#SIITR — Since 2023
A Conference Built for
Regional Australia
SIITR brings together people who are creating and investing in social impact in regional communities to learn, connect, and advocate for regionally authentic action.
Regional economic output since 2023
Changemakers in the room
Speakers per conference
Of immersive learning
The Origin
It Started With a Simple Observation.
The people doing the most important work in regional Australia, the people with boots on the didn’t have a dedicated space to come together.
Most conferences pull regional practitioners out of their communities and into capital cities. SIITR inverts that entirely. We go to the regions, because that’s where the work is.
Founded by Kerry Grace in 2023, SIITR was built on a straightforward premise: when you put the right people in the room, in a community that looks and feels like the ones they’re fighting for, the conversations go deeper and the connections last longer.
Three years in, the evidence backs it up.
2023
First conference. Coffs Harbour, NSW.
Mission & Vision
What We're
Actually Here to Do.
SIITR exists to accelerate and amplify social impact in regional Australia. That means building the capability, connections, and confidence of the people who make it happen, year after year, community after community.
01.
Bring the best thinking, case studies and practical tools
Real stories, locally grounded conversations. Fifty-plus voices per conference, curated around what actually matters in the regions.
02.
Create connection that outlasts the event
Not a networking event. A community of practice. The relationships built at SIITR continue long after September.
03.
Leave a mark on every host community
SIITR isn't a fly-in, fly-out conference. Every dollar, every partnership, every conversation stays in the region.
Who It's For
If You love your
Regional community,
You Belong Here.
SIITR is built for the people in the room, not the people on the stage. If you’re working to create better outcomes for communities outside the major cities, this conference is for you.
Community Leaders & Practitioners
The people who are creating change in the regions. Whether you represent a not-for-profit, Aboriginal Corporation, Community organisation, local government or local business. If your boots are on the ground in the regions, if you want to change something, this is for you.
Social Impact Professionals
Researchers, evaluators, policy advisors, and intermediaries who want to understand what's actually working in regional communities from the people making it work.
Change investors
Government representatives, philanthropic organisations, corporate social responsibility leads, and investors seeking genuine engagement with regional Australia.
The Conference
Three Days.
One Community.
Lasting Impact.
SIITR is designed for depth, not just breadth. Fifty speakers across panels, workshops, impact labs and field visits, and unstructured time for the conversations that don't fit a schedule.
Day 1
Arrive & Connect
Towns in Transition: Opening panels, Local Impact Labs, Pitchfest and a Welcome event to remember.
Day 2
Go Deep
The heart of the conference. What is transition and how does it play out in a regional community or organisation? Panels, and practitioner-led workshops across the full range of social impact topics in the regions. High density, high quality.
Day 3
Focus Area Showcase
A deeper dive into the year's focus areas: Sustainability, Local economy, Cultural practices, Community connection and Liveability. A dedicated half-day for the communities and practitioners working at the coalface of a specific challenge. This is where the real work gets done.
Want to go deeper than the conference?
SIITR is the anchor event of a two-year, place-based readiness program through Ready Communities. That work happens before, during, and well after the conference in the host community and across regional Australia.
The conference is complete on its own. But if you’re drawn to the broader work, the annual focus areas, the community readiness model, the slow-build ecosystem approach there’s a place for you in that too.
No pressure either way. Come for the conference. Stay if it calls you.
The Bigger Picture
This Is Not
A Fly-In,
Fly-Out
Conference.
SIITR doesn’t just land in a community and leave. It’s the centrepiece of a two-year, place-based readiness program through Ready Communities. That means real investment in the host community before, during, and after we’re there.
Since 2023, SIITR has generated nearly $1 million in regional economic output across its host communities. Local venues, local businesses, local artists and organisations all benefit directly. That’s what we mean when we say place-based impact.
The Five Enabling Conditions influencing our work, SIITR design and legacy
1
Clarity & Understanding
Communities that know where they stand can move toward where they want to go.
2
Connection & Connectivity
The relationships that make collective action possible.
3
Capability & Capacity
Building the skills and bandwidth to turn readiness into action.
4
Collaboration for Purpose
Working together toward outcomes none of us could reach alone.
5
Advocacy & Promotion
Amplifying what's working and making the case for the regions.
The Team
The People
Behind SIITR.
SIITR was built by practitioners, for practitioners. Everyone involved in creating and running this conference has skin in the game of regional community development.
Kerry Grace
Founder & Conference Director
With over 20 years of senior leadership across government, not-for-profit, and community sectors, Kerry founded SIITR to create the conference she wished had existed. She is also the co-founder of Ready Communities and a published author on community development and leadership. Kerry is based in Stanthorpe, SIITR26’s host community.
Dr Chad Renando
Program Partner
Following his role leading an award-winning incubator in 2017, Chad focused on understanding and supporting place-based initiatives to address systemic contributing factors to resilience in rural communities. His passion integrates his roles as a Research Fellow (Innovation Ecosystems) and his work mapping and measuring systems.
