HE FEST 2026
Australasia's Premier Marketing, Recruitment and Advancement Conference for the HE sector
22-23 Sept 2026
Sydney
A Future Campus conference | Hosted by Macquarie University
HE FEST returns, bigger and bolder than ever – celebrating ideas and best practice in Higher Education marketing, recruitment, advancement and strategy.
Developed by the team at Future Campus and hosted at Macquarie University’s lush campus in north Sydney, this year’s conference will create a forum for new conversations and the opportunity to develop new networks, with a strong focus on practical solutions and best practice benchmarks.
Sessions will be focused on testing current policy and practice and showcasing best practice approaches across marketing, comms, recruitment, alumni, engagement, philanthropy and strategy.
HE FEST 26 offers a compelling mix of content:
- Keynote speakers who are internationally-recognised thought leaders
- Award entrants who are shortlisted for Future Campus 2026 awards presenting case studies of best practice approaches in short, practical sessions
- Moderated panel discussions
The conference will appeal to marketing, recruitment, advancement, alumni, and Faculty staff, as well as HE planning, policy and AI thought leaders.
Future Campus HE FEST 26 Awards
In recognition of key achievements by university staff in Australia and New Zealand, the Future Campus HE FEST 26 Awards will recognise the nation’s leading work in marketing, recruitment and advancement over the past year.
The awards, to be judged by an eminent panel of sector experts, will be presented at the HE FEST conference on 22 September 2026.
We believe these areas are critical to the future perceptions, efficiency, effectiveness and success of higher education and are also under-recognised as enablers of change.
Future Campus, the news source produced by and for Australasian HE, is proud to work with staff across the country to judge and present these awards.
