Speak at Futurespace 2023 – calling for abstracts

Being a professional consultant means we need to be aware of market trends and solutions. We need to have strong business acumen and cultural competency. We must be aware of the latest innovations and science to make our businesses, designs and solutions work more efficiently. To do this, we need to meet the right people, have the right conversations and immerse ourselves in the right reading.

That’s why we’ve created the conference Futurespace. It’s an opportunity for c-suite, up-and-coming leaders, innovators, designers and professional consultants at the top of their game to enhance their professional repertoire. It's about being in the room with other curious creatives to poke the brains of some of the best consultants in Aotearoa. 

Before we open for conference registrations, we’re on the hunt for exceptional stories from people around our key themes to speak at Futurespace. You don’t have to be in the professional consulting industry to speak, in fact, we welcome it. Can you turn our audience on with your tails of leadership and innovation, mātauranga Māori, mental health and wellness strategies, risk management or influence when it comes to business consultancy?  

Key themes 

Every conference needs a theme, right? Well, we have six which we believe professional consultants in Aotearoa want to know more about. What theme suits your presentation?  

Mātauranga Māori - sponsored by the Diversity Agenda 

Can you talk to mātauranga Māori and growing cultural competency in the workplace? Are you a leader in Iwi partnerships and interested in sharing how our industry can be the best it can be in this space? Can you speak to projects for clients that have a particular focus on Mātauranga Māori? 

Influence 

How have you and your team used influence to get the best out a piece of work? How have you influenced change when others thought it wasn’t possible?  

Have you leveraged the right people and built trust along your career and want to share your knowledge with other leaders and consultants?  

Leadership  

How have you lead in the current economic uncertainty and how have you scaled and grown your business to suit.  

Or can you show our consultants how you've flexed your leadership skills with ESG principals?  

Culture – sponsored by MindSpace 

What tools or resources have you used to help your business thrive when mental health and wellness in our sector is at an all-time low? Can you give us examples of successful employee retention, recruitment and diversity, or how you’ve improved productivity while most of us work in a hybrid home-office environment post Covid-19.  

Risk 

How have you used contracts, insurance and risk management to enhance your business in the current climate?  

Innovation 

With new and emerging technologies and innovations such as AI and automation, how have these changed your business for the better? What was the process for innovation? Have you used change management practices and demonstrated future thinking to implement seamlessly with your business? How has the delivery of your project changed for the better using innovation? 

Key dates   

  • Abstract submissions close - 6 April  
  • Presenters notified if your abstract has been selected - 28 April 
  • Conference - 20-21 September
    • 20 September themes: Mātauranga Māori, influence and leadership
    • 21 September themes: Culture, risk and innovation  

The details of what we need  

We want to hear from all types of leaders, experts and professional consultants. You don’t just have to be from a large firm, we want stories of influence and leadership from leaders at SMEs and sole traders too.  

The format of each presentation:  

  • 15 minutes plus time for Q&A 
  • More than one person can present, but you’ll need to share the 15-minute time slot 
  • Each presenter will need to pay to register and travel to Wellington (if your abstract is selected) 

You'll need to submit an abstract to be considered to present at Futurespace. We need:  

  • A catchy and informative title 
  • A 100-word summary about your presentation 
  • A 100-word biography and a photograph of yourself 
  • Contact details of the presenter and any additional authors 

Abstract presentations are concurrent and conference attendees choose what session they wish to attend.  

Submit your abstract 

Submit your abstract now to be considered