In today’s hyper-saturated world, playing it safe is the fastest route to irrelevance. Brands that avoid risk in favour of predictable, incremental growth are losing to those willing to embrace bold creativity and strategic bets.

Brent Smart, Telstra’s award-winning Chief Marketing Officer and former CEO of Saatchi & Saatchi New York, knows that the biggest breakthroughs come from taking calculated risks. Drawing on real-world case studies from brands like NRMA, McDonald’s, and Commonwealth Bank, Brent reveals why risk is the currency of differentiation, how to foster a creative culture that thrives on experimentation, and why brands that chase safety ultimately fade into the background.

Audience Takeaways:

• Creativity wins: Safe brands get lost in the noise—bold creativity is the only way to stand out.
• Culture beats process: Innovation thrives in cultures that balance psychological safety with intellectual honesty.
• Long-term impact over short-term metrics: True brand value isn’t measured in clicks but in meaningful, lasting connections.

Persuasion and Influence

How do you persuade people? When you have an idea, how do you get others on board to help you turn it into something real? Lots of good ideas never get anywhere. How can you make sure that yours do?

Being able to persuade is an essential skill. You might have an idea at work, something you want to pitch in a meeting, or a proposal you want to excite clients and customers about. You might want to get your team fired up, persuade your boss, or even harder, one of your kids. To do it, you need to know how to persuade, and how to influence. In this compelling and informative keynote, James O’Loghlin will share practical strategies to enable people to be more persuasive and influential.

Session takeaways:

• How to boil a complex argument down to its essence and present a short, sharp and compelling pitch
• How to identify and get to decision-makers
• How to work out what a decision maker wants, what they need and how your proposal can solve a problem for them
• How to focus on solutions
• How to find and enlist influential supporters

Negotiations are a frightening part of life, there are no two ways about it. Whether it's negotiating a fee with a client, haggling your worth to your boss or even standing at a check out and making a case for a refund. The uncertainty and discomfort that comes with these situations can leave us feeling weak and unsure. Below, I have outlined some very easy tools for coming across as confident and a person with authority. Remember these steps and the next time you are in a negotiation situation, you will feel less ninny and more ninja.