GenEarth Summit 2026
Сlient: Australian Conservation Foundation (ACF)
Industry: Not-for-Profit / Climate Advocacy
Event: GenEarth Summit 2026 (inaugural)
Location: Wiseman’s Retreat, Wiseman’s Ferry NSW, on Dharug and Gundungurra Country
Guests: Young storytellers, creators, activists and change-makers, alongside ACF staff and speakers
— Event Management & Program Design
— Venue & Accommodation Management
— Registration & Delegate Communications
— AV, Production & Speaker Management
— Activities & Experience Design
— Budget Management & Full Onsite Delivery
“Even on a short lead time, we always felt like we were in safe hands with On Purpose Events. From everything we’ve heard, we absolutely smashed this one out of the park.”
Changing the Story
The Brief
GenEarth exists to connect and cultivate the next generation of climate communicators. For its inaugural year, the Australian Conservation Foundation set out to bring together young storytellers, activists, thinkers and change-makers for a bold storytelling-for-climate experience, one built around connection and community as much as content. On Purpose Events was engaged to design and deliver the Summit end-to-end, turning that brief into a 2.5-day residential program at Wiseman’s Retreat on the Hawkesbury River, on a short runway and a first-year budget.
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More Than a Conference
What began as a conference brief grew into something closer to a residential experience, content, dinners, activities and genuine connection, woven through 2.5 days. On Purpose Events managed the full program for 56 delegates plus ACF staff and speakers, coordinating registration, accommodation, activities and a 16-speaker content program, and extending the original schedule by an extra day once the venue made it possible, without adding pressure to the budget.
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A Program Built on Voice and Country
The Summit opened with a Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony from Colin Lyons of the Metro Local Aboriginal Land Council, before moving into a keynote program hosted by emcee Milo Hartill. Across the following two and a half days, delegates heard from a deliberately varied line-up of storytellers and advocates exploring what it takes to communicate about climate and nature in ways that resonate, with sessions delivered live, as panels and, for interstate and international contributors, via virtual crossover. Two dinners, a Fireside BBQ and a Communal Feast, along with a program of outdoor activities in the surrounding bush, gave delegates as much time to connect with each other as with the content.
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The Outcome
For a first-year event built on a short runway, the results exceeded expectations. Against hundreds of requests to attend, 56 delegates were selected and checked in, a 99% attendance rate. In post-event feedback 95% rated their overall experience Good or Excellent, 92% said GenEarth made them feel more connected to ACF and its community, 100% said they would encourage someone else to participate if GenEarth returned, and 90% rated the organisation and flow of the event Good or Excellent. Delegates consistently pointed to connection and community as the most valuable part of the experience, with several describing GenEarth as the moment they found the confidence to use their voice in the climate space. The result, and the feedback that followed it, has set GenEarth on a path to return in 2027.
