INDUSTRY NEWS
New format, attractions for 2026 Australian Almond Conference
THE 2026 Australian Almond Conference in October will feature a new format to maximise the experience for delegates. The event at the Adelaide Convention Centre is scheduled to start at 11am on Tuesday, October 13 and run through until 3pm on Thursday, October 15. Social opportunities include Tuesday evening’ s welcome drinks and cocktail party, while preparations are underway to ensure the all-inclusive Gala Dinner is yet again a night to remember. The biggest addition to the program this year is a new stand-alone marketing forum to be held on day one before the traditional evening cocktail welcome event in the trade exhibit arena. Olympic swimming champion Kyle Chalmers will be making a guest appearance, hopefully with some Commonwealth Games gold to share. This forum will be open to all delegates, but can be considered as a one-off event to inform and educate retailers, manufacturers and traders on the latest initiatives of the almond industry in a single day. It will showcase domestic and international market updates and innovations as well as provide a deep dive into market conditions and opportunities to better market Australian almonds. A key feature will be the star-studded panel of industry marketers as well as a roundtable comprised of our inmarket representatives in India, China and South-East Asia. Day two and three will still contain the traditional agenda, but it will be concentrated on the one main stage. The program over these two days will feature the usual keynote addresses including the State of the Industry, as well as expert interactive presentations on key issues faced on farm and by processors. The change in format has come out of the 2024 conference delegate feedback that confirmed a certain
A new format and some star guests are set to make the 2026 Australian Almond Conference one of the best yet.
degree of FOMO( fear of missing out) by staging concurrent presentations across two stages. By placing downstream supply chain activities in a condensed program as a prequel to the official welcome, it is hoped that it can attract an extra demographic to the first day audience and maximise a holistic share of information across a more relaxed timeline. Almond Board of Australia CEO Tim Jackson said the conference format change was an attempt to be as inclusive as possible. Extra space has been booked to cater for a piazza-style trade exhibit floor plan that features networking and bar areas in the middle of the trade exhibits. A large screen will also show all the presentations from the plenary so those in the trade arena will always be aware of what is being discussed on the main stage. Almond Board of California CEO Clarice Turner will be among the keynote speakers at the conference. It will be Clarice’ s first appearance at the conference. The former Starbucks senior vice president is utilising her considerable business acumen to drive almond demand around the world despite the ongoing industry challenges faced both at home and abroad. She will headline in a worldclass line up of almond experts in a wide range of areas including increasing yields, tackling hull rot, phytophthora, varietal-rootstock combinations, gene editing, AI, pest management, carob moth, carpophilus beetle and maximising returns. Industry stakeholders are encouraged to register for the conference at the same time they take out their new 2026-27 ABA memberships. The membership discount, coupled with early bird registrations provide great value for money. Sponsorship and trade exhibit spaces are already filling up quickly, so those keen to be involved are recommended to book early. There are limited sponsorship opportunities left while more than half of the exhibit booths have also been taken. For more information on the conference, as well as sponsorship and exhibit opportunities, click here.
industry. australianalmonds. com. au
15