IARR 2026 Conference

SUBMISSIONS

The submissions portal is now closed.

Decisions will be emailed no later than March 1, 2026.

PROGRAM

The conference will take place over five days: the opening evening reception followed by three full days and one half-day of sessions. Keynote speakers will be announced in due course.

The half-day in the middle of the conference is included to allow for additional tourism or social activities, networking, or simply some down-time. Some optional activities will be organised for those who would like to join and some of these will require advance purchase of tickets (more details to follow closer to the time).

Planned Schedule:

July 8, 2026

• New Scholars Workshop (more details to follow)
• Conference registration (afternoon)
• 18:00: Opening reception at City Chambers

July 9, 2026 full day

July 10, 2026 half day and optional activities (advance ticket required for some activities)

July 11, 2026 full day and Awards Dinner with Ceilidh

July 12, 2026 full day

Catering:

The three full days will include coffee breaks and lunch. Breakfast and dinner are not provided. The half day will provide a morning coffee break only.

Social Events:

Wednesday July 8 (evening) Opening Reception at the City Chambers
The Lord Provost of Glasgow will host a drinks reception for IARR members at the historic Glasgow City Chambers, a comfortable 5-minute walk from the TIC.

Thursday July 9 (evening) Community Outreach Event

The Relationship Café (at Social Bite) - Snack-sized talks about relationship research

As part of the International Association for Relationship Research (IARR) Conference 2026, we are hosting The Relationship Café – an informal public engagement evening designed to bring relationship science into the heart of Glasgow.

Held at Social Bite Café on Sauchiehall Street – a welcoming social enterprise committed to ending homelessness – this relaxed event invites conference delegates to share their work with the wider community in an accessible, engaging way.

Researchers will give 10-minute “coffee-break” talks that showcase relationship research in all its diversity: from love and intimacy to friendship, family, conflict, and connection. The emphasis is on storytelling, real-world relevance, and conversation rather than formal presentation.

The aim is simple: to connect the public with the fascinating research being carried out by IARR members, and to connect researchers with new audiences beyond academia.

Where: Thursday 9 July 2026, 6:00 – 8:0 pm
When: Social Bite Café, Sauchiehall Street, Glasgow
Call for Speakers: We welcome submissions from all conference delegates interested in sharing their work in an engaging, informal format.

To volunteer as a speaker, please contact Shannon at Shannon.hirst@oneplusone.org.uk by June 2026. Join us for an evening where research meets real life — over coffee, stories, and conversation.

July 10 Optional activities for the free afternoon

Half-day trip to Loch Lomond

For those of you who are keen to take in some of the spectacular nature that Scotland has to offer, we are putting together a self-guided half day trip to nearby Balloch, on the southern bonnie bonnie banks of Loch Lomond.

We will meet at Glasgow Queen Street and get the train to Balloch (approx. 45 minutes), and while there feel free to go for a walk around the village, grab a coffee/ lunch, do a boat tour walk, around the loch, or even get a bus further up the loch to Luss. The possibilities are endless!

If you are keen to join us on our ramble, please fill in this Typeform with your name and email address. Closer to the date we will email you with details of what’s available to do on the day. Hope to see you there!

Date: Thursday 9 July 2026 (afternoon)
Meeting point: Glasgow Queen Street Station (main concourse/forecourt) at 12:00 pm
Return target: Catch train back from Balloch around 5:00-6:00 pm (approx.)

Tour of Knockderry Castle (limited capacity ticketed event; round-trip transportation and refreshments included in cost)

Come visit a working castle from the Victorian and Edwardian eras. Knockderry Castle is a distinguished Scottish Baronial estate with architectural significance, a rich interior decorative heritage, and a dramatic coastal setting — a testament to Victorian and Edwardian tastes for romantic, historicist design. It’s a striking example of romantic Scottish Baronial architecture and is protected as a Category A listed building — the highest level of heritage designation in Scotland for buildings of national or international significance. You will experience the castle and its views overlooking Loch Long — a long sea loch on Scotland’s west coast — which offer impressive water views and dramatic coastal scenery.

Knockderry was originally built in the 1850s (1851–1854) for a member of the Campbell clan and later owned by John Templeton, a well-known Glasgow textile manufacturer. The initial design was by the noted architect Alexander “Greek” Thomson. Its early form already embraced picturesque, baronial elements rather than medieval defensive functions.

Around 1896–1897, architect William Leiper carried out substantial expansions and interior redesigns under the ownership of John Templeton. These additions included grand living spaces and ornate interiors, such as elaborate wood carving and famed stained-glass windows depicting the Viking King, Håkon. The architecture is especially celebrated within architectural circles. The castle showcases Scottish Baronial features — turrets and conical roofs, crow-step gables, carved stone details, and multi-story asymmetry typical of the romantic 19th-century reinterpretation of medieval forms. You will climb a turret to see the views from the heights of it five-stories.

You will visit the Viking room, Music room, Japanese room with their elaborate wood paneling, rich period fireplaces, stained glass, and a minstrel’s gallery. The Music room is a particularly celebrated space and reflects late-Victorian/Edwardian luxury with inlaid fireplaces, parquet floors, bronze-framed windows, and ornate ceiling and wall art. You will experience how this historic building has been carefully restored to function in the 21st century and beyond. You will experience a rare glimpse into the past and a candid look at what it takes to maintain and restore these historic buildings.

We will serve some light snacks and sodas and listen to a well-known storyteller as she describes a few mysteries of Scotland.

To see the castle, check out the Knockderry Castle YouTube channel and Instagram posts below:
https://www.instagram.com/p/DUidl9bks6j/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DTsVriskhRD/?img_index=6
https://www.instagram.com/p/DTX36lDkeWg/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DUf482pCZQ-/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DT-CCaGksDw/
https://www.instagram.com/p/DQHajvRiJnt/

July 11 (evening) Awards Dinner at Hilton Double Tree (ticketed event)

Come enjoy a meal with your IARR friends and family, celebrate the accomplishments of those receiving IARR awards, and party till you drop with Haggis Chasers (a ceilidh band, https://haggischasersceilidhband.com/) and a traditional Scottish ceilidh (dance party). The cost of the ticket includes a three-course sit-down meal with fizzy drink (cash bar also available), attendance at the IARR Awards Ceremony, and plenty of Scottish music and dancing. Doors open at 6:30, dinner will start at 7. The ceilidh will follow the conclusion of the awards ceremony. The music and dancing will end at midnight.

REGISTRATION

We are pleased to share details about the registration fee structure, the accommodations portal (now live!), as well as advance notice concerning the availability of student funding and a roommate-finding portal. Registration dates (e.g., early bird, standard, late) will be announced as soon as construction of the registration portal has been completed. Please note there will be NO onsite registration.

Registration Fee Structure (in USD)

Click here to check member categories
Click here to check country status

Early bird registration (date TBA)
Student member $325
Reduced fee student member (i.e., from non high-income country) $200
Regular member $525
Regular member from non high-income country (i.e., reduced fee) $300
Emeritus member $325
Non-member $650

Standard registration (date TBA)
Student member $425
Reduced fee student member (i.e., from non high-income country) $300
Regular Member $625
Regular member from non-high income country (i.e., reduced fee) $425
Emeritus member $425
Non-member $750

Late registration (date TBA)
Student member $525
Reduced student member (i.e., from non high-income country) $400
Regular Member $775
Regular member non-high income country (i.e., reduced fee) $525
Emeritus member $525
Non-member $900

IARR Membership Benefits

Have you considered joining IARR? The conference registration fee will be discounted for members. Members also receive a subscription to our two journals: Personal Relationships and Journal of Social & Personal Relationships, as well as, IARR announcements, access to the membership directory, and publisher discounts. For more information please visit https://iarr.org/membershipinfo.html.

LOCAL INFORMATION

Venue

Our main venue is the Technology and Innovation Centre (TIC), 99 George Street, Glasgow G1 1RD. The TIC is in Glasgow city centre.

The TIC is less than 10 minutes’ walk from local shops (HIgh Street, Queen Street or Argyle Street) and railway stations (Queen Street, 7 minute walk or Glasgow Central, 14 minute walk).

The conference spaces are accessible for delegates who use a wheelchair, are fitted with induction loops, and provide accessible/gender-neutral toilets. For more accessibility info visit the TIC website.

Free Wifi will be available for all delegates at the TIC. The network is TIC Conferences. The password is changed regularly and will be confirmed by the date of the conference.

Travel to Glasgow

Glasgow is Scotland’s largest city and is easily accessible internationally.

Air travel: Glasgow is served by 3 international airports.
‐ Glasgow Airport is only 15 minutes from the city center with an express bus service from outside the terminal. The bus is the Airport Express Service 500. You can buy a bus ticket from the driver using cash or contactless payment, or from the airport team, or with the First Bus app.
‐ Glasgow Prestwick Airport is a 45-minute train or bus ride to the city centre. The airport has its own railway station with a direct line to Glasgow Central rail station. The bus, the Stagecoach Western X77 Express service, also runs directly from outside the airport to Glasgow Buchanan Street Station. See https://www.glasgowprestwick.com/to-and-from-the-airport/.
‐ Edinburgh Airport has a direct bus service from the airport to Glasgow’s Buchanan Bus Station which takes under an hour. The bus is the Citylink AIR coach service https://www.citylink.co.uk/travelling-with-citylink/air/ and advance tickets are slightly cheaper. Buchanan Bus Station is walking distance from the conference venue (TIC).

Rail travel:

Glasgow is well connected by train from across the UK by 2 main stations:

• Glasgow Central Station links Glasgow to the south
• Glasgow Queen Street Station operates routes mainly to Edinburgh and the north
• (Note that the two train stations are separate and do not connect with each other.)

Avanti West Coast runs several daily services to London with a journey time of approximately 4 hours 30 minutes.

The Caledonian Sleeper connects London to Glasgow with overnight services.

Eurostar international high-speed railway service connects European mainland destinations to Glasgow via London (St Pancras station).

Visa and travel authorization information:

Most visitors travelling to the UK need an Electronic Travel Authorisation (ETA) or visa. For information please see https://www.gov.uk/eta.

Getting around Glasgow

City Map

Glasgow is a walkable city and most people will be able to walk from their hotel to the conference venue. There are also excellent transport links around the city.

There is so much to see and do around the city and surrounding area. To explore the many options that Glasgow offers tourists, please visit https://www.visitglasgow.com/.

The subway (underground) is the fastest way to get around the city centre, with a circular route running every 4 minutes at peak times. For more info see https://www.spt.co.uk/travel-with-spt/subway/ .

Get unlimited rail travel around Glasgow for just £5 for five days with the Glasgow Conference Rover ticket. Show your IARR delegate badge at any Scotrail station within the city cente “Conference Zone” to buy your ticket. Up to 50% discount on travel outside the zone too. For details, terms and conditions see https://www.scotrail.co.uk/tickets/conference-rover.

There are several options regarding bike tour companies that allow you to get around Glasgow in a cost-effective, green and healthy way. Please visit Voi Bikes, Glasgow Bike Tours and Gallus Pedals.

Accommodation

The Glasgow Convention Bureau provides an accommodation portal that offers a range of links and discounts to conference delegates. There are a large number of accommodation options at various price points in the city. If you book via the conference portal you will not be required to pay upfront and can cancel without penalty up until 48 hours before arrival.

Please note that there is no block of rooms pre-booked for IARR, as there are so many options locally.

The Glasgow Convention Bureau is the official accommodation agent. Negotiated hotel rates are exclusively for IARR delegates. Rates are fixed and will not change with demand. There are flexible cancellation terms. Reservations require a card number (payment made directly at the hotel upon arrival, no pre-payment / deposit required.

To book an accommodation, please visit the IARR 2026 Official Accommodations Booking Portal.

Student & Budget-Friendly Options
• Premier Inn George Square
• Travelodge Glasgow Queen Street
• Revolver Hotel
• More options: VisitScotland Guest Houses & B&B's
• Alternative booking sites: Booking.com, Expedia, airbnb

Note: These budget hotels are not linked to the Glasgow Convention Bureau. Rates may vary with demand and cannot be guaranteed.

Want Help Finding a Roommate?
We are in the process of setting up a portal on the conference webpage for the use by those who may wish to find roommates to share accommodations. Keep an eye on this section of the conference webpage for further information.

Student Funding
IARR has set aside funds to support graduate students wishing to attend the conference. Details about the application process will be posted as soon as they become available. Keep an eye on your inbox and the conference website. Students who receive IARR fundings to support their attendance at the conference will be required to serve a 3-hour shift at the registration desk.

Key Reminders
• For guaranteed rates and official support, always book via the IARR 2026 Official Accommodations Booking Portal.
• External bookings (e.g., OTA sites) are not supported by the Glasgow Convention Bureau.

Food and Drink

Glasgow offers a range of options for breakfast and lunches around the conference centre. Most grocery stores offer a "meal deal" where you can get a sandwich, drink and side for under £5 and chains like Greggs can accommodate vegan and non-vegan options for ~£5. And if you are looking to splurge, you won't be short for choices.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Conference Organizing Team

Program Committee:
Leah Bryant, Jessica Eckstein, Jessica Cherry

Local Arrangements Committee:
Susan Boon, University of Calgary
Stuart Boon, University of Strathclyde
Jessica Cherry
Sarah Foley, University of Edinburgh
Taranah Gazder, University of Edinburgh
Erica Hepper, University of Surrey
Shannon Hirst, OnePlusOne
Veronica Lamarche, University of Essex
Elaine Scharfe, Trent University
Sarah Stanton, University of Edinburgh
Alexandra Tzvetkova, OnePlusOne

With thanks to Glasgow Convention Bureau.

Questions about local arrangements (e.g., venue, travel, accommodations, etc.)? Please complete the mailing list form below or send the Local Arrangements Committee an email at iarr2026glasgow@gmail.com.

Questions about the submission process and/or program? Please send the Program Committee an email at iarrconferences@gmail.com.

CONTACT INFORMATION

A memorable stay in Glasgow

Questions about the submission process and/or program? Please send the Program Committee an email at iarrconferences@gmail.com.