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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.

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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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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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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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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]