Venues for IALL 2026
David Williams Building
The David Williams Building will be the location for the Pre-Conference Workshop on the afternoon of Sunday 13 September.
It is located on the University’s Sidgwick Site, to the west of the River Cam and about 15-20 minutes walk from King’s Parade. The Sidgwick Site is home to many faculties and departments relating to the HASS (humanities, arts and social sciences) subjects, including law and criminology. The David Williams Building houses Cambridge’s Faculty of Law and Squire Law Library. The building was designed by Fosters + Partners and opened for the academic year starting in October 1995. The official opening of the building occurred on the 8 March 1996 by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II accompanied by the Duke of Edinburgh.
Graduate Hilton at Cambridge Hotel
The Opening Reception and buffet dinner for IALL 2026 will be held at the Graduate by Hilton Cambridge hotel in the Granta Suite Room and riverside gardens. The hotel is near to both Queens’ College and Darwin College and the River Cam flows by directly outside.
Jesus College
The venue of most of the conference programme from Monday 14 to Wednesday 16 September will be Jesus College. The venue would offer delegates some experience of Cambridge life within a historic college, especially for those who chose to book accommodation at the college. Jesus College was established in 1496 and is one of the oldest and largest colleges in Cambridge. A history of the college can be found on the Jesus College website.
Jesus College has a relatively newly built, dedicated conference centre at West Court, Jesus Lane which will be home to our conference. The comfortable lecture theatre, the Frankopan Hall, will accommodate 120 IALL delegates. The Elena Hall is adjacent to the Frankopan Hall and will be the location for our sponsors and vendors. Here attendees will be able to have refreshments and lunches. There will be 15 places around the room for vendors to meet and converse with delegates. The conference facility offers modern convenience and is entirely accessible with a lift to all floors. Accessible restrooms are also available. A reception desk is staffed by the College from around 08:00 to 19:00 each day and the IALL registration desk will be located nearby.
Jesus College is well-located in the heart of the City of Cambridge, and yet in a relatively quiet spot but minutes away from many historic buildings and local attractions.
Cambridge Union
Just five minutes walk away from Jesus College is the historic and unique Cambridge Union where one of our conference sessions, followed by a drinks and buffet dinner reception, will take place on Monday 14th September. As the Union’s website explains:
From our small beginnings in 1815, The Cambridge Union Society has grown into the largest student society in Cambridge, and currently boasts 70,000 members worldwide. Since our inception we have remained a unique forum for the free exchange of ideas and the art of public debate. Led by our Student Committee, we host weekly talks and debates to provide our students and members the opportunity to meet and question the people that shape our world. This includes celebrities and leading figures in politics, science and art and we have had the privilege of hosting such great figures as Winston Churchill, Theodore Roosevelt, the Dalai Lama and multiple members of royalty.
Libraries
During the course of the Tuesday 15 September there will be options to visits libraries in Cambridge, notably Cambridge University Library, the Squire Law Library, the Wren Library at Trinity College or the Parker Library at Corpus Christi College. All are within walking distance of the conference venue. Further details for these visits will be provided nearer the time.
St John’s College
For the Annual Dinner on Wednesday 16 September 2026 we will be at St John’s College, on Trinity Street, about 10 minute walk from Jesus College and 15–20 minutes walk from many of the hotels that are recommended. The College Hall is a wonderful location for dinner. As the St John’s website explains it is ‘a magnificent, 16th century building with a hammerbeam roof and fine old linen-fold panelling, ideal for large sit-down functions.’
A pre-dinner drinks reception will take place outside under the cloisters just beyond the Bridge of Sighs. Delegates could walk out onto the lawns if the weather is good. There will be a lot of photo opportunities in this space, as well as in the Hall itself. If it is raining the reception will be held in the Hall.
City of Ely
Ely will be the venue for the optional day on Thursday 17th September 2026. See the separate optional day page for more details.