Helpdesks & advice zones
Browse the range of helpdesks and advice zones for one-to-one conversations with experienced expedition leaders, specialist organisations, funders, trainers and technical experts.
Alongside the main stage and breakout programme, Explore Weekend's help desks and advice zones offer the chance for one-to-one conversations with experienced expedition leaders, specialist organisations, grant-givers, trainers and technical experts. These informal drop-in spaces are designed to connect you with people who can share practical advice drawn from real-world experience.
Basecamp: Expedition Planning, Skills & Opportunities
Basecamp is the social hub of Explore, bringing together organisations and individuals who specialise in expedition planning, training, grants, fieldwork opportunities and the practical realities of taking a project from idea to departure.
Mount Everest Foundation: Expedition Grants & Mountain Projects
Talk with the Mount Everest Foundation team about expedition funding, grant applications and the realities of planning ambitious journeys. From mountain and trekking expeditions to scientific fieldwork in remote environments, MEF's hosts bring decades of experience supporting exploratory, research and mountaineering projects, alongside perspectives from recent grant recipients.
Hosts: Adele Long, Tim Eastwood
Plas Y Brenin: Training & Development from the National Outdoor Centre
Meet instructors from Plas y Brenin, the National Outdoor Centre, to discuss the skills, qualifications and training pathways that underpin successful expeditions. Conversations may range from navigation, ropework and mountain skills to winter travel, leadership development and careers as an outdoor instructor or expedition leader.
Hosts: Iona Pawson and colleagues
Ulysses Trust & Army Adventurous Training Group: Expedition Planning, Risk Management & Leadership
Explore how ambitious expedition ideas become safe, achievable and successful projects through a range of UK military frameworks. The Ulysses Trust and Army Adventurous Training Group teams can advise on planning, leadership, teamwork, risk management and funding opportunities available through cadet forces, reserve forces and university service units, drawing on extensive experience of adventurous training and expedition delivery.
Hosts: Polly Marsh, Mike Blakey, Dan Archer, John Foster
Field Centres & Research Bases
Explore the world of field centres and research stations with Nigel Winser. Discover opportunities for fieldwork, overseas research and field science, and learn how the World Field Centres Register can help connect you with institutions, infrastructure and research networks around the globe.
Host: Nigel Winser
Map Room: Funding, Navigation & Inclusive Exploration
Gather in the Society's historic Map Room to discuss funding, navigation and creating expeditions that work for a wider range of participants.
RGS Grants & Funding Advice
Discuss funding routes, application processes and practical ways to strengthen your next proposal with the Society's Grants Officer and recent grant recipients.
Hosts: Sarah Henton de Angelis and guests
Equal Adventure: Inclusive Expeditions
Explore how expeditions and outdoor experiences can become more accessible, inclusive and welcoming. The team can help organisers and participants think through practical ways to remove barriers, support differing access needs, build confidence and create opportunities for wider participation in exploration.
Hosts: Suresh Paul, Chris Swift, Neil Ebberson, Mike King
Field Hospital: Health, Safety & Medical Support
Head out to the terrace marquees to find a space for conversations about expedition health, safety and preparedness in remote and challenging environments.
Endeavour Medical: Expedition Medicine
Discuss expedition medical planning, travel health, team preparedness and the support structures required for remote environments. Topics include medical kits, screening, evacuation planning, wellbeing, resilience, women's health and managing health risks before, during and after an expedition.
Hosts: Lucy Obolensky, Lucy Longbottom, Emily Bush, Sophie Redlin, Matthew Griggs, Georgina Shepherd, Erin Linwood
Remote Area Risk International (R2Ri): Remote Medical Risk & Incident Planning
Focus on the systems and decisions that help keep expeditions safe. Discussions cover field safety management, risk assessment, operational planning, hazard identification and the relationship between safety, medical preparedness and incident response.
Hosts: Matthew Davies, Jim Harrison
Field Camp: Personal Development, Fieldcraft & Outdoor Living
Head down to the RGS garden to meet organisations and practitioners exploring the human side of expeditions alongside the practical realities of life outdoors.
British Exploring Society: Transformational Expeditions
Grab a coffee at the British Exploring Society's field camp and explore what makes an expedition truly transformative. Drawing on nearly a century of youth expeditions, the team can share insights into leadership, resilience, confidence, inclusion and designing experiences that create meaningful personal growth.
Hosts: To be confirmed
Nathan Beard Ventures: Survival Skills & Expedition Self-Reliance
Settle beneath the awning of an expedition Land Rover for practical conversations about bushcraft, survival skills and expedition fieldcraft. Topics include campcraft, shelter systems, remote first aid, expedition readiness and the practical skills that build confidence and self-reliance in challenging environments.
Host: Nathan Beard
Overland Zone: Ground-Based Journeys & Logistics
Gather around a collection of fully equipped expedition vehicles on the RGS forecourt to discuss ground-based exploration, field research and self-supported travel. Alongside expedition-ready Land Rovers and electric motorcycles, hosts can share insights into vehicle systems, outfitting, logistics and the realities of extended journeys on the road.
Hosts: Duncan Milligan, Christopher Walker, Tom Weiser, Kevin Murphy and guests
Programme
Find out what's in store at this year's event. Explore main stage talks and speakers, breakout session topics, and special additions to the programme for this 50th anniversary year.
Speakers
Meet the expert speakers and facilitators who have generously shared tales, insights and advice from their involvement in expeditions and fieldwork at the RGS Explore Weekend.
Frequently asked questions
Attending the RGS Explore Weekend in London can seem a major commitment. We respond in detail to commonly-voiced questions and concerns.