staff development
transform conference 2019
InMay 2019, ConnectingUpheld their annual three day conference and expo for not-for-profit organisations. Admittedly, my first experience attending a Connecting Up conference, the event far exceededmy expectations. This year, the conference was held from Wednesday, May 8 to Friday, May 10 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre and encompassed the theme of 'Transform'. Day 1 saw Abby Clemance, an urban legend in fundraising folklore, walk attendees of her 'Corporate Partnerships and Fundraising' Master Class through a range of topics including an analysis of the current 'social good' landscape, as well as teaching her best practice strategy for organisations to plan, find, connect and keep corporate partners through fostering strong relationships. Abby interwove tales of her own successful partnerships throughout the day, which re- enforced that regardless of how small your organisation is, you can still attract a big name corporate partner, if your social responsibilities are aligned. Day 2 started at 7:30am, with a LeadershipBreakfast and a Keynote from Samantha Yorke from Google (Senior
Counsel, Public Policy and Government). Samantha, went in-depth about how Artificial Intelligence is shaping the future of technology, which to be frank, was not the easiest content to digest so early in the day alongside my breakfast muffin. Following the Leadership Breakfast, the Main Conference officially commenced. A powerful and entertaining Welcome to Country from Uncle Bill Nicholson kicked off the proceedings before the day launched into a tirade of different speakers around topics such as the 'overheads myth', 'technology innovation in corporate giving' and 'transforming your marketing for maximum impact and effect'. A definitive highlight from the day, was hearing marketing giant Mark Ritson effortlessly slaughter conventional marketing practices with his entertaining and at times controversial presentation. Mark, a self- confessed 'for profit' person who has worked on brands such as PepsiCo, Louis Vuitton and Westpac was a dark horse in a largely 'for purpose' dominated panel of speakers. Albeit, the key messaging in his keynote could be applied to any business, and with his successful credentials and apparent $40,000 a day consulting fee, who were the people in the room to disagree.
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