2026
Professional Staff Conference
15 September 2026
The University of Melbourne's Professional Staff Conference returns for its 12th anniversary at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre on Tuesday 15 September 2026.
Join us for an exciting day of workshops, presentations, and keynote sessions, designed to inspire innovative ways of thinking and forge new connections with your professional colleagues. If you're looking to expand your network and develop your professional skills, then PSC 2026 is the place to be.
Registration for the 2026 Professional Staff Conference is now open!
Keynote Speakers
We are pleased to announce our two Keynote Speakers for this year's conference: Naomi Simson OAM and Dr Olivia Ong.
For more than 25 years, Naomi Simson OAM has been bringing people together through her businesses, keynote speaking, and writing. With more than 2.6 million LinkedIn followers, Naomi is a trusted voice on the forces reshaping business right now — from AI leadership and the future of work to customer obsession, entrepreneurship, and building organisations that last. Beyond building businesses, Naomi is a prolific blogger, the voice behind the podcast Handpicked (six seasons), and a regular business commentator. Many know her as the #RedShark from four seasons of Shark Tank Australia.
Dr Olivia Ong is a dual-trained rehabilitation medicine and pain physician, TEDx and keynote speaker, and HarperCollins author of Back On My Feet. Drawing on her unique perspective as both doctor and patient following a catastrophic spinal cord injury, she combines neuroscience, lived experience, and compelling storytelling to help individuals and organisations build resilience, prevent burnout, and sustain high performance with compassion.
Read more about our speakers here
Innovative Community, Resilient Future
This year's theme is Innovative Community, Resilient Future.
A shared commitment to new ways of thinking and coming together sits at the heart of this year’s Professional Staff Conference, providing insights into how to enhance resilience, foster stronger collaboration, and embrace innovation and AI-enabled practices.
Our subthemes this year are:
- Innovation in Practice: AI-Enabled Ways of Working
- Communities for the Future: Belonging, Trust and Collaboration
- Resilience from Within: Skills for Sustainable Strength
Key Dates
- Wednesday 13 May 2026
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Call for presentations opens
- 2 June 2026
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Early Bird registration opens
- Sunday 28 June 2026
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Call for presentations closes
- Early August 2026
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Full program announced
- Friday 21 August 2026
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Registrations close
- Tuesday 15 September 2026
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Professional Staff Conference
The 2026 Professional Staff Conference Committee would like to thank the generous support of our sponsors.
Innovative Sponsors
Connected Sponsors
In Kind Sponsors
