Find yourself at the APEN conference 2023, being held at Launceston, Tasmania!

OVERVIEW

The Australasia-Pacific Extension Network (APEN) is proud to announce its next conference will be held in Launceston, Tasmania from Tuesday 14 to Thursday 16 November 2023. This is the premier international event for rural and community advisory practitioners, researchers, policy makers, academics and others involved in extension and education. APEN 2023 provides you with an exceptional opportunity to hear the latest extension research and practice from across Australia, New Zealand and beyond. 

Don't miss this unique opportunity to share knowledge, learn new skills and improve your extension capability. Attending will enable you to hear new approaches and techniques being used in other industries and regions, that you can then consider applying in your context. If you work in agricultural extension, this is a fabulous opportunity for networking and connecting with your tribe! 

Co-design the event with us

Don’t let us have all the fun of designing this conference! We’d love to hear your ideas that could help make this the best event you attend in 2023! Add your great thoughts and ideas using this short survey and if you add your contact details we’ll keep you informed with conference updates.

Theme

The theme for this year’s conference is ‘Looking to the future: the role of extension and education’. In a rapidly changing world, APEN 2023 will provide an opportunity to better appreciate the new roles and functions played by extension and education. Together, we will discuss the necessary mindsets, skills and capabilities, and the approaches, methods and instruments useful to improve effectiveness and impact. 

Dates

Tuesday 14 to Thursday 16 November 2023.

Venue

We’re using the beautiful facilities at the Tailrace Centre, Launceston, located at 1 Waterfront Drive, Riverside TAS 7250. They have wonderful conference rooms with an abundance of natural light and views over the Tamar River. They are a not-for-profit organisation and our use of the facilities helps fund the programs they run for disadvantaged youth. 

Accommodation

While the Tamar River Villas are just across the road, there is an abundance of good quality accommodation in the Launceston CBD, which is just a quick 7 minute drive away. You can use this handy Google map to see what’s available. 

Program

We’re still working on the finer details of the program but we are ensuring that it is a contemporary people-focused event that maximises engagement. There will be a variety of options for presentations, including:

• keynote presentations
• masterclasses
• workshop sessions
• plenary papers
• posters and
• field trips.

As final arrangements are made, we’ll share the final program here. 

Field trips

We’re busily planning an exciting range of field trips that will highlight the great work being undertaken in the local area, in both agriculture and natural resource management. 

Explore Tasmania

If you’re coming to Tasmania, why not spend a little longer and explore some of our beautiful state? Discover Tasmania has some ideas to get you started! 

Partner tours

We are considering promoting some tours for the partners of conference delegates and will provide more information soon.

Sponsorship

Support from sponsors will be essential for the success of the conference. We will offer a limited number of sponsorship opportunities to provide your organisation with high-profile exposure, before, during and after the APEN 2023 conference. The conference will be promoted broadly across Australia, New Zealand and beyond and is expected to attract over 150 delegates. To secure your exposure at APEN 2023, please contact us to discuss your requirements and how we can assist you to promote your organisation. A sponsorship prospectus will be made available shortly. 

Registration

We’re still working out the finer details of the conference, and will add the registration costs and process here in due course.

Stay informed

If you would like to receive updates about the conference, please add your thoughts to the co-design survey and we’ll automatically keep you informed about the conference. 

Conference Committee

Introducing the 2023 APEN Conference Committee members:

• Alex Russell, UTAS
• Anthony Kachenko, Hort Innovation
• Denise Bewsell, Scarlatti
• Jo Jones, Pinion
• John James, Enablers of Change
• Leanne Sherriff, Pinion Advisory
• Morag Anderson, RMCG
• Olivia Woodiwiss, Pinion Advisory
• Ossie Lang, RMCG
• Roy Murray-Prior, APEN
• Sarah Thompson, Milk Department
• Sophie Folder, Pear Consulting
• Tony Butler, Pasture Trials Network

Further information

Please continue to visit our website to keep up to date with conference abstracts, presenters, and registration information. If you need further information, please contact the conference convenor, John James. 

The proceedings of past conferences can be viewed here.