The World Archaeological Congress is calling for bids to host the Eighth World Archaeological Congress, due to be held in 2016 or 2017. WAC International Congresses are held every four years and WAC-5 and WAC-6 respectively attracted around 1200 and 1800 participants. The Congresses normally span five or six days with a middle day reserved for excursions. Congresses are open to both members and non-members. There have been six WAC Congresses so far:
- WAC-1 (Southampton, England, 1986).
- WAC-2 (Barquisimeto, Venezuela, 1990).
- WAC-3 (New Delhi, India, 1994).
- WAC-4 (Cape Town, South Africa, 1999).
- WAC-5 (Washington DC, USA, 2003).
The seventh WAC Congress, WAC-7, will be held at the Dead Sea, Jordan in 2013.
Bids for WAC-8 will be presented to the WAC Council at WAC-7, which will be held at the Dead Sea, Jordan, in January 2013. Guidance in preparing a bid can be found in the Bid Preparation Guidelines. Further information can be obtained from either the President of WAC, Claire Smith or the Secretary of WAC, Ines Domingo Sanz.