My experience at ICIDS was great. I thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to meet and engage with researchers from various backgrounds. It was inspiring to learn about the diverse range of research topics, all within a fantastic atmosphere of collaboration. What stood out most was how supportive and friendly everyone was—conversations flowed easily, making it both an enriching academic and personal experience. This environment truly fostered meaningful exchanges and left me feeling energized and connected to the community.

For a first conference, landing at ICIDS was an amazing experience. It truly felt like joining an academic family. The welcome was extremely warm, the discussions were open and supportive, and the topics addressed were clearly aligned with current research challenges. An inspiring conference, both scientifically and on a human level.

ICIDS has become one of my academic homes—this is my fifth time participating in the conference. It’s a place where I can share my latest work, connect with colleagues, explore the cutting-edge research in interactive storytelling, build my academic network, and make new friends. The integrity of the submission process is a big highlight for me: the reviews are transparent, comprehensive, and highly constructive. I especially value the commitment to global participation, which they facilitate through a tiered registration cost that makes the conference realistic and accessible for academics worldwide. Finally, I appreciate that ICIDIS is not an isolated event. It’s part of a broader, supportive academic community that includes a summer school, a journal, a website, and valuable collaborations with other events and publishers. I will definitely be coming back next year.”

Participating in ICIDS 2025 was more than presenting a paper; it was a milestone in my academic journey. As a first-time presenter, I arrived both excited and nervous, yet I felt supported from the moment the conference began. The warmth, curiosity, and encouragement from the ICIDS community made this experience unforgettable.

Exhibiting my work as a West African storyteller at the ICIDS Conference was an incredible experience. I connected with people who genuinely cared about my storytelling and were eager to learn about my culture. The networking opportunities were top-notch, and I left feeling inspired and supported. I’m truly grateful for the chance to share my work with such an engaged community.

As a veteran ICIDS attendee this year, I was pleased to see how welcoming the conference was to new participants. Two PhD researchers I attended with, both first-time attendees, were actively included in discussions by more established members of the community. This spirit of openness is one of ICIDS’ greatest strengths.

The peak of a scholar’s service to their academic community is to host them for their annual academic conference. I am humbled by the trust shown in me and my team by ARDIN President Hartmut Koenitz and the ARDIN Executive Board to host the ICIDS conference for 2025 on my native island of Malta. Being online for the past three editions, I only had on-site memories of ICIDS 2015 in Copenhagen, ICIDS 2018 in Dublin, Ireland hosted by my supervisor Mads Haahr and attracting a record number of 125 participants, and ICIDS 2021 in Tallinn, Estonia which was hosted at the University of Tallinn with their professional TV studio-like venue. I felt I had to live up to these standards and with the “knowledge limits creativity” mantra and not having any prior technical experience of livestreaming, we went all creative and came up with a massive technical setup that was a key element in the smooth running of the conference – “like a train”, as Program Chair Frank Nack described it on Friday evening. Program Chair Maria Cecilia Reyes “felt at home and so well taken care of” and I could see this on everyone’s face throughout the conference. I am blessed to have had a supportive team of colleagues (Silvio, Jeremy, Dunstan, Joe), alumni (Keith and Brigitte), ERASMUS interns (Thibaut, Freesia, and Lorenzo) and my wondefully supportive wife (Josielle), that together worked like a true “Kaleidoscopic Machine” to help me run this conference like a dream. I must not forget my partner-in-crime Charles Theuma for his logistical and financial support before, throughout, and after the conference. Karina, your marvellous artwork was all around us: on the stage, on our lanyward tags, on our menus, on our certificates. Thank you all, to each and every one of you participants and attendees for making this conference so special! See you all in Bangkok, Thailand for ICIDS 2026!