On June 11th, we gathered at the Reliance Theatre at Emily Carr University for a day built around one resonant theme: Culture in Place.

This year, we tried something new. Instead of traditional presentations, we embraced an intimate fireside format — nine conversations where Alliance members sat down one-on-one with guests whose lived experience and expertise sit at the heart of a distinct cultural realm shaping our cities. Melissa Higgs of HCMA opened the day and set the tone for everything that followed.

Across design, development, civic leadership, hospitality, and cultural entrepreneurship, the range of voices was remarkable — and so was the through-line connecting them. Every conversation, in its own way, explored how culture takes root in a neighbourhood: how it's expressed through food, architecture, and gathering, and how it's protected, celebrated, and carried forward.

Nine firesides. One UEA Project Lab film. One incredible community of people who showed up to think bigger about the future of our cities. It reminded us that placemaking isn't only about the built environment — it's about the people, the stories, and the feeling a place leaves you with.