The Fifth Annual AADC Talks

Set up in 2022 as the antithesis of conferences that were too long, lofty and expensive, AADC Talks takes you to the streets, walking between four unique venues and hearing from 12 expert speakers all in one day. Tickets are now on sale for the fifth edition of Talks, taking place on Wednesday 21 October 2026.

This year’s line-up brings together thought-leaders from Canva, Boost Juice, Wavemaker, BMF, Splash, Ogilvy, KWP+Partners, ERA-co and oOh!media, alongside musicians, futurists, artists and packaging designers.

Expect conversations on creative effectiveness, marketing in chaos, the future of in-house agencies, finding creative gold in the slop era, the big creative idea and what you need to know to stay ahead.

To make this accessible, we keep ticket prices down. All-day tickets are only $175 for AADC members, making this one of the most affordable professional development days around, and again this year it includes lunch and after-drinks.

Whether you're a marketer, in a creative agency, design studio, production house or media agency – or maybe a freelancer, a student, or someone thinking about joining this industry – AADC Talks is designed to give you insights and advice from around the country and help you apply them right here in South Australia.

Beginning your day in the beautiful and historic Meeting Hall, originally built in 1862 as a school lecture hall for the Methodist Church – perfectly suited for learning about how customer insights create better brands, how to not lose yourself in a constantly changing industry and how challenger brands are disrupting in OOH.

• Sarah-Jane Finlayson | Head of Marketing and Loyalty, Boost Juice International
• Kevin Kivi | Managing Director, Wavemaker Adelaide
• Josh Gurgiel & Ally Henthorn | Head of Creative and Head of Audience & Insight, oOh!media

Next we move to the river bank and one of Adelaide's oldest and most respected sporting institutions. We will embrace their motto of "out of darkness, through fire and into light" to shed light on the emotion required to create big ideas, how you can create better results when you restrict your tools, and finding the creative gold in the slop era. All followed by a delicious lunch by the river.

• Lindsey Cummings | Global Creative Strategy Director, Canva
• Travis Demsey | Professional drummer and public speaker
• Mollie Starr | Brand and Packaging Designer

After lunch we head right into the heart of South Australia's iconic health and medical research institute and explore cutting-edge topics including understanding the soft skills of effectiveness, the power of big ideas and 'Black Box Thinking' – the case for being honest about failure.

• Anna Bollinger | Executive Planning Director, BMF
• Sam Davies | Managing Director, KWP & Partners
• Matt Richards | Group Strategy Director, Ogilvy

Closing the day out in a bright and open beer garden in the heart of our West End, with live music performances, refreshing insights on the evolving world of in-house agencies, the art of insights and good research hygiene, and a closing reminder about the importance of looking after our own mental health. Stick around for some well-earned networking drinks, all included.

• Tom Opie & Phil van Bruchem | Heads of Creative at Splash (Treasury Wine Estates)
• Sarah Owen | Strategy Director, ERA-co
• Thomas Readett | Artist

We couldn't do this without the help of our incredible partner, oOh!media. They have supported the Talks since the beginning. They saw our vision, believed in the cause and helped us to make it all happen. Thank you also to our contributing partners AEDA, Merlin, NATION, Stickbird.

Make life easier and grab an "All Talks" ticket. It's the best value (4 talks for the price of 3), the most fun and the easiest way to make new connections and catch-up with old ones while walking from each venue.

AADC Members – $175
Non-Members – $215

AADC Members – $55
Non-Members – $70