HCII 2026 will run as an 'on-site' Conference with the additional option for 'on-line' participation. Whova will be the event platform of the Conference, offering participants a wide range of services, including the Program, 'on-line' access to the Conference Sessions, communication between participants, etc. Access to Whova will be activated before the start of the Conference and participants will be notified accordingly by email.
The first three days of the Conference (26 - 28 July) will comprise 'on-line' parallel sessions for paper presentations, 'on-site' and 'on-line' Courses and 'hybrid' Workshops (allowing both 'on-site' and 'on-line' presentations).
The Opening Plenary Session (evening of the 28th of July) and the parallel sessions that will take place between 29 - 31 July will run as 'hybrid' events (i.e., available 'on-site' and 'on-line' for presenters and participants).
The ‘on-site’ poster presentations will be available to all Conference participants with physical presence, from 29 to 31 July, mounted on poster boards, in Hall 517 ABCD of the venue, i.e. in the Conference Posters and Exhibition Area where the Poster Pitch presentations and the refreshment breaks will also take place. The ‘on-line’ poster presentations will be available to all Conference participants only through Whova.
All poster presentations will be listed in Whova, for the entire six-day period of the Conference, from 26 to 31 July, and Conference participants will be able to pose their questions to poster presenters using all the communication channels available through the platform (chat, email, etc).
Times indicated below are “Eastern Daylight Time - EDT (Montreal, Canada)”
You can check your local time, using an online time conversion tool, such as www.timeanddate.com
Transportation
The Montreal Convention Centre, located in the heart of Montreal, is 20 minutes from the airport and in walking distance from main attractions, hotels and restaurants.
For more information on getting to Montreal Convention Centre and parking visit the Getting to the Palais web page.
Registration - Secretariat
Conference Registration will take place at the Conference Secretariat, located at the Foyer 517 at Level 5 of the venue, during the following hours:
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Saturday, 25 July |
15:00 – 18:00 |
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Sunday, 26 July |
08:00 – 17:30 |
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Monday, 27 July |
08:00 – 17:30 |
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Tuesday, 28 July |
08:00 – 18:00 |
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Wednesday, 29 July |
07:30 – 18:00 |
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Thursday, 30 July |
07:30 – 18:00 |
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Friday, 31 July |
07:30 – 18:00 |
Reception
The Conference Reception will take place at 20:00 (right after the Opening Plenary Session) at the Hall 710 at Level 7 of the venue, on Tuesday, 28 July 2026.
All Conference participants who carry an HCII 2026 badge, and accompanying persons who carry a separate badge, will be permitted entrance.
Additional 'Opening Plenary Session' tickets (providing also free access to the Conference Reception) will be available for purchase online through the CMS until Tuesday, 28 July 2026, 11:00 hrs.
Important note: You must be of legal drinking age to drink alcohol. Please be ready to provide your ID upon request.
Exhibition
The Exhibition of HCII 2026 will be hosted from 29 to 31 July in the Hall 517 ABCD at Level 5 of the venue, together with the ‘on-site’ poster and pitch presentations and the refreshment breaks. Entrance to the Exhibition is permitted to all Conference participants.
| Timetable | ||
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Opening Hours |
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| Wednesday, 29 July | 10:00 - 17:00 | |
| Thursday, 30 July | 09:00 - 17:00 | |
| Friday, 31 July | 09:00 - 16:00 | |
Refreshment and Lunch Breaks
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Refreshment Breaks |
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Lunch Breaks |
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| 10:00 – 10:30 | 15:30 – 16:00 | Room 524 AB | Sunday, 26 July | 12:30 – 13:30 |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | 15:30 – 16:00 | Room 524 AB | Monday, 27 July | 12:30 – 13:30 |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | 15:30 – 16:00 | Room 524 AB | Tuesday, 28 July | 12:30 – 13:30 |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | 15:30 – 16:00 | Hall 517 ABCD | Wednesday, 29 July | 12:30 – 13:30 |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | 15:30 – 16:00 | Hall 517 ABCD | Thursday, 30 July | 12:30 – 13:30 |
| 10:00 – 10:30 | 15:30 – 16:00 | Hall 517 ABCD | Friday, 31 July | 12:30 – 13:30 |
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Offered by the HCII 2026 Conference. |
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Participants make their own arrangements. |
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Options for lunch
Participants are kindly asked to make their own arrangements for lunch, during lunch breaks.
For lunch, Conference participants can visit any of the restaurants and bars available at the Public Space on Level 1 of the Montreal Convention Centre.
Additional options for lunch and dinner are available by the Business District, the Quartier des spectacles and Chinatown, which are within walking distance near the Conference venue.
Display Boards and Tables
Display boards and tables are available at the Secretariat area for:
- participants who wish to share or distribute promotional material
- announcements of the Conference Organizers.
Smoking Policy
HCII 2026 is a smoke-free Conference. The Montreal Convention Centre is also a smoke and vape free property; smoking is allowed only outside within 9 metres of the building, in accordance with the law.
Electronic Devices Courtesy
HCII 2026 requests that all mobile phones, tablets, pagers and other equipment with audible alarms be set to silent mode in all sessions, as a courtesy to the presenters and to the other attendees. In case this is not possible, please make sure that your volume control is at the lowest possible level and your ringtone is ‘professional’. Please do not forget to also silence other sounds e.g. for text messages and app notifications and pay particular attention when setting your device to vibration mode, as vibrating devices make almost as much noise as when ringing, especially when placed on a hard surface. Kindly, do not accept calls during a session, unless it is an emergency, in which case please keep your voice level low and promptly leave the room to complete the call.
It is strongly recommended, during your 'on-site' session attendance, not to connect virtually to the livestream of the session through Whova.
Accessibility
The facilities at the Montreal Convention Centre have received the “Total Access” accessibility rating from Kéroul, a Québec organization dedicated to promoting tourism and culture for people with restricted physical ability.
Reserved parking spaces are offered and comlimentary wheelchairs are available for pick up at the checkroom following a reservation.
To locate the reserved parking spaces and the checkroom, please refer to the Getting to the Palais page.
To request a complimentary wheelchair, please use the on-line reservation form.
HCII 2026 will use Whova as the event platform of the Conference, offering participants a wide range of services, including the Program, 'on-line' access to the Conference Sessions, communication between participants, etc. For the live running of sessions, Zoom will be used embedded into the Whova platform.
Once logged in to Whova, you can view all the Sessions of the Conference through the “Sessions” option available in the “Agenda” tab on the left menu. Select the “View Details” option to join a session. You can prepare your personal agenda, by selecting the option “Add to My Agenda” provided in each session card. All the sessions in your personal agenda are enlisted under the “My Agenda” option.
Asking questions
You can ask questions after a paper presentation:
- Verbally, by raising a virtual hand which is located at the bottom menu of your Zoom screen. In this case, the Session Chair will ask you to unmute yourself. All attendees are by default in mute mode and cannot unmute themselves. Once the presenter answers the question, please select the raise hand option again, so that you stop appearing as having your hand raised.
- Textually, by writing them in the Whova Chat or Q&A section, so everyone will be able to see them.
The discussion following a presentation will be moderated by the session chair. Questions and answers remain available in Whova after the session.
Tips for 'on-line' attendees
For a successful 'on-line' participation in the HCII 2026 Conference, please ensure in advance that:
- you have a reliable internet connection - the requirement is 2Mbps at a minimum;
- you are equipped with an external microphone and speakers / headphones, if your device does not have embedded ones;
- the latest version of the Chrome browser is installed on your target device for accessing the Whova platform through the web, to ensure compatibility and better performance, or the latest version of Whova mobile app;
- you have signed up to Whova to create an account, with the same name and email address used for your Conference registration and a password of your choice;
- you have reviewed the Whova Attendee Guide well in advance;
- your target device is compatible with the system requirements of Zoom, as Zoom will be used embedded into the Whova platform, for the live running of sessions with paper presentations;
- for better performance, you should consider downloading and installing the Zoom client on your target device well in advance, otherwise Zoom will begin to download automatically when you join the first Zoom meeting introducing delays in your connection;
- if you have an older installation of Zoom, you are advised to update it to the latest version well in advance;
- if you are new to the Zoom platform, you can review the Zoom getting started guide for the next steps on how to use Zoom after installation;
- you have tested your setup by joining a Zoom test meeting well in advance;
- your equipment is properly functioning, before joining the Conference virtually.
You are also strongly advised to use a quiet room for your on-line connection.
Troubleshooting information
If you are having trouble logging into the Whova Platform, please send an email to the HCII 2026 Registration Administration: registration(AT)2026.hci.international
If you are having trouble during the Zoom live stream session:
- You can contact, through chat, the HCII 2026 Student Volunteer Host that has been assigned to the session, identified as 'last name': HCII2026-SV-HOST#number.
- You can also contact the Organizers through Whova, in the section “Ask Organizers Anything” available under the “Community” menu option.
Helpful links