One of the best conferences of this type anywhere in the world.
The financial times
Australian Leadership Retreat 2024
Building the Future
5 – 8 September 2024
About ADC Forum
ADC Forum is an independent, non-partisan, not-for-profit organisation founded in Australia in 1996 bringing together the nation’s foremost decision makers and thought leaders across all sectors to focus on the issues that are critical to future prosperity.
ADC Forum is an internationally connected community, enabling a strategic architecture for business to intersect with governments and academia across the world. ADC Forum brings a unique perspective, reflecting the changing nature of Australia and the world and strategically positioning Australia to make a major contribution to our region.
What is the Australian Leadership Retreat?
The Australian Leadership Retreat (ALR) is our nation’s premier gathering for business, political, academic and community leaders, with a proud history of impacting business and government strategies. An invitation only event, now in its 29th year, the ALR challenges the established agenda, through open, robust debate with a deliberate focus on the long term.
This year, ADC Forum was delighted to hold the ALR in Adelaide at the invitation of our Host Partner, the South Australian Government. Under the theme of Building the Future the ALR confronted established paradigms and consider innovative solutions for Australia as part of the Asia-Pacific region.
Why attend?
Drawing on ADC Forum’s exceptional network of leaders, the ALR offered participants the opportunity to gain deep insights into the issues affecting the future with a strong orientation towards outcomes which can be applied in public policy, businesses and organisations as well as in our own lives.
It is critical for Australia’s leaders from all sectors to strongly engage in discussions about the type of Australia we envisage and its role in and contribution to the world, with a particular focus on our regional neighbours. Therefore, the program was designed for active participation by all ALR attendees. The ALR focus was on how Australia needs to change by developing longer term aspirations for our future. What are Australia’s obligations to the world and how should we contribute to and position ourselves within our region? What are the next reforms we need to consider, notwithstanding the challenges?
Participation was an opportunity to contribute to this process. It was also an opportunity for renewing friendships as well as building new ones, peer to peer networking and direct interaction with eminent speakers. ADC Forum welcomed the attendance of spouses and partners, who participated in the program and enjoyed the attractions of the host city.
Program
The Program
Our program responded to the pressing imperative, in these turbulent times, to have the conversation about the future aspirations we want for Australia. We need fresh strategies, policies and reforms to adjust to the changing world. Leaders from the federal government and from the state level will participate to engage on the implications for public policy.
ADC Forum drew on its network of eminent thought leaders from Australia and around the globe to contribute to the program.
Topics to be covered include:
- Australia’s global positioning
- Transforming mindsets, strategic thinking and national
capacity - Australia’s economic destiny
- Education and skills development
- Markets, capital and investment
- Population, cities, regions and migration and national
development - Agriculture
- Mining and energy, including clean energy
- Confronting our environmental and climate challenges
- Innovation, advanced technology and manufacturing and digital development
- Defence, space and cybersecurity
- Creative industries and culture
Events for you
The program featured plenary sessions, working lunches, small group discussions, industry sessions and workshops, including:
Industry Sessions
An opportunity for participants to meet with peers from their and related industry sectors with high-level briefings and discussions about future challenges and opportunities.
Nightcaps
Informal sessions where keynote speakers provide “behind the scenes” insights in a convivial, interactive environment.
Investor Circle
Meetings of investors sharing insights into asset classes, structures, regulatory developments and economic trends impacting on markets in a frank peer-to-peer discussion.
Country Briefings & Delegations
In-depth insights from business leaders, government officials and academics illuminating current and future trajectories of countries critical to our future. Invitations were extended to a number of countries to send high-level representatives.
Working Groups
In the lead-up to the ALR, a number of high level working groups explored key issues in depth to present to the ALR an analysis of risks, opportunities and strategic potential for businesses as well as policy recommendations for government.
Australia and the Pacific Region
This year’s program featured key sessions on Australia’s relationship with the Pacific region, including issues related to economic prosperity, security and defence, sustainable development, management and conservation of the ocean and its resources, law enforcement, climate and disaster responses. ADC Forum liaised with significant government and private sector leaders from the region to participate in the ALR.
Why Adelaide?
Adelaide has been recognised as Australia’s coolest city by The Wall Street Journal for its culture, flavours, events, entertainment and landscapes. Adelaide also provides ready access to three world-renowned wine regions as well as being a base for visits to some of Australia’s foremost attractions, including the Barossa Valley, the Fleurieu Peninsula which offers a Mediterranean ambiance and Kangaroo Island, with its stunning scenery, which is regarded as the best location to see Australian wildlife in the wild.
ADC Forum, in collaboration with the Host Partner arranged optional tours for participants to enjoy these attractions before and after the ALR. Adelaide is also an important centre for world class innovative industries and plans were made for ALR participants to have the opportunity for visits including innovation hubs, biotech institutions, space and technology industries.
Top 10 Things to do in Adelaide
Adelaide combines exceptional food and wine, world-class events, and immersive wildlife experiences. Dine at some of the best restaurants in the country, sprawl out on sandy beaches minutes from the city and soak in the chic boutique city vibes. Here’s our guide to the top 10 things
to do in Adelaide – including where to eat and drink, what to see and must-do experiences.
The Best Restaurants in Adelaide
Home to Australia’s Best Restaurant for 2023, Adelaide is fast becoming one of the most exciting foodie capitals in the country. With delicious collaborations between internationally renowned chefs and an abundance of incredible South Australian produce, a visit to Adelaide is incomplete without dining at one of our award-winning restaurants.
When it comes to food and drink, South Australia is a true culinary playground, from culture-rich Adelaide to the lush Adelaide Hills, the unexpected flavours of the Flinders Ranges and Outback, to the seafood paradise of the Eyre Peninsula. South Australia is also a Great Wine Capital of the World and is home to an all-star cast of world-famous chefs, winemakers, and producers.
As Australia’s wine capital, there is an endless list of cool bars in Adelaide, from swanky rooftop bars to cosy cocktail lounges tucked away amid laneways.
You’ll find great tourist attractions all over South Australia, from the bustling stalls of the Adelaide Central Market to the imposing beauty of Remarkable Rocks and Kangaroo Island, to world famous wine regions, there are so many attractions well worth planning your trip around.
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