Birmingham has won the bid to host the annual international conference for experts in the field of vertebrate palaeontology.
The Society of Vertebrate Paleontology’s 85th Annual Meeting will bring together 1,200 scientists, students, artists, writers, and scholars from across the world at the ICC Birmingham in November, with University of Birmingham palaeontologists acting as the local hosts. The conference will be made up of symposiums, technical sessions, presentations, exhibitions, and films on the history and evolution of vertebrate animals and the discovery, conversation, and protection of vertebrate fossils and fossil sites.
Birmingham will become just the second UK city and third European destination to welcome the event in its 85-year history, which has traditionally taken place in North America. The event is expected to be worth more than £1.5 million for the West Midlands’ economy.
It was secured by the Birmingham and West Midlands Convention Bureau, working with VisitBritain, MCI USA and University of Birmingham.
Steve Knight, Senior Business Tourism Manager at the West Midlands Growth Company, said: “It is a great start to 2025 for the West Midlands’ business events community to be able to announce another major international conference in our calendar. We look forward to welcoming 1,200 palaeontologists from around the globe to our region in November and hope attendees enjoy both the ICC Birmingham’s fantastic facilities, as well as our popular cultural and culinary offer during any downtime.”