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With the GEM Conference 2026 now just weeks away, preparations are entering their final stage ahead of the 23–25 June 2026 meeting at the University of Zagreb, Croatia. Registration closed in late February, and the latest overview shows 230 registered participants from 42 countries, representing academia, research institutes, public agencies, the insurance and reinsurance sector, international organisations, consultancy, and a strong cohort of students and early-career researchers.

This year’s conference will carry particular significance because Day 1 will mark the release of GEM’s updated global hazard and risk maps, new global seismic hazard datasets, alongside new products on future exposure and risk, infrastructure exposure to liquefaction and the carbon cost of earthquakes. 

These releases are expected to provide a major update in GEM’s global modelling and data generation. Collectively, they mark an important step in the next phase of GEM’s global modelling framework, updating core reference products while broadening the evidence available for long-term resilience planning and risk-informed decision-making.

The registration figures point to broad cross-sector interest, with participants including researchers, engineers, seismologists, risk modellers, government representatives, civil protection and geological agency staff, insurance and reinsurance professionals, consultants, and postgraduate researchers.

GEM has also provided 30 fee waivers and an additional 15 travel grants to early-career scientists and researchers from the Global South, helping to broaden inclusivity and widen access to the conference. Many of these participants are also expected to contribute to the programme through presentations, posters and live demos.

As the agenda comes together, the three-day programme points to a broad mix of product release, technical exchange and applied discussion. Day 1 will spotlight GEM’s v2026 global hazard and risk release and the science behind it, including new work on global hazard datasets, vulnerability, future exposure and risk, infrastructure exposure to liquefaction, and the carbon cost of earthquakes. 

Day 2 will focus on exposure and vulnerability modelling, disaster risk reduction applications, financial risk transfer, and a workshop on national seismic hazard models. Day 3 will cover scenarios and cascading hazards, tsunami and post-event assessment, rapid response tools, and further discussion on national hazard modelling. The programme will also feature over 15 live demos and 34 posters.

To make the product release sessions available to a wider audience, Day 1 of the conference will be livestreamed via GEM’s YouTube channel. S

essions during the remaining day and a half will be available only to in-person participants, with selected session recordings to be made available after the conference. Readers can find the livestream and other conference information on the event page, including the latest agenda, downloadable materials, floor plans, room layouts, and details on demo and poster locations.

Those unable to attend in person are encouraged to follow the Day 1 livestream and circulate the link within their professional networks, helping expand the conference’s main announcements and discussions globally. Register here:

A post-conference article in the next newsletter edition will report on the main discussions, releases and outcomes from the Zagreb meeting.