2026 Rotary South Pacific Zone Conference
Join Rotary Hawthorn Members at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre
30 Oct – 1 Nov 2026
Saturday 31 October Morning – PEOPLE
- Presidents Breakfast with RIPE Larry Lunsford (ticketed event)
(Club Presidents, Presidents-Elect & Nominees) - Keynote Address: Closing the Gap, (announcement coming soon)
- Rotary Project Case Study: Ending Trachoma in Australia, Robert McGuirk, Rotary Club of Melbourne
- Panel: Building Community Resilience - Rotary's Role, (announcement coming soon)
- Rotary South Pacific Update: Membership Focus
Morning & Afternoon - PLANET
- Keynote Address: Water at the Heart of Community Resilience, Bridget Teirney MSc, BEng (Hons)
- Rotary Project Case Study: (announcement coming soon)
- Entertainment
- Keynote Address: Building Climate Resilient Futures in the Pacific, (announcement coming soon)
- Rotary Project Case Study: (announcement coming soon)
- Rotary South Pacific Update: Partnerships Focus
- Breakout Sessions: People / Planet / Peace – Rotary’s Call to Action
Afternoon & Evening
End Polio Now Walk (ticketed event) - Raising awareness and support for Rotary’s global eradication effort
Hosted by End Polio Now Coordinator PDG Amanda Wendt
The Rotary Foundation Major Donor Event (invitation)
Hosted by Endowment & Major Gift Adviser PDG Wendy Protheroe
Saturday Conference Dinner
Theme “Masquerade” - A celebration of service, leadership and regional fellowship.
Hosted by PDG Michael Lapina
Conference registration includes:
- morning tea on Saturday and Sunday
- lunch on Saturday
- Delegates will not get a takeaway lunch at the end of the conference on the Sunday. Lunch on Sunday is "own arrangements".
Full conference plus dinner registration includes Saturday dinner.
Saturday dinner tickets may also be purchased separately.
Sunday 1 November Morning - PEACE
- In Memoriam
- Keynote Address: Peace in the Age of Information Warfare, Associate Professor Sebastian Kaempf, Rotary Peace Centre, University of Queensland
- Rotary Project Case Study: (announcement coming soon)
- Breakout Sessions: People / Planet / Peace – Rotary’s Call to Action
- Closing presentations and reflections, entertainment.
Conference will close no later than 1:30PM
Conference registration includes:
- morning tea on Saturday and Sunday
- Delegates will not get a takeaway lunch at the end of the conference on the Sunday. Lunch on Sunday is "own arrangements"
Where… The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, colloquially referred to as Jeff’s Shed, is a group of three adjacent buildings next to the Yarra River in South Wharf, an inner-city suburb of Melbourne, Victoria. The iconic venue is an outlet for Melbourne’s signature culture, hosting dynamic exhibitions, conferences, galas and concerts.