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 on Google 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

WHY THIS MATTERS

Because opportunities like this don’t come around often.

This conference runs once every 3 years in Oceania.

You’ll gain 20+ hours of professional development in 2.5 days. That’s nearly 70% of your annual PD in one experience!

And more importantly…

You’ll leave better at what you do.

WHO IT’S FOR

Facilitators | Consultants | Leaders | Change-makers

Whether you’re an experienced facilitator deepening your craft, a consultant or coach sharpening your client toolkit, an L&D, HR or OD professional building facilitation capability across your organisation, a leader who wants to run better rooms and more effective teams, or a community engagement or public sector practitioner navigating complex, multi-stakeholder environments — this conference was designed with you in mind.

WHAT YOU’LL WALK AWAY WITH:

✔ Practical workshop tools and methods you can use immediately
✔ Greater confidence facilitating complex groups and difficult dynamics
✔ New frameworks for design and in-the-moment decision-making
✔ Genuine connections with practitioners who understand this work
✔ A renewed sense of purpose and energy for your practice

THE EXPERIENCE:

Forget the standard, sit-and-stare conference format. This experience is designed for those who prefer to be in the driver’s seat of their own professional development. Rather than enduring a series of passive lectures, you’ll dive into a dynamic environment defined by interactive sessions where your voice and participation are the primary catalysts for the conversation.

Customisation is at the heart of the event, offering a choose-your-own-adventure program that allows you to tailor the schedule to your specific interests and goals. Every workshop and discussion is rooted in real-world application, ensuring that you walk away not just with inspiration, but with a practical toolkit you can implement the moment you return to the office.

LOCATION

Deakin University Waterfront.
1 Gheringhap St, Geelong VIC

Learn. Connect. Recharge by the coast

The conference is being held at the stunning Geelong Waterfront campus of Deakin University. Just an hour from Melbourne, the venue is ideally situated, overlooking the picturesque Corio Bay, in the heart of Geelong's CBD, within walking distance of the city's hotels and restaurants.

Originally built as wool stores in the 19th century, the buildings have been beautifully renovated to create a modern and technologically advanced campus, while retaining all the charm and character of its Victorian heritage.

Geelong has been chosen for its awesome venue, top location and regional roots, complemented by the style and energy of a growing and developing regional city.

ACCOMMODATION

We’ve secured special rates for you and recommend booking ASAP.

Quest Geelong Central: 25% off the best available rate. Discount Code : IAFOCT26

Bayside Geelong:10% discount off the Best Flexible Rate*. Promo Code: IAF26

*The discount applies to only certain room categories

Novotel Geelong: 10% discount off the Best Flexible Rate

EARLY BIRD REGISTRATION IS OPEN!

The program is set. 40+ hand-on workshops across three learning journeys, led by facilitators who collectively bring 20,000+ workshops of real-world experience.

See the CONFERENCE PROGRAM sessions you can select from (or get the pdf of the program).

Just want to know the basics? Check out the conference flier.

Want more detail? See the conference outline.

Got questions? See the conference FAQs

Early Bird pricing is open until 30th June.

REGISTER NOW

Foundations — Build your tools, confidence and core skills

Start here if you’re building your facilitation foundations or want to strengthen your practical toolkit. Sessions include:

After the Brainstorm: Tools for Prioritising and Decision-Making with Groups - Emily Physick
Drawing Out the Magic: Getting Your Groups on the Same Page - Ben Crothers
Restorative Practices as a Framework for Facilitation - Andrew Ballin + and more...

Conference streams

Crafting your Practice— Refine your presence, design and delivery

For facilitators with an established practice who want to sharpen their design thinking, in-room decisions, and client impact. Sessions include:

• Holding the Plan Lightly: A Practice for Responsive Facilitation - Soma Mazumder

• The Science of Engagement: How to Design Sessions the Brain Can’t Ignore - Michelle Tocci

• Power in the Room: How Power Shows Up in Facilitation - Nancy Nuñez + more…

Transformational — Explore deeper change, systems and leadership

For facilitators ready to go deeper into systems change, the inner work of facilitation, and what it means to hold space for genuine transformation. Sessions include:

The Facilitator Stripped Bare - Michelle Howard
Facilitating Transformation at Scale - Bernie Kelly & Vee Haslam
Barri Marruma: A Country-Centric Facilitation Framework - Carol Vale + more…

Pre-conference professional development workshops

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.

REGISTER NOW

Pre-conference workshops are separately ticketed at $600+GST.

View the pre-conference workshop brochure

Register for one when you complete your main conference registration.