OIDFA Congresses have been held every two years since the first one in Le Puy-en-Velay in 1982. The last Congress — at Kobe, Japan, in 2010 — was attended by over 400 members, and we are currently looking forward to the next Congress in Caen (France) in 2012, some details of which can be found below. In 2014 Adelaide (Australia) will be host to the Congress, and in 2016, Ljubljana (Slovenia). The formats of different Congresses vary, but there are always lectures on lace topics, and exhibitions of lace by member countries — especially the host nation — and by OIDFA Work and Study groups. Suppliers are on hand with lace and textile items from different countries, and there are generally trips to museums and places of local interest. The Congress also includes the General Assembly of the organization. Congress is usually preceded by three and a half-day workshops focussing on laces of the host country, and is followed by a five-day tour of the country, visiting places of particular interest to lacemakers.
