The Australian Business Events Association (ABEA) has opened applications for its 2026 Leadership Development for Emerging Leaders Program, with 30 scholarships funded by Tourism Australia’s Business Events Australia unit. The 2026 program runs as two city intakes in Sydney and Adelaide, each capped at 15 participants. Applications are open now through ABEA’s website.
A 30-Seat Bet on Leadership Depth
ABEA chief executive Melissa Brown framed the 2026 scholarship round as a direct response to a workforce problem the sector has long flagged. The peak body is funding the 30 emerging-leader seats through Tourism Australia’s Business Events Australia unit. Both peak bodies describe the round as critical to long-term industry sustainability. ABEA’s structure runs the program across two city intakes to keep the cohort small.
The 30 scholarships are funded through a single joint commitment from ABEA and Business Events Australia. They cover the face-to-face program, individual coaching, and recognition at the December conference. Applications are open through ABEA’s 2026 Emerging Leaders Program announcement and scholarship detail, with separate application links for the Sydney and Adelaide intakes. Each intake is capped at 15 participants to keep delivery personal. The scholarships partially support participation costs, ABEA said.
Built With Leading Well and Turnkey Event Solutions
The 2026 program is delivered in partnership with Leading Well and Turnkey Event Solutions. Leading Well executive coach Dan Londero leads the curriculum. The structure combines face-to-face learning sessions, individual coaching, and leadership development modules focused on mindset, communication, relationship building, wellbeing and systemic leadership principles.
Business Events Australia, Tourism Australia’s dedicated business events unit, is the funding partner for the scholarships. Its executive general manager for industry and business events, Sally Cope, ties the program to Australia’s standing as a destination. “People are at the heart of every successful business event in Australia, and supporting emerging leaders is critical to ensuring our industry continues to innovate, grow and compete on the global stage,” Cope said. BEA’s broader talent portfolio also includes the Advance Program. Its structure and eligibility requirements cover international industry development work.
ABEA framed the 2026 scholarship round as a direct extension of that workforce focus. Brown said investing in future leaders is critical to ensuring the long-term strength and sustainability of the industry. She said the business events sector continues to face challenges attracting, retaining and nurturing talent, making leadership development more important than ever. Both organisations now fund the scholarships and the Future Leaders Award at the Australian Business Events Awards.
Five Curriculum Topics Across Two City Intakes
The 2026 curriculum is built around five named topics, taught through the lenses of mindset and wellbeing. Sessions are designed for the realities of a busy leadership role. The aim is to give emerging leaders the tools to lead both themselves and the people around them.
- Communication, with sessions on translating intent into action
- Relationship building, focused on internal and external stakeholders
- Feedback, with structured work on giving and receiving it
- Leadership performance, tying personal habits to team outcomes
- Navigating complexity in modern workplaces
The five topics are taught face-to-face, not online. Each block is grounded in the program’s stated lens of mindset and wellbeing, according to ABEA. The structure walks each cohort from individual self-management to systems-level thinking, ABEA said. The format pairs classroom work with individual coaching that follows the face-to-face program. Each intake runs across two consecutive days in its host city.
Beyond the classroom, every participant receives a one-on-one coaching session with a Leading Well executive coach after the face-to-face program ends. That session is included in the scholarship. Topics in the individual coaching are tailored to each participant’s role and seniority, ABEA said. Recognition happens at the ABEA Conference & Awards in December 2026.
The conference platform gives scholars direct exposure to the sector’s senior leadership and the year’s award winners. ABEA framed both the scholarships and the December recognition as part of a single talent strategy. So did Business Events Australia, when Sally Cope tied the scholarships to the industry’s global competitiveness. The 2026 cohort joins the Emerging Leaders Council, which ABEA runs in parallel. BEA backs both the scholarships and the Future Leaders Award at the Australian Business Events Awards.
Sydney, Adelaide, Then the December Awards
The 2026 program runs in two city intakes across the second half of the year. The Sydney intake is scheduled for 18 and 19 August 2026. The Adelaide intake follows on 30 November and 1 December 2026. Each intake is capped at 15 participants to keep delivery personal.
- 18 and 19 August 2026: Sydney intake, capped at 15 participants
- 30 November and 1 December 2026: Adelaide intake, capped at 15 participants
- December 2026: Recognition at the ABEA Conference & Awards
The Adelaide timing is deliberate. Adelaide participants step from the final coaching day into the industry’s flagship annual gathering. The conference platform gives scholars direct exposure to the sector’s senior leadership and the year’s award winners. ABEA framed the scholarships and the December recognition as a single talent strategy. So did Business Events Australia, when Sally Cope tied the scholarships to the industry’s global competitiveness.
Applications are open now through the ABEA website. ABEA has published separate application links for the Sydney and Adelaide intakes on its news page. The scholarships partially support participation and investment in the program, ABEA said.
Why Both Peak Bodies Are Calling It a Talent Crisis
The 2026 scholarship round lands against a workforce landscape both peak bodies describe in stark terms. Brown has called the sector’s leadership pipeline a structural problem. Cope added that supporting emerging leaders is critical to ensuring the industry continues to innovate, grow and compete on the global stage. Both organisations are now publicly framing the workforce problem as a leadership-depth issue. BEA also runs the Advance Program, which targets industry development in international markets, alongside the scholarship work.
The business events sector continues to face challenges attracting, retaining and nurturing talent, making leadership development more important than ever.
Brown, ABEA’s chief executive, made the talent-shortage framing central to the program’s launch. The two peak bodies describe the joint funding as a deliberate alignment of education and recognition. ABEA and BEA now fund both the Emerging Leaders curriculum and the Future Leaders Award at the Australian Business Events Awards. The 2026 cohort will be recognised alongside the Future Leaders Award winners at the December conference.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the ABEA Emerging Leaders Program?
The ABEA Emerging Leaders Program is the Australian Business Events Association’s annual Leadership Development for Emerging Leaders Program, delivered in partnership with Tourism Australia’s Business Events Australia unit. The 2026 program offers five classroom topics, individual coaching for every scholar, and recognition at the December 2026 ABEA Conference & Awards.
How many scholarships are available for 2026?
ABEA is funding 30 scholarships for 2026, split across two intakes of 15 participants each in Sydney and Adelaide.
When and where is the 2026 program delivered?
The Sydney intake runs on 18 and 19 August 2026, and the Adelaide intake runs on 30 November and 1 December 2026. Each intake is capped at 15 participants to keep delivery personal, with one-on-one coaching following the face-to-face program.
Who is eligible to apply?
The scholarships are open to ABEA members and to people already working in Australia’s business events industry, according to ABEA. Each intake is capped at 15 participants, and applicants apply to a specific city intake.
How do you apply?
Applications are open now through ABEA’s website, with separate application forms for the Sydney and Adelaide intakes on ABEA’s official news item page.
