The 42nd Annual World Conference host city is Venice, a city with an unrivalled geographical position, a wonderful monumental heritage, and a most vibrant cultural life, be it in the visual arts, literature, music or film. This year’s main location will be the stunning Palazzo Labia, graciously made available for the conference by RAI, one of Europe’s most prominent broadcasters and a founding member of FIAT/IFTA. The Palazzo Labia is a true marvel of 18th-century Italian baroque; the main rooms are lavishly decorated by Giovanni Battista Tiepolo and Gerolamo Mengozzi-Colonna, making a visit a unique and unforgettable experience.

This year’s theme and title is “The Archive’s Renaissance: Navigating the Future, Channelling the Past”, a reference not only to the location but also to a new creative renaissance emergent in the archives. In this golden age of content and storytelling, the archive is a rich cultural expression source and a powerful creative advocate and protective force within the industry and society. As trust in published content becomes a major challenge for providers and the public alike, classic archival values of reliability and authenticity again feature prominently: these attributes have not been blown away by the digital storm but are valued more highly than ever. Not only by archivists, researchers, media producers, and industry but also by the new providers who no longer navigate under the flag of broadcasters but under those of large technology and media companies.