ACE 2026 - Driving Impact
26-28 August 2026 | Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre

In a time of constant change, your role has never been more important. Associations shape industries, support communities and drive progress. ACE 2026 is your opportunity to step back, think bigger, and return with the clarity and confidence to drive impact in your organisation and across your profession.

Driving Impact is the theme for ACE 2026 because it sits at the heart of why association professionals do what they do. Every decision you make, every program you deliver, every member you support it all contributes to something bigger. This year we're putting that front and centre: what it means to lead with purpose, measure what matters, and make a genuine difference to the industries and communities your association serves.

Exclusive Special Event: Julius Solaris
For the first time in Australia, global events leader Julius Solaris joins us in Brisbane on Wednesday 26 August for a standalone industry keynote. One of the most influential voices in the global events conversation, Julius brings fresh thinking on how events create real value and lasting impact, followed by the ACE 2026 Welcome Reception.

ACE 2026 is more than a conference. It's where the association sector comes together — by members, for members — to connect purpose to action, and action to impact.

We are Associations.

Register and more information here: ausae.org.au/ace

ACE 2026 Venue Sponsor

Most associations do not have a visibility problem. They have an answer problem.

Members are no longer waiting to be engaged. They are actively asking questions through search engines, AI tools, and digital platforms, expecting immediate, relevant, and personalised answers. The question is: Is your association showing up as the best answer?

In this practical, hands-on workshop, you will:

• Map your current member journey and identify where value is gained and where it is lost
• Pinpoint the critical moments that influence member acquisition, engagement, and renewal
• Assess your organisation’s AI readiness across data, systems, and experience design
• Identify high-impact opportunities to use AI to improve conversion, engagement, and retention
• Define a clear 90-day action plan aligned to measurable outcomes

What makes this session different
This is not a theory session. You will work through a structured AI Readiness Workbook and leave with:

• A mapped and prioritised member journey
• A clearly defined AI use case tailored to your association including AI prompts ready to go
• A practical 90-day execution plan
• A clear understanding of where to focus for maximum impact

Who should attend

• CEOs and Executive Leaders
• Heads of Membership, Marketing, and Digital
• Teams responsible for member growth, engagement, and retention

What you will walk away with
By the end of this session, you will have:

• Clarity on where your member experience is underperforming
• A prioritised opportunity to improve a key business metric
• A practical, AI-enabled use case you can implement immediately
• A structured plan to drive measurable progress over the next 90 days

Included
All participants will receive the AI Readiness Workbook, a practical guide designed to help you assess your current state, identify gaps, and take action across every stage of the member journey. We recommend that participants bring their laptop with access to their preferred AI platform.

Event details
Dates: Tuesday, 1 September 2026
Time: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm 
Location: NZDA House, 1/195 Main Highway, Ellerslie, Auckland.
Light lunch included.

Attendees receive 3 ASAE CAE credits.* 

*Causeis is proud to be a CAE Approved Provider. As a CAE Approved Provider educational program related to the CAE exam content outline, this event may be applied for 3 credits toward your CAE application or renewal professional development requirements. For more information about the CAE credential or Approved Provider program, please visit www.asaecenter.org/cae.  

Meet our Host & Facilitator:

Some associations seem to have their act together - confident decisions, engaged members, a team that isn't stretched to breaking point. Others are working just as hard and still feel like they're constantly playing catch-up. What's the real difference?

Drawing on conversations with 30+ association executives over the past two months, this session unpacks the practical, everyday behaviours we consistently see behind that difference. You'll discover how the strongest associations build a level of trust in their own data that lets them make bold decisions with confidence, free their staff to focus on members instead of admin and give their members an experience so seamless that people simply love being part of the association.

Walk away with a clear, practical picture of what's actually possible, and the confidence to start closing the gap between where your association is today and where the highest performers already are.

Key Takeaways

• Discover what high performance actually looks like day to day
• Trust your data to make confident decisions
• Find out how associations doing this well free up staff for members, not admin
• Discover what makes member experience simple enough for people to love
• Leave with a clear next step for closing your own gap

Meet Our Presenter

Paul Ramsbottom
Managing Director - ASI Asia-Pacific

Over the last 30+ years Paul has worked with more professional bodies, industry associations, charities and fundraisers than most people would gather in several lifetimes. He is passionate about helping Not-For-Profits and Associations reach their goals, through adopting new and innovative solutions to help them run more efficiently. He is Managing Director of ASI Asia-Pacific which has more than 600 Not-For-Profit clients in the region. Paul enjoys working everyday with great staff and great clients and is rewarded by seeing great things ASI clients do in and around the community and knowing that ASI is able to contribute to that.

CAE Exam between 1 - 14 December 2026 This course is for the December 2026 examination *Please note that the exam registration through ASAE is separate and is the delegates responsibility. AuSAE is here to help

Course cost - AuSAE Member $750 

Non member / Business partner  $950 includes  

• Course material ( Professional Practices in Association Management, 4th Edition)

• Cliff notes with practice exam questions for each domain

• Study group learnings and exam questions

• Practice exam exam

The Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential is an International marker of a committed association professional who has demonstrated the wide range of knowledge essential to manage an association in today’s challenging environment.

Have you got what it takes to go to the next level, AuSAE is here to help you!!
Applications close with ASAE 25 September  2026 for the exam

Program Starting Friday 18 September 2026

Week 1 - 18 September : CAE Orientation session and Systems thinking

Week’s 2 - 9: Covering the eight domains 1 hour each week (Friday)

• 25 September: Domain 1 Governance
• 2 October: Domain 2 Executive Leadership
• 9 October: Domain 3 Organisational Strategy
• 16 October: Domain 4 Operations
• 23 October: Domain 5 Business development
• 30 October: Domain 6 Member and Stakeholder Engagement and Management
• 6 November: Domain 7 Advocacy
• 13 November: Domain 8 Marketing and Communications

Week 10: Wednesday 18 November Practice exam in exam conditions (100 questions) 2 hours
Friday 20 November Open forum (1hour 30 mins)

• CAE Exam fee is separate and paid through ASAE when applying for the exam. Member cost $500 USD

Year in review: what the sector learned in 2026 

The final session of the year is both a celebration and a forward look. A panel of three to four members, drawn from across different association types, sizes, and career stages, reflects on the big themes that shaped the sector in 2026. What changed? What didn't change as much as expected? What's the one thing they'll carry into 2027? This session closes the year with a sense of community and shared experience, and plants the seeds for what's coming next.

What members can expect
This session brings together practical reflections from across the sector,  highlighting what’s shifted, what’s stuck, and what’s emerging for associations.

• Three to four association leaders share their biggest professional insight or shift from the year
• Reflections drawn on themes emerging across the AKP: In Practice program throughout the year
• A forward-looking close exploring what association professionals are watching as they move into 2027

Attendees receive 1 CAE credits. 

AuSAE is proud to be a CAE Approved Provider. As a CAE Approved Provider educational program related to the CAE exam content outline, this event may be applied for 1 credit toward your CAE application or renewal professional development requirements. For more information about the CAE credential or Approved Provider program, please visit www.asaecenter.org/cae.  

Register today!
The AKP: In Practice webinar series is exclusively available to AuSAE members and digital subscribers. 

Not a member? Join AuSAE or Become a Digital Subscriber today.