SIITR24 under the hood

If you’ve attended one (or both) of the two Social Impact in the Regions (SIITR) conferences you’ll be very aware this isn’t just another conference.

Our conference founder and producer, Kerry Grace says it’s because she designs the conference as a community engagement activity, not just an event:

“Conferences can be so boring and the people we attract are dealing with the hardest issues in our regions, we want to create a space where they can feel connected and energised, not put them to sleep.” says Kerry

Kerry’s work is best described as community and economic development, she has produced events as a means of bringing people together for over 30 years cutting her teeth on a rock concert with five bands (including her own band) in 1992 before she relocated to Sydney and delivered corporate, community and music events in both city and regional locations then, on her return to the Mid North Coast of NSW a range of festivals and conferences including the Ignite MNC annual conference for Regional Development Australia Mid North Coast between 2017-2022.

She says the key to a memorable event is to build a community. And it’s community building that is her focus (so please don’t phone her to arrange your event).

Kerry’s upcoming book, Spiraling Up explores three key steps to building stronger communities:

Understand what matters
Come together and
Play with possibility

Social Impact in the Regions enables it’s audience to experience these steps through a range of event features (listed below) which not only bring the audience together, but take them on a journey. It is these features, and of course the resulting community that make SIITR an event to remember.

Now SIITR has concluded for 2024 Kerry is working alongside Ready Communities co-founder Dr. Chad Renando to distil information gathered at the conference and through the lead in Ready Macleay program. This information will be presented back to conference delegates and other key stakeholders in a white paper which will become an annual fixture of the SIITR calendar.

What makes SIITR an effective community engagement activity?

Events are important economic drivers in regional communities. However, Kerry says a lot of opportunity is wasted when they are only examined through this lens. In fact, events can be catalytic for community engagement, creation of education pathways, raising awareness around issues and opportunities, activating spaces and even raising hope and aspiration in the host community.

A lot of thought goes into the audience experience each year and as the conference develops there is also a swag of program elements that delegates can engage with. These elements are designed both for audience engagement and also broader social impact in the host community.

A summary of the elements follows and each links to a broader explanation and some ideas about how you might incorporate these things in your own community and/or events:

Program design

SIITR is hosted over three days in a regional community. We look for communities with a population of under 30,000. SIITR is preceded by our lead-in place-based community building program called Ready Communities.

Is your community ripe for this program? Get in touch for a chat.

Each year delegates can expect a smorgasbord of program elements including:

Plenary sessions: Each morning delegates come together in our main venue for a plenary session which is designed as a daily conversation starter. Each session incorporates several panels which discuss the key themes for the day. We look for speakers with regional expertise and ideally people who live in regional communities.
Workshops: On Day 1 we offer a range of workshops designed to give delegates a taste-test of a variety of tools in the social impact space. There are two rounds of workshops each with a choice of 5-6 options. Is there something you’d like us to cover in 2025? Tell us more here.
Masterclasses: In 2025 our masterclasses will be held on Day 2 of the event. These provide a deeper dive into the topics and themes covered on day 1. We look for speakers who can provide a warts and all insight about the topic and can deliver their topic to a range of skill levels. Is there something you’d like us to cover at #SIITR25? Put your thoughts forward here.
Social activities: We love a good get together and our social activities are events within the event. Each year we host:
- a welcome event: a short get together sampling local produce, meeting one another and getting to know some of the local community members who have been involved in the host community’s Ready Communities (lead-in) program.
- The SIITR annual Gala dinner: What happens at the dinner stays at the dinner. Delegates have told us this is the event of the year. We won’t say a lot more other than… be prepared.
- Annual SIITR National Pitchfest: Each year social entrepreneurs and impact practitioners are invited to pitch their project or social enterprise to the judges for their opportunity to win a range of prizes including a ticket to the following year’s event. In 2024 the event was sponsored by StartSomeGood who provided pitchees with a range of prizes and also advice and support at the event. Leanne Butterworth also provided an excellent pitchfest training session leading into the event.
- Investor tour: Our investor tour kicked off in 2024. This is a great opportunity to introduce conference delegates (including some representing philanthropy and government) to social enterprises and impact projects identified in the host community via the Ready Communities program.

Would you like to speak or present at #SIITR25 ? You can apply until 30 May 2025 via this link.

SIITR features

It’s not just the visible elements that make the conference. There are also a range of underpinning inclusions, strategies and bonus features that keep delegates engaged and offer the host community more ways to benefit via the event. Follow the links to learn more about the story behind each feature.

Gala dinner theme: Each year the custodian of our Gala dinner theme is passed on. In 2024 Teddy Loveny handed the responsibility across to Aunty Vicky Taylor following her stellar interpretation of Teddy’s ‘on the fringes’ theme in 2024. Learn more about Aunty Vicky’s 2025 Gala Dinner theme here.
Volunteer program: Our volunteer program is growing momentum each year. Not only does it give the participants a built-in tribe who experience the behind the scenes conference happenings, it also works on a reciprocal basis giving volunteers access to a conference t-shirt, free ticket (in line with volunteer time), meals and the ability to sit in on sessions. Yes, there is work to be done however we are assured our volunteers have a great time too.
Youth stream: In partnership with Taz and Em of Futures Isle (Tas) our youth stream evolves each year. Our aim is to ensure SIITR is a safe and nurturing place for young people to learn about social impact, to get connected and to be inspired to create change in their own communities.
Speakers: SIITR speakers are an important part of our conference community. We encourage speakers to stick around rather than jumping off stage and rushing off. While we do not pay speakers they are all offered a free ticket for the entire conference. Apply to speak at SIITR25
Space activation: We work with a fabulous and ever growing team of events and production crew, artists and performers and community builders. Our aim is to find venues that are close to the heart of our host community enabling easy access to local shops and opportunities to walk about the community and really get a feel for place. We look for spaces in which we can create a community well, that is, a gathering place. Coming together is an important part of what we do and when we activate spaces this is very much in mind. more here
Shop local: We want delegates to spend their money in the host community and we lead the charge by doing this too. more here
Local food: While it isn’t always possible to source everything locally, we aim to keep our food miles low and enjoy what the local season and region has to offer.
Creative industries: Visual and performing arts are central to the SIITR program and our delegates love the range of stimulating performances presented throughout the event. We engage local practitioners to provoke, entertain, bring together and to record our activities. more here
Billeting: In 2024 we tested out a billeting program where local people hosted conference delegates. While we only had TWO hosts take up the opportunity both hosts and delegates were delighted with the experience. more here
Exhibitors: Each year we hand pick a range of exhibitors to share information about their services / social enterprises at the event. We never want our exhibitor section to be cluttered and are very picky about who is included. Want to exhibit in 2025? Apply here. More information here
Communal activities: We design our events for introverts and this means having lots of spaces to move about, to retreat and to engage. We always include a range of activities that stimulate conversations such as our theme boards in 2023 and Love Letters to the Macleay in 2024.