The Eastside Rooms Wins BIALL 2025 Conference

The Eastside Rooms, Birmingham’s newest conference centre, has been chosen to host the British and Irish Association of Law Librarians’ (BIALL) annual conference in 2025.

BIALL is the leading professional body in the UK and Ireland for professionals working within legal information. Membership is representative of all sectors including academic, law firms, government and professional bodies. It supports those working in the industry, promoting the value of law librarians and the legal information profession.

The annual conference is the highlight of the BIALL year and an opportunity for members to come together for three days of professional development and networking.

Leanne Bladen, Eastside Rooms’ Director of Sales and Marketing said:  "Hosting BIALL’s annual conference is an honour for us. Being conveniently located in the heart of Birmingham, with an on-site hotel and equipped with state-of-the-art facilities, means we offer an exceptional environment for knowledge exchanges and collaboration. We’re looking forward to welcoming attendees and providing a memorable experience.”

The major event, will bring together 180 delegates over three days for an exciting programme of talks and events including:

• Keynotes from eminent association members (last year’s conference welcomed talks from Masud Khokhar, University Librarian and Keeper of the Brotherton Collection at the University of Leeds and David Wills, Head of the Squire Law Library at the University of Cambridge)
• Plenary, panel and parallel sessions
• Lightning talks from members
• Training and development sessions
• A trade exhibition to discover the latest industry developments, products and services
• Evening social events
• AGM

Topics for discussion will be based on the results of BIALL’s conference survey from 2024 and will be shared closer to the date. Previous conferences included presentations on a variety of topics including:

• Legal and Company Research: practical tips using techniques and resources to deliver training.
• The Legal Information Profession; its Leadership and all levels of staff. Where will we be and what skills will be relevant? Recommended courses and qualifications.
• AI & Legal Tech - 1 Year on: updates on AI & legal tech trends. sharing experiences, plans for the future, and its continuing impact on the profession.
• Practical sessions and information topics: including ESG , SQE , Diversity & Inclusion, Accessibility and progressing your career

The conference will attract directors, senior and deputy managers, librarians and library managers, and library/information/knowledge assistants from sectors ranging from academia and government to law firms/in-house corporate counsels, professional bodies and publishing.

Sovereign Conference, Exhibitions & Travel Incentives are providing PCO services for the conference.