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Countdown to Verture’s Flood Resilience Conference

With just two months to go until Verture’s 2026 Flood Resilience Conference, momentum is building.. We’ve been delivering a flood resilience conference for over 20 years, and every year we see growing demand, richer conversations and a stronger sense of shared purpose. 

Our Conference title this year Is ‘Creating a Flood Resilient Scotland – sharing experiences, shaping the future’. Over two days we’ll be bringing together people working on flooding, those affected by flooding and those shaping Scotland’s future response. 

The conference is always a sell-out – a sign of enthusiasm and commitment across Scotland to get flood resilience right. 

Who comes and why it matters? 

We’re seeing an increasingly diverse set of participants. Last year over 400 people attended in person and 200 online. 

Roughly:  

• 28% from the private sector 

• 50% from government and local authorities 

• 15% from third sector and communities  

• 10% researchers  

We’re also welcoming more early-career professionals and younger attendees, with almost half of participants 2025 attending for the first time. 

Feedback tells us people value the mix of policy updates, lived experience, practical examples and innovation, alongside the chance to network and explore the marketplace. 

What we’ve learned and how 2026 will build on it 

We take feedback and use it to shape each year’s programme. From 2025 we heard clearly people want: 

• More real–life projects and case studies 

• More space for early-career voices 

• More time for structured networking and informal conversations 

• Clearer “signposts” for what next 

All of this has been built into Flood Resilience Conference 2026 

What to expect in 2026 

Day 1 will have a focus on place, opening with a plenary on coastal change and adaptation. The afternoon will feature plenary sessions and breakouts on land use and place-based approaches to creating flood resilience. Across the day we’ll share a wide range of case studies and lessons from across Scotland. 

Day 2 will take a people first approach, with sessions and short talks on community engagement, lived experience, and participatory approaches. We’ve got games, scenario tools, a flood café and much more. 

The marketplace will again be a central feature– this year we already have 27 jam- packed stands showcasing projects, tools and services. 

Making the conference accessible  

The conference simply wouldn’t happen without our funders, sponsors and steering group.   

• The Scottish Government is  the principal funders of the conference, allowing us to provide free and discounted tickets so that cost isn’t a barrier to participation.  

• We’re running a hybrid event with more than 300+ attendees expected to join online.  

Our Platinum sponsors, Flood Re and AtkinsRéalis, and Gold sponsor, AECOM are supporting the conference for the second year running – bringing their knowledge and expertise, as well as sponsoring elements of the programme. FloodRe are also sponsoring an evening networking reception on Day 1, once again showcasing Flo, the Scottish Flood Bus and the new Flood Ad Bus for 2026. 

Questions we’ll be asking together 

From the 2025 conference, people told us they wanted clearer prompts about how they turn their learning in to action. So this year, our programme – and our social media – will be structured around questions like: 

• What success stories can we build on as we strengthen Scotland’s flood resilience? 

• What more needs to happen to ensure Scotland becomes truly flood resilient? 

• What actions will you or your organisation do more of or do differently as a result? 

Join us 

Get your tickets here: https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/scotlands-flood-resilience-conference-2026-tickets-1766540753949?msockid=006ffb8ce09965461902ed07e1726468 

If your already signed up, we hope you’ll arrive ready to share, listen and shape the next phase of Scotland’s flood resilience story. If you can’t join us this year, we still want to hear from you- your ideas, your experience and your questions all matter.  

Want to see what previous years look like ?

Watch our Flood Resilient Scotland Highlight Reel here: Flood Resilient Scotland Highlights Reel on Vimeo