WELLINGTON

20-21 September 2023

An ACE New Zealand Conference

Poke the brains of some of the best minds in Aotearoa.
Join other leading innovative professional consultants and enhance your professional repertoire.

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Futurespace is your space.

Being a consultant at the top of your game means being aware of market trends and solutions. We need to have strong business acumen and cultural competency. We must be aware of the latest innovations and ideas to elevate our people and our businesses. To do this, we need to meet the right people, have the right conversations and immerse ourselves in the right environments to challenge ourselves.

That’s why we’ve created the conference Futurespace. It’s an opportunity for c-suite, up-and-coming leaders, innovators, designers and consultants at the top of their game to enhance their professional repertoire. It’s about being in the room with other curious creatives to provoke the brains of some of the best consultants in Aotearoa.

We’re investing in international and transformative speakers to flex your brain and designing the attendee experience to flourish with a mix of keynotes, mini-masterclasses, rapid fire discussions, abstract presentations and ample networking - allowing you to work ON the business, not IN the business.

If you’re a business leader that wants to excel at shaping the teams and people delivering professional services consulting across Aotearoa, then

Meet Our Speakers

Michael McQueen

Multi award winning speaker, trend forecaster & author

Alicia McKay

Change & strategy expert

Johann Hari

Author & executive producer

Siobhan Procter

Chief Infrastructure Officer at Wellington City Council (WCC)

Jodie King

Chief People Officer at OneNZ

Carrie Hurihanganui

Chief Executive at Auckland Airport

Maureen Thurston

Business leader

Jon Huxley

Partner at Beaton

John Gamble

President and CEO at ACEC Canada

Andy Ellis

Serial data entrepreneur and social innovator

Anna Guenther

Women in Export Lead at New Zealand Trade and Enterprise

Joe Slater

GM Startups at Creative HQ

Nasrine Tomasi

Technical Director & Product Lead Moata Smart Water

LATE

Registration

$1,695

500/500

MEMBER
until 8 September

$1,595

500/500

U35 MEMBER
until 8 September

$2,195

500/500

NON MEMBER
until 8 September

Prices exclude GST and are in New Zealand dollars. See full registration prices and options.

Programme

Day 1 - INFLUENCE20 September 2023
Day 2 - INNOVATION21 September 2023

TIME

SESSION

8am

Registration open

8.30am

Conference opening with karakia, mihi whakatau and waiata

9am

Opening keynote with Michael McQueen - How to thrive in an age of uncertainty

10am

Fireside chat with the chiefs – hear from One NZ’s Chief People Officer, Jodie King, Wellington City Council’s Chief Infrastructure Officer, Siobhan Procter, and Auckland Airports Chief Executive, Carrie Hurihanganui, Head of International Solutions at HainesAttract Ben Tinker, and Local Government New Zealand Chief Executive Susan Freeman-Greene on how they have handled disruption, adapted to change and come through the challenges unique to their companies over the last few years.

10.45am

Update from ACE New Zealand chief executive, Helen Davidson and an introduction to Mindspace, our mental health and wellness programme featuring Dr Penny Kneebone.

11.15am

Morning tea

11.45am

Concurrent sessions – delegates will have their choice to attend one of two presentations happening concurrently. Day one sessions include: navigating Together - applying a Māori Lens and empowering women in engineering or navigating together – clients and risk

1.15pm

Lunch

2pm

Keynote and masterclass with Alicia McKay on how to get clear on your unique value proposition, carve out a profitable niche and secure high-trust, high-value client engagements.

3.45pm

Afternoon tea

4.15pm

Closing keynote (digital) with Johann Hari on ‘Stolen Focus – why you can’t pay attention and how to think deeply again’.
Brought to you by Harrison Grierson

5.15pm

Day one wrap-up

7pm

Social night at Te Waka Huia o Ngā Taonga Tuku Iho Wellington Museum

TIME

SESSION

8am

Registration open

8.30am

Welcome and karakia

9am

Opening keynote and mini masterclass with Maureen Thurston on ‘skills of the future – how to dance with disruption

10.45am

Morning tea

11.15am

Concurrent sessions – delegates will have their choice to attend one of three presentations happening concurrently. Day two sessions include: people & culture, leadership for the future, and innovation

12.45pm

Lunch

1.45pm

Panel with Marie McCarthy, Lucy Tukua and Emily Afoa from the Māori Leadership Forum - Ka tika te mārama me hakatō te maara (When the moon is right then plant the crop)

2.15pm

Rapid fire keynotes on ‘what does the future hold’ with John Gamble, Jon Huxley and 2 more – hear from four industry leaders in areas of diversity and inclusion, and other business pillar topics such as insurance, contracts, or international trends. Each rapid fire keynote will be 12 minutes and the four presentations will conclude with peer discussion hubs.
Brought to you by Beaton

3.30pm

Afternoon tea

4pm

Innovation and entrepreneurship panel with Joe Slater, Anna Guenther, Andy Ellis and Nasrine Tomasi – hear from our panel of innovation experts in a moderated discussion and audience Q&A exploring the why, what and how of diversifying your business by using VCs, selling your intellectual property or expanding internationally.
Brought to you by Mott MacDonald

5pm

Conference wrap up

5.30pm

Break to get ready for the ACE Awards gala dinner

7pm

ACE Awards gala
Brought to you by Beca

Feel the Vibe

We’re channelling our inner Goldilocks - not too big but not too small. We’re strategically capping attendance at 200 to ensure you can actually network effectively and have quality time to build and strengthen relationships. Our partners can showcase their expertise and values on stage and make real and genuine business connections.

How are you meeting the current COVID-19 guidelines?

We will follow current government guidelines and recommendations to ensure we look after the welfare and wellbeing of all our guests.

What if the event is postponed or cancelled?

Our event terms and conditions cover the various options if our event is postponed or cancelled. We also allow attendee substitutions up to and including the day of the event. Ticket sharing, however, is not allowed.

Can I get a refund if I change my mind?

Depending on when you register and when you notify us, there are different options for refunds or transfers. Find out more information in our event terms and conditions.

I’m not an ACE member, can I attend?

Everyone is welcome, and we offer a few different registration packages to choose from including full registrations, day passes and guest tickets. See our registration page for more information.

I’d like to register multiple people to attend, but I don’t know who specifically yet and the registration deadline is approaching. What are my options?

We get it – planning and organising a large group of people can sometimes feel like you’re herding cats. If you have a group of six people or more, you wish to register – email Holly Morchat Stanko at hmorchat@acenz.org.nz. Provide details on the number of guests you want to register and the registration types you’re after. This includes registrations for Futurespace and guest tickets for the ACE Awards Gala. We can advise you from there and help you through the process as smoothly as possible.