For volunteers and development professionals at all levels of experience and in every specialization, What Works 2026 offers a wide range of learning, engagement, and networking opportunities.
Taking advantage of these opportunities allows you to gain the knowledge, skills, and ideas that will help you better serve your organization or community, continue to develop your professional and personal skills, and create meaningful connections with peers around the Americas.
The 2026 What Works Conference will include the following:
Ciudad del Saber
- Convention Center, Building 104, Luis Bonilla Clayton Street, Panama City, Panama.
- Panama American Center , La Plaza.
Venue: Holiday Inn Panama Canal by IHG,
Address: Av Omar Torrijos Herrera, Panama City.
¡Bienvenidos a Panamá! Kick off the conference with us at our special Opening Event! Connect, celebrate, and ignite the mission that brings us together
Venue: City of Knowledge Convention Center & Panama American Center (La Plaza)
Welcome to Day 1, where powerful talks and practical workshops set the tone for the week. Meet our Keynote Speaker Dr. Rosalía Arteaga Serrano former President of Ecuador
More details of the sessions are going to be shared soon.
Venue: City of Knowledge Convention & Center Panama American Center (La Plaza)
From inspiring panels to hands-on workshops and round tables, Day 2 brings the energía panameña to every conversation.
Cultural Activity: Close the evening with emotive performances, let's go to the theatre to watch a special guest from our network. Can you guess who it is?
More details of the sessions are going to be shared soon.
We'll wrap up the conference by taking action together, closing with a hands-on volunteer experience.
Cultural Activity: A visit to Panama is not complete if we don't see the Canal, come with us to Miraflores Visitor Center.
9:00 am - 11:30 am : Volunteering activity.
1:00 pm - 3:00 pm : Visit to the Panama Canal Visitor Center. This Activity is not included in the conference registration fee. Attendees who wants to join this excursion needs to buy their tickets here
Day Trip To Mamey Island
Includes:
We visit natural paradises 📸
Small cooler with drinks and snacks allowed on the trip.
To book your spot please click here , if you have any question about your reservation please contact Lali Tours (tour operator) lalitourspty@gmail.com
For questions please send us an email to partnersevents@partners.com
*Conference program may be subject to change.
Since 2013, the What Works Conference has brought together hundreds of community leaders and change agents from every corner of the Americas to exchange and share knowledge, resources, strategies, solutions, and best practices for what works in international and community development.
When: January 28-31, 2026
Where: Panama City, Panama