A Special Pre-Conference Opportunity for KAMC/MediAsia2026 Delegates
IAFOR is pleased to invite KAMC/MediAsia2026 delegates to apply for the Future Hub Forum 2026, a one-day, in-person forum taking place in Kyoto on Sunday, November 8, 2026, the day before the conference begins.
If you’re scheduled to arrive in Kyoto early, this free event is the perfect way to meet a focused group of researchers, educators, practitioners, and organisational partners before the main conference begins, creating connections that can continue throughout KAMC/MediAsia2026.
Hosted at the Future Hub housed in Kyoto University of Foreign Studies, this invitation-based unconference will bring together a small group of researchers, educators, technologists, and collaborators to explore the future of immersive learning, emerging media, and cross-organisational collaboration.
Future Hub Forum 2026 marks ten years of the Mixed, Augmented, and Virtual Realities in Learning Research Group (MAVR), a community that has helped shape conversations around AR, VR, XR, metaverse learning, and immersive technologies in education. As MAVR reaches the end of its current chapter, this forum will look ahead to what comes next.
Places are limited to fewer than 30 participants. Registered delegates will receive an email with information on how to apply.
- Time & Date: Sunday, November 08, 2026, 10:00–15:00 JST
- Location: Future Hub, Kyoto University of Foreign Studies
- Availability: Fewer than 30 participants
- Ticket Price: Free to attend
- Eligibility: Application only. Registered delegates will receive an email with information on how to apply.
- Application Deadline: September 30, 2026
- Travel: Participants are responsible for their own travel arrangements
*Please note that Future Hub Forum 2026 is a partner event taking place before KAMC/MediAsia2026. Places are limited, and participation is not guaranteed.
Why Attend Future Hub Forum 2026?
Future Hub Forum 2026 offers KAMC/MediAsia2026 delegates a valuable opportunity to begin their conference experience through active discussion, hands-on exploration, and meaningful connection via local engagement in Kyoto.
The forum is especially relevant for delegates interested in media, education, communication, digital culture, immersive technologies, future learning spaces, artificial intelligence, and interdisciplinary collaboration. Rather than a traditional presentation-based event, Future Hub Forum 2026 is designed as a participatory space where those in the room help shape the direction of the day.
The event will also provide access to the Future Hub’s immersive learning facilities, including VR headsets, AR tools, and the U Theatre, a 180° immersive viewing screen.
About Future Hub Forum 2026
Future Hub Forum 2026 marks the tenth anniversary of MAVR: the Mixed, Augmented, and Virtual Realities in Learning Research Group.
Since its formation in 2016, MAVR has supported a world-class community exploring how emerging technologies can transform learning, from smartphone VR in the language classroom and immersive platform training to metaverse meetups, open-access publishing, and future learning spaces.
This forum is described by its convenors as “a springboard, not a farewell”. As MAVR sunsets, the relationships, research, and momentum built over the past decade will be channelled into a new conversation about future collaboration.
Together, participants will:
- Honour the research, relationships, and achievements of MAVR’s ten-year history
- Identify shared goals across organisations working in immersive learning
- Generate actionable ideas for cross-organisational collaboration
- Lay the foundations for a new, interconnected network carrying the mission forward
An Unconference Format
Future Hub Forum 2026 will follow an unconference format. This means that the sessions are not fixed in advance: participants will help shape the agenda by proposing topics, forming small breakout groups, and contributing directly to the day’s discussions.
The format is designed to encourage active participation rather than passive attendance. Delegates should come ready to share ideas, ask questions, test assumptions, and explore possible collaborations with others in the room.
Programme Overview
10:00 – Welcome: coffee, reunions, and a look back at ten years
10:30 – Retrospective: honouring the MAVR decade
11:00 – Session pitching: participants propose topics
11:30 – Breakout rounds: small groups across the open-plan space
12:30 – Lunch: networking, demos, and hands-on VR/AR time
13:30 – Synthesis: what comes next, shared goals, and collaborations
14:30 – Closing and commitments: laying the new network’s foundations
15:00 – Forum closes
Timings are indicative, and the final flow of the day will be shaped together by participants.
The Venue: Future Hub, Kyoto
Future Hub Forum 2026 will take place at the Future Hub, an immersive learning laboratory housed at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies.
The Future Hub is the birthplace of the Forum series and provides a fitting setting for this milestone gathering. The space is designed for hands-on exploration, collaborative discussion, and future-facing learning.
Facilities include:
- VR headsets and AR tools for hands-on exploration
- The U Theatre, a 180° immersive viewing screen
- An open-plan space suited to unconference breakout groups
〒615-0058 Kyoto, Ukyo Ward, Saiinkasamecho 6
A short walk from Saiin Station, served by the Hankyu Kyoto Line and Randen.
KAMC/MediAsia2026 & Future Hub Forum 2026
Future Hub Forum 2026 complements KAMC/MediAsia2026 by bringing together questions of media, learning, technology, culture, and international collaboration.
For delegates interested in the future of education, immersive environments, digital media, communication, cultural exchange, and interdisciplinary research, the forum offers a rare opportunity to engage with these themes in a small, participatory setting before the main conference begins.
The event also provides a valuable bridge into KAMC/MediAsia2026, allowing selected delegates to meet potential collaborators, explore shared research interests, and begin conversations that can continue across the conference programme.
Who Should Apply?
KAMC/MediAsia2026 delegates are encouraged to apply if they are interested in one or more of the following areas:
- Immersive learning and future learning spaces
- Media, communication, and digital culture
- VR, AR, XR, and metaverse learning environments
- Technology-enhanced education and digital pedagogy
- Artificial intelligence and emerging technologies in learning
- Interdisciplinary research and cross-organisational collaboration
- International academic networks and community building
- Hands-on, participatory discussion in a small-group setting
This opportunity will be especially suitable for delegates who are comfortable contributing actively to discussion and helping shape the direction of the day.
Future Hub Forum 2026 is a rare opportunity for selected KAMC/MediAsia2026 delegates to take part in a focused, hands-on, pre-conference forum exploring immersive learning, media futures, and international collaboration in Kyoto.