The Dataharvest programme is now finalised, and we’ve got over one hundred sessions on investigative methodologies, data skills, transparency, justice, climate… you name it.
And that’s not all: Dataharvest offers many opportunities for meeting new people, launching collaborations, and relaxing from your heavy workload. As ever, this year sees a healthy programme of side events that complement our presentations, workshops and tutorials.
Some of our side events provide one-to-one support, some are places you can meet new colleagues and join networks — and some are just for fun.
So here is a breakdown of Dataharvest 2026 side events. Please note: several of these sessions require participants to sign up ahead of time. So don’t hesitate to get your name on the lists!
Want to join an Arena journalist network?
This year, we have several meetups and roundtables specifically for journalists interested in joining Arena’s journalist networks, or other informal networks nurtured by Dataharvest.
Investigating arms and defence industry – networking roundtable
This roundtable is for everyone who has investigated – or would like to – the weapons trade, defense budgets, and military. What should we investigate next, and how can we join forces? Join this roundtable to discuss ideas and network with reporters working on the subject across Europe and beyond.
The “perfect” MoU: An invitation
Coordinators of cross-border investigations are welcome to join a session with Coordinators Without Borders, a monthly meet-up for coordinators of cross-border investigations. This will be a social gathering for members of the group and those interested in joining. All are invited to revisit the group’s collaborative attempt to craft the “perfect” memorandum of understanding. This document is an essential part of any cross-border investigation, marking an agreement between journalists over the many elements of the collaboration, including the responsibilities of the coordinator.
Networking session: reporting on animal rights and welfare
Tracy Keeling and Annick Hus will be hosting a session on why stories about biodiversity and animal welfare struggle to find a place in general news coverage and how we could change that. They’ll explore ways to reframe biodiversity as political, economic or investigative reporting, ground stories in data, regulation and accountability, and pitch beyond environmental desks.
Investigative journalism on health: networking roundtable
Health is one of the most cross-border beats there is. Pharmaceutical companies, regulators, clinical trials, food and tobacco lobbying, environmental hazards, patient harm – none of it stops at borders. Whether you’ve been on the health beat for years, have just started chasing your first lead, or are simply drawn to the topic and wondering where to begin, come and meet others working in the same space. The goal is to leave the session knowing a few people you’d genuinely want to team up with on the next investigation.
FOI meet-up: Presentation of a cross-border guide
This informal session is intended to bring together journalists who use access to documents procedures within European Institutions and member states. It is the second (in-person) meeting of the informal network of these journalists since it was launched at Dataharvest 2024, but it is open to all journalists and researchers with knowledge of the right to information & access to documents anywhere in Europe. During the meeting, we will present a cross-border guide, a handy resource for journalists making access to information requests to governments and official bodies across borders in different European countries and with the European Union institutions. The guide is meant to provide basic information for each country, such as how to make requests, timelines, and points of contact for each country if assistance is required.
Find out more about all Arena journalist networks here.
Cafes, consultations and helpdesks
On Friday, two of the conference sponsors are offering consultations on their (free!) databases, North Data and Everlaw, to introduce you, and/or help you navigate them:
Exploring North Data registries: book a personalised consultation
Do you want to untangle complex corporate webs, uncover money laundering schemes, or gain transparency into international business structures? Book a personal time slot (HERE) to explore how to use North Data for your specific investigations.
As a versatile tool for OSINT and data analysis that journalists can use free-of-charge, you gain access to 23 countries, more than 86 million companies, and 152 sources.
Meet up with Everlaw – learn more about our document review and discovery platform
Everlaw’s document review and discovery platform — free for journalists — helps reporters dig deeper into large document sets, understand data, surface insights, and streamline their investigations to chart a straighter path to the truth.
Plus, on both Friday and Saturday, Dataharvest will be hosting cafes and helpdesks on:
- Budgeting (book a spot HERE)
- Cross-border investigations (book a spot HERE)
- FOI/EU work (book a spot HERE)
- Data (book a spot HERE)
- Safety and Security (book a spot HERE)
Visit the links above to book a slot, or find out more about what you might take to each cafe/helpdesk.
Not one, but two OSINT challenges this year
‘From the Soviet Union to the Moon — using OSINT on Tintin’
Your hosts for this session have set a “trail” through the Tintin stories, and the legacy of Belgium’s most famous boy adventurer. Come and compete in a light-hearted quiz which we hope will help you to fall in love with Herge’s creation all over again – this time as a datajournalist.
Back by popular demand – and this time the hunt is designed by the people who beat you the last two years: the Scandinavian team. This isn’t a workshop. It’s a chase. No panels. No slides. Just clues, dead ends, and the creeping suspicion that someone else is faster than you.
Our famous walking tours are back
This walk looks at the power of women and their influence on the city. It pays tribute to some of Mechelen’s foremost women, from the highest ranks to the lowest, from the distant past through to the present day. Sign up for the tour HERE.
Follow the guide through sixteenth-century Mechelen. The Historical City Walk now also takes in the newly discovered fourteenth-century wall paintings in St. John’s Church. Sign up for the tour HERE.
As is the Quiz…
The ultimate Dataharvest pub quiz is back, of course. Come, make a team, and test your knowledge of journalism. Expertly done by Constanze and Max, our returning quizmasters.
And an escape room!
There’s a (genuine) story hiding in plain sight. Using a mixture of OSINT skills and clues hidden in the room, you will have 30 minutes to get to the story. First come, first served, max 3-4 teams per session competing to get the exit code and get out!
There are two sessions: 5:15pm and 6pm on Saturday evening.
Don’t hesitate to take a look at the programme, log in to Sched and get yourself booked in for your sessions of choice. See you in Mechelen!