WAZA Mid-Year Meeting 2025

The WAZA Mid-Year Meeting is an annual online gathering designed to bring together professionals from across the global zoo and aquarium community — wherever they are — to connect, exchange, and shape the future of conservation and animal welfare.

Dates: 23–24 July 2025
Session Times:
23 July: 08:00–12:00 CEST (06:00–10:00 UTC)
24 July: 20:00–00:00 CEST (18:00–22:00 UTC)

Location: Online

About the Meeting

Rooted in WAZA’s vision to advance conservation and animal welfare globally, the Mid-Year Meeting offers a unique platform to hear from experts, share experiences, and participate in important dialogue on the challenges and opportunities facing our community.

The programme includes:

Presentations and panel discussions with thought leaders
Member case studies showcasing innovation and impact
Interactive workshops for shared learning and collaboration
Updates on WAZA’s strategic goals and global initiatives

Each day includes a four-hour session held across time zones, allowing for inclusive participation regardless of region.

Key Pillars of the Meeting

Uniting Voices. Sharing Impact. Shaping the Future.

Inclusion
Open to professionals at all levels — from keepers and educators to senior leaders. The fully virtual format ensures accessibility for all, with no travel required.

Exchange
Hear how WAZA members and partners are driving change and contribute your own insights and experiences in a collaborative, solutions-oriented space.

Transformation
Short, focused sessions designed to inspire action and drive progress across regions and institutions.

Who Can Attend

This event is open to:

WAZA Members – Free of charge
Non-Members – €100 per attendee + service charge

Whether you’ve attended WAZA events before or are joining for the first time, the Mid-Year Meeting offers an inclusive opportunity to engage with the global community.

Programme

Session Highlights

Day 1 - 23 July 2025

Keynote 1 – Citizens of the Reef

Andy Ridley

CEO, Citizens of the Reef
Founding CEO, Earth Hour

Andy Ridley is an accomplished leader in global movement-building and environmental conservation. As Founding CEO of Citizens of the Reef, he has created an organisation dedicated to scalable reef conservation by combining leading science, AI technology and meaningful citizen action. Previously, he transformed Earth Hour from a spark on the back of a beer mat into a global phenomenon that engaged hundreds of millions of people in over 7,000 cities worldwide.

His wider experience includes leading Circle Economy in Amsterdam, and contributing his expertise to WWF and the Prince’s Trust, further solidifying his commitment to sustainable practices and community empowerment.

“The challenges facing tropical reefs are extraordinary. Citizens of the Reef has developed conservation models that combine cutting-edge AI, people and science to empower anyone, anywhere to help. I look forward to sharing breakthroughs in citizen science and the vital role every citizen has in protecting and conserving these essential ecosystems,” says Ridley.

In this keynote, Andy will:

Bridge research and action: Show how collaborative conservation models close the gap between surveying the state of reef systems and implementing practical conservation where it matters most.
Mobilise a global taskforce: Explain how the Great Reef Census engages a global taskforce in the water and online to identify and prioritise critical reefs for conservation and protection.
Empower local communities: Reveal the tools, methodologies and best practices that enable local reef communities to safeguard their reefs.

Attendees will leave with practical action they can take to help protect coral reefs and contribute to a shared global platform for reef conservation.

Day 2 - 24 July 2025

Guest of Honour: Razan Al Mubarak

Razan Al Mubarak

President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN)

Razan Khalifa Al Mubarak is a global leader in nature conservation and climate action, serving as President of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and previously as UN Climate Change High-Level Champion for COP28 UAE. She is the first IUCN President from West Asia and only the second woman to hold the position.

For over two decades, Razan has shaped environmental policies in the UAE and beyond, championing species conservation and climate resilience. She is the founding director of the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, which has supported over 3,000 projects worldwide.

She is also the Managing Director of the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi and Emirates Nature-WWF. On the global stage, she is the UAE Sherpa for the High-Level Panel for a Sustainable Ocean Economy, and Co-Chair of TNFD. Razan holds an MSc from University College London and a BA from Tufts University.

In this interactive session, IUCN President Razan Al Mubarak will share her vision for the future of species conservation and invite WAZA members to exchange perspectives on how zoos and aquariums can drive impact, inform global policy, and strengthen collaboration across the conservation community.

Keynote 2 – Hello future: the story of transformation at Manchester Museum, European Museum of the Year 2025

Prof. Esme Ward

Director of Manchester Museum

Prof. Esme Ward is Director of Manchester Museum at the University of Manchester. She led the £15 million transformation of Manchester Museum, which reopened in February 2023 and was named European Museum of the Year in 2025. Esme is Co-Chair of the University Museums Group, a member of the National Museum Directors’ Council, and sits on the Wakehurst Advisory Committee at Kew and the Research England Advisory Group. She is a trustee of Hope Valley Climate Action and is also the founding Chair of the National Culture, Health and Wellbeing Alliance and a Fellow of the Clore Leadership Programme.

Director Esme Ward will share how Manchester Museum (one of the UKs largest university museums) renewed and reimagined its role and relationships to become the most inclusive, imaginative, and caring museum you’ll ever visit.

In a New York Times (2023) article, “A museum pivots to become ‘an empathy machine’”, Esme Ward, said their mission extended beyond caring for objects and collections to “caring for beliefs and ideas and relationships” and being “a space that brings people together”.

Session – The Risk We Have Been Ignoring: Cybersecurity

Kristin Demoranville

Founding CEO, AnzenSage

Kristin Demoranville is a cybersecurity and risk-management expert with over 25 years’ experience in the tech industry. She is the founder and CEO of AnzenSage, a consulting firm focused on securing the critical infrastructure of food, agriculture, zoos, and aquariums. Kristin is also the co-founder of AnzenOT, a SaaS OT Cybersecurity Risk Intelligence platform purpose-built for cyber-physical systems.

With a degree in environmental management and a research background in gorilla behavior, she brings a systems-thinking approach that bridges science, technology, and operational realities. Kristin specializes in OT/ICS environments and has become a trusted voice for sectors often overlooked in cybersecurity conversations. She also hosts the award-winning Bites & Bytes Podcast, where she leads thoughtful discussions at the intersection of food, technology, and cybersecurity.

“You already know what it means to protect what matters. You’re doing it every day—caring for animals, keeping things running, creating a good guest experience. Cybersecurity? It’s part of that. It’s tied into everything—life support, enrichment, ticketing, donor trust. You already protect animals and people. This is just another way you do that, whether you realize it or not.” says Demoranville.

From life-support systems to enrichment schedules, progressive zoos and aquariums rely on interconnected technologies that don’t just support operations; they are operations. When those systems fail, the impact isn’t digital, it’s physical. This session offers a clear, non-technical look at why cybersecurity is now part of animal care, safety, and institutional resilience. It’s not about fear or tick-lists, it’s about shifting how we think, so we can start building smarter, safer systems across the global community.

Register Now

The detailed agenda will be shared soon. In the meantime, register now to be part of this inspiring global conversation.

The sponsorship package is now available here.