At the 6th Science Centre World Congress convened in Cape Town, South Africa, from 4-8 September 2011, 416 delegates from 56 countries assessed the impact of science centres worldwide and formulated plans that will ensure that they continue to play a constructive role in addressing global issues at the interface between science and society. The Congress continued the dialogue from previous world gatherings in Finland (1996), India (1999), Australia (2002), Brazil (2005) and Canada (2008).