On 28 April, 2026 Virtual Routes attended the National Volunteer Management Conference 2026 in Athlone, Ireland, represented by Co-Director James Shires and Executive Support and Research Officer Bob Herczeg. The event, coordinated by Volunteer Ireland, brought together volunteer managers from across Ireland and abroad for a day of keynote speeches, masterclasses, and networking. 

Virtual Routes attended to meet with critical community infrastructure organizations and highlight the offerings of its Cybersecurity Services Centre, which provides free services to organizations that are central to community wellbeing. While at the conference, Virtual Routes ran free website scans for organizations which signposted potential security vulnerabilities on their websites and gave advice on how to resolve these issues.

Reflecting on the event, James explained that, “We’re excited to be in Ireland and have the chance to connect with volunteer managers who play such an important role in communities. While cybersecurity – and especially website vulnerabilities – may not be at the forefront of their minds, there are several straightforward steps that every individual and organization can take to reduce the risk of online harms. We’re proud to have helped volunteer managers at this conference take these crucial steps towards better cybersecurity.“

Virtual Routes will be back in Ireland soon to provide two training sessions called Online Safety for Volunteer Managers: Practical Steps That Work, on 16 June in Dublin and 17 June in Cork.