Conference Program
Day 1
Please note: Program subject to change
8:30am
Acknowledgement of Country and Smoking and sweeping ceremony
Wandana Aboriginal Education
8:50am
Welcome from Stu Speirs
8:55am
Keynote speaker to be announced
Module 1 – Place Brand, from theory to practice
9:20am
Globally admired, locally driven. The story of Brand Tasmania and how it is pushing the boundaries of what economic development can do.
Todd Babiak – CEO, Brand Tasmania
9:45am
Empowering local enterprise: How to inspire stakeholder-led marketing and communications that align with state-level strategy.
Amanda McEvoy – Executive Officer, Launceston Central
10:30am
Morning Tea
Module 2 – Better understanding and communicating your place’s identity in a modern world
11:00am
Where you’re (probably) going wrong in understanding place identity.
Jessica Christiansen-Franks – CEO and Co-founder, Neighbourlytics
11:25am
Speaker to be announced soon
11:45am
Fishbowl
Key questions for speakers and discussion
12:10pm
Lunch
Module 3 – Nation brands – How to use them, how to learn from them
1:00pm
Now for the leg work – Taking Australia’s Nation Brand to the world, one stakeholder at a time.
Jess Hamilton – General Manager, Communications & Marketing, Austrade – Australia’s Nation Brand
1:25pm
Listen to learn – how to seek and integrate a wider set of voices into your place’s brand identity.
Amy Knightly – Director of Marketing and Communications, New Zealand Story
David Downs – CEO, New Zealand Story
1:50pm
From destination brand to place brand – the evolution of Fiji’s tourism brand.
Brent Hill – CEO, Tourism Fiji
2:10pm
Capturing indigenous story and perspective within your place’s narrative
Panel – Group discussion
2:40pm
Break
Module 4 – Events – A living, breathing demonstration of place
3:00pm
Shifting Cement – The story of how a place-based arts and cultural event helped a “cement town” face change.
Alex Wisser – Founder, Cementa
3:25pm
Speaker and session to be announced soon
3:50pm
Panel – to be announced soon
4:30pm
Cheers and peers – Grab a drink with your fellow place branders.
Day 2
Please note: Program subject to change8:55am
Welcome to Day 2 - Stu Speirs
Module 5 - A ground up, community based approach to Place Branding
9:00am
A fresh start. Creating place, identity and culture in greenfield sites
Andy Hoyne - Founder, Hoyne
9:25am
Creating a shared place vision from the ground up
Dean Cracknell - Co-founder and Executive Director, Town Team Movement
9:50am
Reaching across the aisle–Creating unity in a time it’s needed most
Zena Armstrong - Chair, Yin Folk Club
10:10am
Fishbowl
Key questions for speakers and discussion
10:40am
Morning Tea
Module 6 - Identifying and telling the story of place - Moderated by Jennifer O'Brien
11:00am
Be yourself: Everyone else is taken. Uncover your place’s unique, compelling narrative.
Josh Centner - Head of product, Seek
11:25am
Forging deeper connections between visitors, locals and place
Jarrod Pickford - Founder, Storytowns
11:50am
Speaker and session to be announced soon
12:10pm
Workshop - A practical, outcomes led session that guides those looking to define and refine the story of their place.
Jennifer O'Brien - Founder, Stories INK
12:45am