Symposium Sessions

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Australian Event Symposium 2026

Date: Tuesday 20 – Wednesday 21 October 2026

Venue: Aanuka Beach House, Coffs Harbour NSW 2450
Time: 8:30am – 5:00pm
Dress: Business

We are currently finalising the 2026 Symposium Program, with sessions and speakers to be announced shortly.
Register early to secure your place.
Please note: Program details, sessions and speakers are subject to change.

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Delivering Accessible Event Experiences: An Illuminate Adelaide Case Study

What makes an event accessible?

Awareness of accessibility and inclusivity within the event industry continues to evolve and grow, challenging outdated perspectives and reshaping how events are designed and delivered.

This session explores the evolving and broad nature of accessibility through the lens of one of Australia’s fastest-growing major events. Although only in its sixth year, Illuminate Adelaide has expanded its accessibility program exponentially since launching in 2021. By identifying barriers, targeting opportunities for improvement, and collaborating with disability-led organisations, Illuminate has prioritised more inclusive ways for mass audiences to participate in and engage with its program.

Delegates will leave this session with insight into making meaningful progress toward more inclusive events, whether you are just starting out or building on existing accessibility initiatives.

Key Takeaways:

• Gain insight into accessibility initiatives from the perspective of a major South Australian event
• Understand the role of awareness, advocacy, and continuous improvement in accessibility planning
• Explore the challenges of addressing diverse accessibility needs across planning and delivery
• Learn how partnerships and disability-led organisations can help shape more inclusive experiences
• Indentify practical starting points for breaking down accessibility barriers at events

Speakers:

• Amy Byars, Illuminate Adelaide
• Alexandra Buzila, Illuminate Adelaide

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From Event Delivery to Event Leadership

Great events do not rely on logistics alone. As the industry grows more complex, the most valuable event professionals are those who can move beyond task management and into confident leadership. In this session, Stephanie Cassimatis explores the shift from delivering event components to leading outcomes – through stronger decision making, stakeholder confidence, team direction and strategic thinking.
Designed for professionals working in high-pressure environments, this presentation unpacks what is really takes to lead events and expectations with greater authority, clarity and commercial awareness.

Skills and Outcomes:

• Understands the difference between being relied on for delivery and being trusted for leadership
• Learn how to build stakeholder confidence through communication, judgement and calm decision making
• Identify the mindset shifts needed to move from operator to leader in complex event environments
• Gain practical ways to lead teams, suppliers and moving parts without sight of the bigger outcome
• Leave with a clearer framework for stepping into more strategic, visible and influential event roles

Speakers:

• Stephanie Cassimatis, Pink Caviar Events

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The Rise of Agri-Tourism: Beef Australia’s $100M Success Story

Beef Australia’s story began as a one-off event for Australia’s Bicentennial celebrations in 1988. Nearly four decades later, it has evolved into the premier beef industry event in the Southern Hemisphere — attracting more than 120,000 attendees, generating over $110 million in direct economic impact for Central Queensland, and placing Rockhampton firmly on the global stage every three years.

From producers and international trade delegations to industry leaders, innovators and consumers, Beef Australia has become far more than an agricultural event. It is a case study in regional ambition, destination impact and the power of building a global event outside a capital city.

This session explores how a regional Queensland city became home to one of the world’s most significant agricultural events, the strategic decisions behind its long-term growth, and why staying deeply connected to industry — without being constrained by it — has been critical to its success.

Key Takeaways:

• Global events can be held in regional areas, but it comes at a cost
• Our Ambition – Doing nothing by accident
• Where we fit – of the beef industry, but not in the beef industry
• Why a Three-year cycle works for us

Speakers:

• Simon Irwin, Beef Australia Limited

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Community Event Science: Understanding the DNA Behind Successful Community Events.

From small local activations to major signature festivals, successful community events are built on the same underlying principles of human behaviour, movement, identity, connection and place. This presentation introduces the concept of “Community Event Science” — a practical framework exploring how understanding community identity and event ecosystems can transform the way events are planned, delivered and experienced.

Using Canterbury-Bankstown Council’s award-winning signature event Lakemba Nights During Ramadan as a real-world case study, this session will explore how culturally significant community events operate as complex social systems that require more than logistics and programming alone. Through operational insights, behavioural observations and community-centred design principles, attendees will gain a deeper understanding of how events can strengthen belonging, social cohesion and place identity while successfully managing large-scale operational complexity.

Key Takeaways:

• Understanding the core principles behind “Community Event Science” and how they apply to events of all scales
• Learn how community identity directly influences event design, engagement, behaviour and overall event success
• Explore how Lakema Nights during Ramadan balanced cultural authenticity, operational complexity and community connection
• Gain insights into crowd behaviour, risk management, movement patterns, place activation and social interaction within community events
• Discover how event professionals can move beyond event logistics to create stronger community outcomes, belonging and long-term social impact

  Speakers:

  • Cindy Evelyn Elkhouri Canterbury-Bankstown Council

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  Clone Yourself – AI for Marketers: Build Your Digital Double

  Someone with half your experience is about to outpace you.
  Not because they’re better – because they’ve learned to use AI to move faster, think clearer, and execute at scale.

  While they’re copying the output, you can clone the thinking.
  This session shows you how to build your own AI ‘clone’ – one that sounds like you, thinks like you, protects your brand voice, and creates like you. Even when you’re not at your desk.

  You’ve earned your expertise. The instincts. the reputation. The way you read a room, a client, a brief. That took years.

  But here’s what’s already happening:

  -Someone less experience is using AI to look more polished, move faster, and win the work you should be winning.
  – Most businesses have AI running through their teams right now – inconsistently, unstrategically, with no brand protection.

  Copilot. ChatGPT. Gemini. these tools are already in the building. The question is whether they’re working for your brand, or against it.

  This isn’t about keeping up – Your expertise, multiplied.

  Key Takeaways:

  • How to train AI on your thinking, voice and expertise so it clones you
  • Why most experienced professionals are using AI backwards – and the one shift that changes everything
  • How to build simple guardrails so your team doesn’t damage your brand or leak your IP
  • How to turn AI into a commercial advantage – not a compliance risk
  • Microsoft Copilot, CHATGPT, Gemini – what actually works, and how to make it work for you
  • How to stay ahead of people moving fast – by moving smarter

  Speakers:

  • Tolita Dukes, 8 Seconds

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  The Pitch Room – Sometimes all an idea needs is the right room

  Every major event, activation and industry innovation starts as an idea, but turning ideas into reality often requires perspective, refinement, collaboration and the right conversations.
  The Pitch Room is an interactive workshop session designed to give delegates the opportunity to present their ideas directly to a panel of industry mentors, leaders and collaborators, while receiving live feedback, insight and strategic advice in real time.

  Selected delegates will have five minutes to present their idea, followed by ten minutes of panel feedback and discussion. Ideas can be at any stage of development and may include new event concepts, sponsorship or partnership opportunities, tourism and destination activations, audience engagement strategies, community initiatives, immersive experiences, sustainability initiatives, accessibility ideas, industry technology solutions, regional event concepts or existing events seeking growth and evolution.

  Delegates may choose to pitch concepts such as a new festival or community event, a sponsorship activation idea, a strategy to increase visitation or audience engagement, a creative use of public space, an initiative designed to support regional tourism, or a new approach to solving a challenge currently facing the events industry.
  This session is designed to create an open and supportive environment focused on collaboration, problem solving and fresh industry thinking. Delegates interested in pitching will be invited to register their interest and submit their presentation ahead of the Symposium, allowing presentations to be reviewed and pre-loaded by the event technical team prior to the session.

  Each participant will receive a personalised feedback summary completed by the panel during the workshop, providing practical ideas and strategic insights to take away beyond the Symposium.
  At the conclusion of the session, one presentation will be recognised with The Pitch Room Prize, awarded to the idea or initiative that most resonates with the panel.

  Skills and Outcomes:

  • Gain live feedback and strategic insight from experienced industry professionals
  • Explore new approached to partnerships, audience growth, sponsorship and event development
  • Learn how to clearly communicate and present event concepts and ideas
  • Understand how different sectors of the industry evaluate opportunities and innovation
  • Walk away with practical feedback, fresh thinking and new industry connections

    Judges:

    • To be announced shortly

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    PLENARY SESSION

    Designing Events That Matter – From bold Ideas to Lasting Impact

    In an industry known for flawless execution, this powerful session challenges a critical question: what do our events actually change? Moving beyond logistics, aesthetics, and “running a great show,” this presentation reframes events as strategic tools for influence, alignment, and lasting impact.

    Through real-world examples and honest reflections, the session explores how to shift from simply delivering events to intentionally designing outcomes. Attendees will be guided through a practical framework centred on clarity, connection, creativity, and conversion. David carefully ensures every event has purpose, resonates emotionally, and drives meaningful results, and wants to share this with you.

    The presentation also highlights the importance of cultural context, human experience, and energy design, demonstrating how inclusive, thoughtful approaches deepen engagement and extend impact beyond the room. It challenges common industry habits, like prioritising theme over purpose, and replaces them with sharper, more strategic thinking.

    Delegates will leave with a renewed perspective on their role as event designers, not just organisers, along with actionable questions and tools to elevate their next project. More than inspiration, David’s session equips attendees to create events that influence decisions, shift behaviour, and leave a lasting legacy.

    Skills and Outcomes:

    • Design events with clear strategic intent that drive measurable outcomes, not just seamless delivery
    • Apply a practical framework of clarity, connection, and conversion to create more impactful event
      experiences
    • Create human-centred, culturally aware events that deepen engagement and leave a lasting impact beyond the
      room

    Speakers:

    • David Yakas, Wrapped Creations

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    Want to get Involved?

    We welcome input from the industry – if there’s a topic you’d like to see on the program, or you’d like to contribute through presentation of a session, get in touch with us: [email protected]