Polar Field Staff Conference
March 23-26, 2026
Lisbon, Portugal
Eurostars Universal Lisboa
Thank you to all participants for your contributions throughout the event. Your involvement was key to its success.
The 2026 Polar Field Staff Conference is a joint AECO/IAATO gathering for guides and expedition leaders working in Arctic and Antarctic expedition tourism. Established in 2008, the conference offers knowledge exchange and skill‑building to support safe, responsible, and high‑quality field operations in the polar regions.
The 2026 conference is organized by AECO and IAATO in association with the Polar Tourism Guides Association.
Program
Empowering the Polar Guiding Community
Monday, March 23
18:00 Registrations
19:00 Welcome Cocktails
Tuesday, March 24
07:45 Registrations
08:15 Welcome & Opening Remarks
Anders La Cour Vahl
Introducing Ground Rules & Communication Norms
Sarah Merusi & Bill Davis
08:45 AECO/IAATO Updates & Introductions
Troels Jacobsen & Allison Kean
09:45 The “Why”
Alex Cowan
10:00 Coffee Break
10:15 Individual & Group Communication Skills
Aaron Lawton
11:15 Giving & Receiving Feedback
Mariano Curiel
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Cross-Cultural Communication
Niels Rasmussen
14:15 Wrap-Up
14:30 Coffee Break
15:30 Team Building: Urban Historic Expedition
19:30 Dinner
Wednesday, March 25
08:30 Intro Session
Sarah Merusi & Bill Davis
09:00 Situational Awareness
Daven Hafey
10:30 Coffee Break
10:45 Near Miss & Incident Learning
12:00 Lunch
13:00 Near Miss & Incident Learning (cont.)
14:15 Coffee Break
14:45 Guiding Skills: Leading Hikes & Positioning
Alex Cowan
15:45 Community Visit Preparation: Proactive Communication
Anders La Cour Vahl
18:30 Dinner
20:15 Networking
Thursday, March 26
09:00 What’s Next?
09:30 Communications & Industry Culture
Hayley Collings
10:45 Coffee Break
11:00 Panel: Moving Forward: Training for the Future
Jen Herne (Quark)
Terence Christian (Silversea)
Bernabe Urtubey (Viking)
Graham Charles (PTGA) Facilitator: Bill Davis
12:00 Closing Remarks & Summary
12:30 Lunch
Last update: 27. March 2026