COTAC first began to organise annual conferences in 1993 as part of the Department for Environment grant funded project to establish a national network of conservation training centres, as a method of network members meeting together, sharing experiences and hearing from industry experts and specialists on matters of mutual interest.

Over the following years the conferences were increasingly advertised through the COTAC Newsletter and its growing database of contacts, thereby attracting a regular following from the conservation sector, with the events building a reputation for providing great value for money and on useful topical information for the industry.

The conferences were normally held over two days, the first for the conference usually followed by a conference dinner and the second offering a range of technical visits to historic sites near the conference location.

As COTAC became involved in European education and training projects, the conferences also developed an international flavour, providing a useful medium for disseminating project results and growing a global audience. Conferences were held regularly until the early noughties and brief summaries of their proceedings can be found in the archive of COTAC newsletters on this site.