In this article, we have compiled all the upcoming positive psychology conferences and included those we know about for 2020.
If you’re interested in speaking or presenting at any of these, we have also included the official pages for each event.
These links will include the guidelines for submissions, symposia, schedules, and more information on the conferences themselves as they become available.
NOTE: At the time of updating this article, the COVID-19 virus may impact the below-mentioned conferences. Please follow the links to check their availability first.
If you have no plans to present research or host a workshop, these positive psychology conferences are still very much worth attending. Whether its simply for a chance to interact with other therapists, coaches, or positive psychology enthusiasts, they are often global gatherings of professionals from a diversity of sectors.
Here is a brief overview of what you can expect from each of the conferences, and we will continue updating this page as more events are announced.
31st World Summit on Positive Psychology, Mindfulness, Psychotherapy, and Social Sciences
Date: March 27-28, 2020
Location: Barcelona, Spain
Price: Prices vary greatly, view this registration page for more accurate details.
Description: Keynotes and addresses at this year’s World Summit are going to be covering the broad theme of character strengths, more specifically, Building Strengths towards Happiness, Wellness, and Positive Education. Speaker slots have already been announced, with a special scientific session on Positive Psychology, and this established annual event is not going to disappoint.
Attendees can look forward to hearing the latest research on topics such as mindfulness, optimism, hope, self-esteem, culture, flow, with workshops on resilience and situational analysis.
Visit the official webpage.
Australasian Well-being in Education Conference
Date: April 2-4, 2020
Location: ICC, Sydney, Australia
Price: $799 for existing PESA members and $880 for non-members, who also receive a 12-month individual PESA membership
Description: Bridging Theory, Research, and Application is the theme of this year’s PESA Australasian Well-being in Education Conference, which is expecting over 500 teachers, educators, principles, researchers, and parents.
Attendees have a chance to hear from keynote speakers Cathy Freeman OAM and Rachel Elphick, as well as take part in a range of 40-minute workshops on topics like empowering students, psychological capital for teachers, and positive education in indigenous communities.
This year, the conference also features 6-minute Inspire Sessions, concentrated presentations that focus on one or two key ideas or initiatives in the field.
Visit the official webpage and register here.
Wellbeing in Education NZ
Date & Location: Christchurch, April 2-4 and Auckland, April 6-7, 2020
Price: $590 for each conference and $325 for a Christchurch workshop, held on April 4th.
Description: Wellbeing in Education, ‘He ākonga aumangea, he ākonga tū maia’ is the biggest wellbeing conference in New Zealand, and it takes place on both islands this April.
The Christchurch conference spans three days and opens with a talk by Dr. Sue Roffey on Relationships: The Heart of Changing Behavior in Schools, before a full-day program of workshops and discussions.
Educators, parents, and teachers are invited to attend events such as Lessons in Leading Change, Enhancing Hauora, Empowering Wairua, and Practical Strategies for Showing Children you Care. You will find the Auckland program packed with talks and workshops on student wellbeing, classroom strategies, strength-based education, and more.
Learn more here about the Well-being in Education Conference.
Flow in Practice
Date: April 2nd, 2020
Location: London
Price: £265 for standard registrations.
Description: Flow in practice will be the first event of its kind. This one-day conference looks at real-world, practical flow applications for leadership, creativity, teams, businesses, and entrepreneurs.
The agenda features a combination of practical case studies, research, content, and practical examples, with speakers from the European Flow Researchers Network (EFRN) whose study is focused on this positive psychological experience. It’s open to any practitioners, such as coaches, consultants, HR staff, and more, who help develop and grow people in practice.
Register for the event here.
2020 ResilienceCon™ – CANCELLED AND POSTPONED TO 2021
Date: April 5-7, 2020 April 11-13, 2021
Location: Life Paths Appalachian Research Center, Monteagle, Tennessee, US.
Price: $439 for regular registration Follow the links below for updates on the cost and venue for 2021.
Description: Drs. Kalei Kanuha, Melissa Merrick, and Maury Nation are this year’s keynote speakers at the well-known ResilienceCon in Nashville, Tennessee.
As ever, the global event will showcase interview-based sessions on program issues like self-care, strength, and resilience in society, social connectedness, post-traumatic growth, and school climate.
As is the case every year, academics, students, psychology practitioners, educators, social workers, criminologists, sociologists, as well as those in prevention, public health, or related fields are welcome!
Register or visit the official website.
4th Conference of the DGPPF – CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
Date: April 15-18, 2020 Alternative date to be announced
Location: University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
Price: Starts at €75 for Early Bird Students, with on-the-door tickets available for non-DGPPF members at €350
Description: Promoting Positivity – Re-Thinking our Future is the 2020 theme for the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Positiv-Psychologische Forschung’s first-ever conference outside Germany. This German-language event also offers an English soundtrack, and the program is a mix of practice workshops, keynotes, structured discussions, and a Young Scientists program for students.
Relevant for professionals, students, and academics with an interest in positive-psychological theory and research, instruments, and it’s open to those in a vast array of fields including technology, health, counseling, therapy, and education.
Visit the official website for updates on the new date and venue.
26th Annual Wisconsin Symposium on Emotion – CANCELLED AND POSTPONED TO 2021
Date: April 16–17, 2020 April 14-15, 2021
Location: University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin, USA
Price: General admission is $25-$150 not including fees
Description: The Translational Neuroscience and Mental Health theme of this year’s Annual Wisconsin Symposium on Emotion covers a fascinating range of relevant topics, and opens with a free public talk by Dr. Joshua Gordon.
Students and leading scientists gather to discuss resilience in this affective neurosciences event, which for many years has looked at psychiatry, health, and the brain, among other subjects.
Visit their website for updates on the 2021 conference.
Wellbeing At Work Events 2020
Date: May 12th, 2020
Location: Cape Town
Date: May 21st, 2020
Location: Lisbon
Date: June 4th, 2020
Location: New York
Date: June 9th, 2020
Location: San Francisco
Date: July 8th, 2020
Location: Singapore
Date: September 16th, 2020
Location: Amsterdam
Date: September 22nd, 2020
Location: Sydney
Date: October 7th, 2020
Location: Toronto
Date: November 5th, 2020
Location: London
Date: November 29th, 2020
Location: Oman
Date: December 1st, 2020
Location: Saudi Arabia
Price: Varies with the venue, all prices are given in local currencies.
Description: Wellbeing at Work Events are where business leaders and HR practitioners can listen to and interact with academics, experts, and others in the field.
The latest developments and breakthroughs in wellbeing are presented in a one-day event. Focused on improving organizational and people performance, this is a global event held in many locations throughout the year.
Positive Schools 2020
Date: May 13-15 (Western Australia), May 20-22 (Queensland), May 27-29 (Victoria), June 3-5 (NSW), Australia
Location: Visit the conference page for your closest Positive Schools 2020 Conference
Price: $550 for the two days until April 30th (for Early Birds), and $570 after.
Description: Each event kicks off with a Wednesday pre-conference workshop (check whether you need separate tickets) on Putting Values Into Action. Days 1 and 2 feature talks from psychologists and industry leaders on a range of issues, so attendees can expect to learn about staff wellbeing, post-stress emotional wellbeing, mindfulness in education, and preparing students for a VUCA world.
Visit their conference page.
2020 Positive Business Conference
Date: May 14-15, 2020
Location: University of Michigan’s Ross School of Business, Michigan, USA
Price: $945 for conference attendees, $745 for faculty staff and students
Description: Leaders, co-workers, and psychology experts will be able to take part in important conversations about how to build positive businesses this May at the University of Michigan’s popular annual event.
The conference schedule has already been posted, and features workshops and main stage sessions focused on themes like human connection, corporate activism, innovation, business sustainability, positive leadership, and positive performance.
Featured speakers, including some notable industry names, can be found on the Speakers Page.
Visit the Positive Business Conference site.
Fourth Polish Society of Positive Psychology Conference – CANCELLED UNTIL FURTHER NOTICE
Date: June 12-14, 2020
Location: Bydgoszcz, Poland
Price: From PLN 250 for fulltime students applying before April 20th, up to a max of PLN 550 for full payments until May 20th.
Description: This Polish Society of Positive Psychology will be about Contemporary Challenges for Positive Psychology and the deadline for abstract submissions has been extended to March 15th.
Special guests at this year’s event, which looks at recent developments in the field, include leading motivation expert Professor Robert Vallerand and emotional intelligence researcher Dr. Moïra Mikolajczak. The conference outline will be announced on April 20th.
You can visit the official site for updates on the postponement of the conference.
Employee Wellbeing Congress 2020
Date: June 18th, 2020
Location: London, UK
Price: £350 for Early Bird REBA Members, up to £599 for Qualifying Non-Members
Audience: For HR staff and wellbeing practitioners in large UK organizations of 500+ staff.
Description: The first speakers are already confirmed for this British event on Positive Organizations, and attendees will be able to hear case studies of mental health strategies, workforce wellbeing initiatives, and more in action.
Open only to participants who meet the above criteria, the program offers a combination of great networking opportunities, presentations, and speeches. In line with the Beyond the Tick Boxes theme, the agenda is full of plenary presentations on our business environment, the role of the government and employers in societal health, and other vital issues influencing HR decisions today.
Find out more on the official website.
Workplace Wellness Festival
Date: June 22-23, 2020
Location: ICC, Sydney, Australia
Price: Discounted general admission tickets are $836.5
Description: Just under 80 speakers have been confirmed to date for the second Workplace Wellness Festival, including many names from the business and academic worlds alike.
The conference days start and end with a plenary, with roundtables, workshops, and more sessions between 10:30 and 16:00. You’ll hear case studies on wellness initiatives, learn strengths-based methodologies for organizational change, and be able to participate in discussions on important positive organizational issues like mental health, culture, and work/life balance.
Visit their website.
10th European Conference on Positive Psychology 2020
Date: June 24-27, 2020
Location: Harpa, Reykjavik, Iceland
Price: Between ISK 70,500 (NCHP Students) and ISK 158,500 (On-site registration)
Description: Registration is now open for the 10th ECPP, which will be held in Harpa, Reykjavik. With keynote speakers like Drs. Richard Davidson, Felicia Huppert, Richard Ryan, and many more, one of the world’s largest positive psychology events will unroll with pre-conference workshops on Wednesday 24th.
Over the three main days, expect to hear from some of the world’s leading experts on positive psychology and public health, workplace wellbeing, education and society, and the global economy. Early Bird registration is open until March 20th for this renowned event, which will cover three Positive Psychology focal areas: applied research, theory and basic research, and practice.
Visit their website and an article about the ECPP on our blog.
2020 Educator Summit
Date: July 22-23, 2020
Location: Philadelphia, US
Price: $450, increasing to $550 on April 15th
Description: Hosted yearly by Character Lab and partners, this conference is a nexus for teachers and other educators who want to learn more about developing character in students.
The 2020 Educator Summit includes hands-on workshops with industry experts and researchers, as well as keynotes on the latest in character research. As well as being a networking event for professionals, attendees will be able to listen to talks by key names in positive education research and application, such as Dr. Mayme Hostetter and Character Lab CEO Professor Angela Duckworth.
Learn more about the conference here.
11th Biennial International Meaning Conference (IMEC) 2020
Date: July 30th – August 2nd, 2020
Location: Novotel, Toronto North York, Ontario, Canada
Price: $275 for a general admission day pass, up to $450 for a special, all-inclusive package.
Description: Scholarship and submissions are due on April 30th for the Biennial International Meaning Conference, and this year’s focus is From Vulnerability to Resilience & Well-being: Advances in Existential & Positive Psychology.
If you’re a practitioner or researcher interested in wellbeing factors like cultural differences, indigenous psychology, responsibility, and positive and negative emotions, this conference features a wealth of talks and paper sessions, as well as pre-conference workshops and banquets.
Keynote speakers include Dr. Blaine Fowlers, talking on virtue and flourishing, Dr. Darcia Narvaez, Dr. Robert Emmons, and more.
Find out more here.
18th Annual ISQOLS Conference
Date: August 25-28, 2020
Location: Rotterdam, The Netherlands
Price: $575 for Early Bird Regular Fee ISQOLS Non-members. Learn about further concessions available on the website
Description: Happiness, quality of life, and wellbeing will underpin discussions and events at this year’s International Society for Quality of Life Studies Conference, which will be the 18th annual event of its kind.
Towards a People-First Economy: A World to Win is the overarching theme, and Early Bird registrations are open until May 15th. Attendees are invited to debate some interesting questions around a people-first economy, such as what it will take to shift to a world where collective happiness – rather than profits – are the organizational priority.
Visit the ISQOLS Website.
3rd Positive Psychology in Practice Conference
Date: November 5-6, 2020
Location: Paris, France
Price: From €225 for a single-day student registration to €445 for 2-day standard registration
Description: This 2-day event will include workshops and speeches on positive psychology research methodology, clinical and mental health settings, education, interventions, coaching, and social change, as well as a host of other topics.
It will also be relevant for a wide practitioner audience, with educators, wellness practitioners, organizational leaders, entrepreneurs, researchers, and NGO ambassadors all welcome – a great networking opportunity.
Visit the booking website.
Happy Homes, Happy Society?
Date: November 12-13, 2020
Location: The Royal Society of Medicine, London
Price: £340 is the full price for delegates, but it’s £280 for Early Birds who book before May 31st
Description: Here’s a conference about the role of happy domestic situations on individual and global happiness, and it’s being hosted by the Home Renaissance Foundation (HRF).
Professional and academic delegates are welcome to attend and will have a chance to listen to some well-known keynote speakers such as Lord Layard, Professor Sonia Livingstone, Dr. Maria Bakardjieva, and Prof. Maria Pia Chirinos.
Interdisciplinary papers that cover areas such as Anthropological and Sociological Aspects of Happiness, Home automation, wellbeing at home, and more are currently being accepted.
Here is their website.
Happiness and Its Causes 2020
Date: November 19-20, 2020
Location: International Convention Center, Sydney, Australia
Price: $1,855 for a 4-day Gold Pass, $1,095 for a 2-day Gold Pass (not including GST)
Description: A limited 2-for-1 early access tickets will be available on March 17th (register here).
Confirmed speakers for the world’s largest wellbeing and happiness conference include Drs. Robert Biswas-Diener, Eve Ekman, and Rick Hanson, and this year’s emphasis will be techniques and tools that promote flourishing, resilience, and recovery.
Taking place over two days, the conference will address the latest in fields like connection, mindfulness, coping, altruism, and flourishing.
Visit their website.
International Positive Psychology Association (IPPA) 7th World Congress on Positive Psychology
Date: July 15-18, 2021
Location: Vancouver, Canada
Price: TBA – Registrations are not yet open.
Description: Organized by the IPPA, the 7th Congress anniversary theme is Wellbeing for All. Thus, its focus will be inclusive positive psychology – a science encompassing all perspectives and aiming for collective happiness. Upward of 100 speakers are expected to attend, with post-congress workshops, a scientific poster gallery, and 1500+ global delegates
Here is the official website for the IPPA event.
Do you know of any other positive psychology conferences that haven’t been listed above?
Please leave a comment!
Dear Colleagues,
Kindly update the Positive Psychology and Well-being 2020 event International Conference on Positive Psychology, Mindfulness, Happiness, Well-being and Mental Health on October 19-21, 2020 in Vancouver, Canada.
Thanks for this amazing information! Will you be updating the list anytime soon?
I’m also interested in what’s coming for 2020. We are budgeting now so early notice helps us plan. Thanks for the comprehensive list so far!
Hello! I just learned about this list. It’s exciting to see so much work on happiness!
I have another conference to list: Well-Being 2020: Knowledge for informed decisions. The conference will take place March 2020 in Luxembourg. It will host presenters from all social sciences. The abstract submission deadline is October 15.
For more information see: https://www.wellbeing2020.lu/
Catherine very comprehensive approach which is purposely multi-disciplinary to the max! And that’s good and I was an early adopter in the field but not being an academic I was not embraced or even treated fairly by some of the founders. However I use the principles and especially the Character Strengths and Virtues test with my clients. I’m LICSW in Lexington MA in private practice and I’d call myself an eclectic intellectual— hard to be in the USA!
Happy for a site like this. I’m kebuya Nathaniel. Will love to be getting more updates from here about seminars and workshops.
Hi, I am a senior psychologist and a business leader. My book on Burnout: How to beat fatigue and thrive in an overworked world, is being published by Penguin Random House. Will be out end of July 2019. I would love to speak to someone from Positive Psychology about it. thanks.
Hello, am kebuya Nathaniel Nganchi from the university of Bamenda. Email, nathakebu@yahoo.com. Will love to work with you and here more about your write ups
Hi Anju, nice to hear from you and thanks for getting engaged with the article.
Your book looks interesting, will you be presenting on it at one of these upcoming Positive Psychology conferences?
Why don’t you get in contact with us and let’s talk: https://positivepsychology.com/contact/
Cath
I’d love to participate in these conferences in the future. I’m a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist working in psychiatry in San Diego California.
thank you
30th World Summit on Positive Psychology, Mindfulness, Psychotherapy and Philosophy is fake, cuz I registered on the website and pay for the online webinar, but didn’t get any email. I emailed them but also didn’t get any reply.