All Events

Inspiring People Talks

We run the best national talks programme in Scotland, Inspiring People, with illustrated talks from September to March each year. Our inspiring speakers – explorers, scientists, artists, academics, naturalists, leaders, communicators and enthusiasts – bring us amazing stories of journeys and adventures, and refreshing insights into current issues. 

2021-22 Talks 

We are delighted to have secured some fantastic speakers for our 2021-22 programme. Unfortunately, due to venue and other ongoing Covid restrictions and limitations, our plans for the second half of the season had to change, and we had to cancel the face-to-face talks we had organised, so our printed programme is now incorrect for early 2022. All of our events are currently still being run online, through Zoom, and we are organising additional online talks beyond those originally planned so that we can deliver an online Inspiring People talk every Wednesday evening from 12th January to 16th March. Tickets for these events can be bought via Eventbrite until noon the day before each event.

We very much hope to be able to return to face-to-face events by the start of the new season of Inspiring People talks in September 2022.

Award Presentation Events

To celebrate the best in geographical endeavour, we hold a number of high-profile Medal and Honorary Fellowship presentation events each year. In the past, venues have ranged from Edinburgh Castle, the Usher Hall and the headquarters of Scottish Power, to the more modest and personal location of our headquarters. A full list of our Medallists and Fellows is available here and includes names such as Sir Ernest Shackleton, Roald Amundsen, Robert Falcon Scott, Neil Armstrong, Sir David Attenborough, Annie Lennox, Mary Robinson and Gordon Buchanan.

Office Talks

Occasionally, we hold intimate office talks in our Shackleton Room at Headquarters in Perth. These are to allow us to continue communicating critical science issues and awesome adventure stories outwith our Inspiring People talks programme. 

Open Days

Each year, we usually take part in two open days at our headquarters in Perth. The first of these is our annual celebration of the breadth of our subject, Geography Day. This features an eclectic mix of speakers, workshops and collections item from our archive, and is themed around a critical issue or intriguing topic in geography. The second is Doors Open Day, which celebrates Scottish heritage and the built environment and allows visitors to explore the Fair Maid's House Visitor Centre, and peruse aspects of our insightful exhibitions and historical collections.