Embracing the ‘Levelling the Playing Field’ theme, it was only fitting the event was held adjacent to the historic Adelaide Oval, one of the best playing fields Australia has to offer. With the fortune of a sunny day, over 100 attendees arrived at Next Gen amidst stunning surrounds, acquiring name badges and showbags whilst chatter arose in anticipation of what was to come.

Stuart Symons, the event’s MC, got the ball rolling and introduced the first keynote speaker, Alex Johnston. Alex delivered an impressive insight into expected changes in technology by 2020 in what was a fascinating start to the day, albeit some were left slightly concerned about potential negative impacts. Our CEO, Karl Grant, then covered an overview of the industry detailing what’s next for DA, followed by a roadmap update from Alexei Fey.

Throughout the day, a Yammer feed in the breakout area displayed live updates of relevant photos, comments and ideas. Attendees utilised the venue’s outdoor terrace area at lunch, overlooking tennis courts, to soak up the sun and take in some fresh air. After the refreshing break, Katrina Slattery, along with Robert Aitken from Beyond Bank, discussed CRM and highlighted the importance of openness in sharing with the community.

For many, the highlight of Day 1 was Dr. Adam Fraser’s introduction to the concept of ‘the third space’. His energetic demeanour uplifted the mood of the afternoon as guests learned many relatable principles they could put into practice in their own lives. Once the crowd of eager book purchasers gathered around Adam had dispersed, the afternoon’s security session commenced, initiated by Christine Antoniou. Sponsor presentations followed, including a session on PCI from Vectra and Customer Identity from Symantec.

Having filled up on valuable information, everyone made their way across to the Phil Ridings Bar at Adelaide Oval where they networked over a few relaxing drinks and took in the spectacular view. As an added surprise, guests could look across the field to see the words ‘DA Client Conference Levelling the Playing Field’ pertinently written on the scoreboard. Before too long it was time to head into the city to Waymouth Street, to end the day with dinner and drinks at The Gallery. During dinner, a slideshow entitled ‘Celebrating Mutual Success’ played over two big screens depicting key DA and client successes over the past year.

Attendees arrived bright and early on Friday, ready for another day that promised to be as beneficial as the previous. After Stuart recapped Day 1 proceedings, the audience heard from the third keynote speaker, Peter Russell. Peter’s optimistic view of the industry and its future, contrasted the security and technology concerns of Day 1 and provided an uplifting start to the day. The next session delved into the Cloud, headed by Jason Day from Lenovo and Ross Chiswell from Telstra, before Alexei analysed both the present state and the future of Core Banking.

Succeeding another sunny lunch break, Karl Grant led the business card draw as he randomly selected the winners of Haighs Chocolates courtesy of Corporate Traveller, a tablet courtesy of Lenovo and an iPad mini for first prize, courtesy of Telstra. After the draw’s excitement dissipated, the non-mutuals moved next door to Stream 2 for an open forum and a session on Digital Banking. Meanwhile, the Stream 1 audience heard from three of our sponsors. Nathan Churchward from Cuscal discussed NPP and The Pays, David Roche and Laurie Sinnett from Bizagi spoke about DA Lending and workflow and Adam Ruchotzke from Message Media demonstrated extended SMS services.

As we took a break, the unmistakable towering presence of Australian rugby legend, John Eales, attracted myriad photographs and competition for conversation with the man himself. During his presentation, John impressed us all with his sporting achievements throughout his career. He listed the 8 recurring themes for peak performance and recalled the wise words of his father, who taught him the seriousness of sport, but not to take it too seriously. To close the event, Karl thanked clients, staff and sponsors alike as the event was wrapped up with a semblance of success.

We thoroughly enjoyed hosting the 2-day conference and sincerely hope everyone found value in the sessions. Thank you again to everyone for their support and we look forward to doing it all again at the next Client Conference held on March 10^th, 2017.