150 facilitators. 2.5 days. Endless ideas.
You’re in! Here’s everything you need to know…
Welcome to the IAF Oceania Conference 2026. You’ve made a great decision. This page has everything you need before you arrive in Geelong — venue details, travel and accommodation, ways to spread the word, and how to make the most of the community between now and October.
VENUE
Deakin University Waterfront Campus
1 Gheringhap Street, Geelong VIC 3220
The conference is held at one of Geelong’s most distinctive buildings — originally built as wool stores in the 19th century and beautifully renovated into a modern, technologically advanced campus. It sits right on the Geelong waterfront, overlooking Corio Bay, in the heart of the CBD.
Everything is close. Hotels, cafés, restaurants, and the waterfront promenade are all within easy walking distance.
View onGoogle Maps
On the day
Registration opens at 8:30am on Wednesday 14 October. The opening session begins at 9:00am. If you’re joining us for the Welcome to Country and gathering function, that runs from 5:30pm on Tuesday 13 October — a great way to register early and meet people before the programme begins.
If you’re joining a pre-conference workshop on Monday 12 October, the venue is the same — arrive from 8:30am..
TRAVEL
From Melbourne by train
Geelong is one hour from Southern Cross Station on the V/Line regional service. Trains run regularly throughout the day. Geelong Station is a short walk or taxi ride from Deakin Waterfront Campus.
By car
Geelong is approximately one hour from Melbourne CBD via the Princes Freeway (M1). Paid parking is available near the venue — details tbc.
From Melbourne Airport (Tullamarine)
Melbourne’s Tullamarine Airport is the closest major airport, approximately 90 minutes from Geelong. Airport transfers are available through Gull Transport. The pick-up point is located on the ground level in front of Virgin Terminal 3.
From Avalon Airport
Avalon Airport (between Melbourne and Geelong) is 30–40 minutes from the venue and may be convenient for direct interstate flights. Uber and local taxis operate directly from the Avalon Airport terminal. You can also catch the local public bus (Route 18) directly from Avalon Airport to Lara Station, then transfer to a V/Line train down to Geelong Station. See Transport Victoria for details
ACCOMMODATION
We’ve secured special rates at three hotels within easy walking distance of the venue. We recommend booking early as October is a very popular time in Geelong.
Quest Geelong Central
25% off the best available rate.
Discount code: IAFOCT26
Bayside Geelong
10% off the best flexible rate (applies to selected room categories).
Promo code: IAF26
PROMOTION
Facilitators | Consultants | Leaders | Change-makers
You’re part of the facilitation community. The people you know are exactly the people who should be at this conference — and your recommendation is worth more than any ad we could run.
Here are some ready-made assets to make it easy
Email signature
Add a conference banner to your email signature and let everyone you correspond with know you’re attending. Every email becomes a quiet piece of conference promotion.
Download email signature graphic
LinkedIn promotion tile
Share the conference with your network using our branded LinkedIn tile. One post from you reaches people who trust your judgement — and that matters.
Virtual background (Zoom and Teams)
Set our conference background and promote the event in every meeting between now and October.
Pre-conference professional development workshops
The conference opens on Wednesday 14 October. But if you want to start early, three full-day workshops run on Monday 12 October at the same venue — and they’re worth it!
The three pre-conference workshops provide a practical, high-value learning opportunity for people who want to deepen their facilitation capability before the main conference. We’ve brought in some of the best local, national and international providers to ensure you get maximum value from your participation.
Each full-day workshop has a distinct focus, enabling you to choose the experience that best aligns with your role, level of experience and professional development goals. Together, they offer a strong mix of core facilitation skills, evidence-based insight and highly practical methods.
Facilitation Skills Essentials
Facilitated by Nancy Nunez and Sarah Norton, this workshop is designed for people who are asked to facilitate groups and want to do so with greater confidence, self-awareness and skill. It focuses on real-world facilitation challenges, including tension, silence, strong personalities, competing views and complex group dynamics.
You’ll explore the facilitator’s role, how to work with power in the room, and how to balance task, process and relationships. You’ll leave with a stronger practical toolkit, clearer personal facilitation principles and greater confidence to respond thoughtfully when things become messy.
The Neuroscience Behind Great Facilitation
Led by Sue Langley, this workshop connects neuroscience, emotional intelligence and positive psychology with facilitation, leadership, culture and performance. Rather than a passive or theory-heavy session, it is an applied, science-backed learning experience focused on translating complex ideas into practical behaviours, conversations and decisions.
You will gain frameworks for building positive, high-performing cultures, strengthening emotional intelligence, improving decision-making and supporting wellbeing without compromising performance.
Experiential Facilitation
Facilitated by Michelle Cummings, this highly practical workshop focuses on how to use experiential activities to create meaningful outcomes. Participants will experience, practise and deconstruct high-impact activities, learning how to frame them professionally, sequence them for impact and debrief them in ways that connect to communication, collaboration, leadership and accountability.
You’ll walk away with a toolkit of 20+ ready-to-use activities, stronger confidence to facilitate in the moment and clearer design principles for experiential learning.
Pre-conference workshops are separately ticketed at $600+GST.
View the pre-conference workshop brochure
You can easily add a pre-conference workshop to your existing main conference registration.
Get ready with our Conference Podcast - The Road to Geelong
We’re building anticipation for October with a podcast series that goes behind the scenes of the conference and the practice of facilitation.
Each episode features a conversation with a facilitator, session leader, or practitioner connected to the conference — exploring their work, their thinking, and what they’re bringing to Geelong.
Worth a listen on your commute or morning walk to have you primed for a great conference experience!
PROGRAMME PLANNING GUIDE
The conference runs a choose-your-own-adventure format — you select which workshops to attend across three learning journeys. Start planning now so you make the most of every session.
Download the Workshop Selection Guide or see the live program
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE OVERVIEW
Tuesday 13 October — 5:30pm
Welcome to Country and gathering function. The official beginning. Come ready to meet people — this is where the conference really starts.
Wednesday 14 October — evening
Games Night. Facilitation games, light dinner, and the kind of energy that happens when people who are very good at making rooms work share turn that skill with each other.
Thursday 15 October — evening
Beach BBQ Dinner. Corio Bay. Geelong in October. The kind of evening that ends with people still talking at 10pm.
Friday 16 October — closes 12:30pm
Conference close. The closing session will add even more value and help embed your learning. Plan your travel home for the afternoon.
Questions? See our Conference FAQs or email us