Formation · Annual Convening
The Place Conference.
Africa's leading gathering on place-based transformation, secondary cities, and the leaders committed to both. 2026, in Ogbomoso.
What it is
The city is the venue. The projects are the curriculum.
Once a year, we bring together a curated group of builders, thinkers, investors, practitioners, and leaders who are actively shaping overlooked places across Africa. Participants do not come to observe transformation. They come to encounter it.
City-embedded.
Takes place in Ogbomoso, Nigeria. Not as backdrop. As living laboratory. Every session is shaped by direct encounter with a city in transformation.
Curated.
60 to 120 participants. Selected for quality of commitment to specific places, not for titles. The room is built deliberately so every conversation is worth having.
Cross-disciplinary.
Architects alongside entrepreneurs, faith leaders, investors, researchers, and storytellers. The problems of overlooked places do not respect disciplinary boundaries. Neither does this gathering.
Past gatherings · The Assembly · Ogbomoso
Rooms where people who care about overlooked places find each other, and decide to stay.
Notes from the room
What the gathering looks like.
A plenary that listens before it speaks.
Ogbomoso becomes the curriculum.
Small circles. Long conversations.
The Experience
Eight pillars of the gathering.
Each component is designed around encounter, not consumption.
01
Opening Plenary
Introduces the central theme and frames the gathering. Sets the intellectual and moral tone for everything that follows.
02
Immersion Walks
Guided exploration of Ogbomoso's institutions, neighbourhoods, and projects. The city speaks before any panellist does.
03
Thematic Sessions
Focused discussions on secondary city economics, architecture, entrepreneurship ecosystems, faith and community, and capital flows.
04
Studio Conversations
Small-group collaborative sessions. Real challenges. Practical thinking. No audience. Every participant is a contributor.
05
Storytelling Evenings
Narratives from builders, communities, and fellows. The human dimension of place-based work, told by those living it.
06
Site Visits
Direct encounters with Ennovate Lab projects, LAUTECH, The Assembly, and partner institutions across the city.
07
Reflection Circles
Facilitated small-group discussions integrating insights and experiences. Space for synthesis, not just stimulation.
08
Closing Forum
Synthesis of ideas and commitments moving forward. Not a summary. A declaration of what participants will carry back to their places.
Thematic areas
What we think through, together.
The Place Conference is an annual initiative of The Place Collective. Year one anchors in Ogbomoso, Nigeria. Future editions may expand to other African cities while keeping Ogbomoso as the home soil.
2026 · Ogbomoso, Nigeria
A gathering for those building where it matters most.
Tell us about your work and your place. Selections are deliberate and the room is small.