your application within 2 weeks

3. Welcome and onboarding - accepted organizers receive resources and join our global community

4. Start planning - begin building your team and securing your venue

Key dates for 2026

• Applications open: July 2025

• Priority deadline: October 2025 (for maximum planning time)

• Final applications: November 30, 2025

• World IA Day 2026: March 7, 2026

Application tips

• Show community connection - demonstrate your involvement in the local community

• Think collaborative - applications with co-organizers or team members are stronger

• Research your market - check if there's been a previous celebration in your area

• Be realistic - start with what you can manage and grow over time

Questions before applying?

Contact the global team: [email protected]

Explore the organizer guide: World IA Day Organizer Guide

Remember: You can reach out to potential sponsors, venues, and speakers before applying, but please clarify that you're applying to represent World IA Day, not yet officially organizing.

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In their own words

It's something I brought to Poland, I like doing it, it's needed and it's my official task now. ;)

— Weronika Kortas, WIAD22 Torun, Poland

Experience is great in preparing a conference and in organizing, communicating with people interested in IA

— Annina Brügger, WIAD Zürich, Switzerland

We would like to continue to build a community and local presence of content creators, designers, practitioners, and enthusiasts in the similar field here in Cebu.

— Janice Padreganda, World IA Day Cebu City, The Philippines

See all past locations

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Frequently asked questions

Getting started

What does it mean to be a local organizer?

Each World IA Day celebration is hosted by one or more individuals. You will represent your location by leading a team and organizing the celebration.

Location organizers are in charge of all the details for the local celebration such as:

• Securing a venue for the celebration. It could be a conference hall, an educational institution, or a coffee shop.

• Curating presentations or other content that promote an understanding of IA preferably in the context of our selected global theme.

• Funding the celebration. We encourage events of all sizes, shapes and forms. From small informal gatherings to large conference style events, it is up to you and what you feel will work in your community.

• Leading a local team (including a photographer and videographer).

• Marketing the celebration to your community.

• Maintaining open communication and a participatory spirit with the Global Team.

What qualities do you look for in an organizer?

We are a community of like-minded professionals and enthusiasts who share the common goal of teaching, learning, and shaping the future of Information Architecture. We do this out of passion and not for financial gain. If this sounds like you, we encourage you to apply.

You may be the lead organizer for your WIAD event, but we highly recommend that you recruit a co-organizer and or a dynamic team of decision-makers to help you. World IA Day is a community event where building communities, empowering leaders, and growing together have been our driving principles since the beginning. Having a co-organizer or team will strengthen your application.

Can I reach out to potential sponsors, venues or speakers before applying?

Yes. Committed sponsors, venues, and speakers will strengthen your application. However, our expectation is that you are clear, explaining that you do not officially represent World IA Day and are applying to host a celebration in your location.

Event logistics

My location is small. Can I still apply?

Yes. Even if your location is small, which could include living in a smaller town or a less populous region, we would love to have you apply. Celebrations of any size are welcome.

If you're curious, you might want to check the full list of locations to see if there was a celebration nearby.

Is the application accepted on a first come, first serve basis?

No, not necessarily. Each location has to reapply annually and we value the relationships we have built along the way. If more than one individual applies for the same location, we encourage collaboration but reserve the right to select organizers based on their existing contributions to the community at large.

Each location must have a unique organizer. We do not permit one person to run multiple celebrations.

What is the time commitment?

It depends on the size of your celebration and how you structure your team. Some locations with larger celebrations spend on average about 40 hours per month. Other locations hold small gatherings which equate to 5 hours per month.

The commitment runs from July to March and in most cases we offer local organizers the opportunity to renew their commitment each year.

Application process

Can there be more than one event per location?

We encourage members of the community who have a shared interest in bringing World IA Day to their location to work together collaboratively. The general rule of thumb is to ask yourself whether another celebration in your region would cause competition for resources and attendees.

After I apply, how soon should I expect to hear from you?

We accept location applications on a rolling basis. We expect to notify accepted location organizers within 2 weeks after submission.

If you're applying before August 30, we may still be updating assets and resources.

What support should I expect as a local organizer?

World IA Day is supported by a dedicated team of volunteers. We are here for you and have structured our Global Team to help support locations around the world. Each of our locations receives resources (e.g. brand assets, slides templates, sample marketing materials, a location page on our website, an email address etc.), guidelines and learnings from other locations, and access to an internal message board used by all local organizers worldwide.

As a nonprofit, World IA Day can also provide access to:

• Ti.to for event registration management

• Vimeo for video storage

• Canva for social media asset creation

Contact the GEP team for details: [email protected]