Start your day at Fast.Future.Present, an intimate breakfast event designed to fuel bold thinking and future-focused conversation. Expect smart insights, fresh perspectives and the kind of connections that continue well beyond the table.
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25 March
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Join us for Fast.Future.Present — a curated breakfast experience bringing the industry together to explore what’s next. Thought-provoking conversation, sharp insights and meaningful connections, all in a setting designed to spark ideas and momentum for the year ahead.
AGENDA
8:30am
Arrival
9:00am
Proceedings begin
9:35am
Opening: IMAA CEO Sam Buchanan
9:50am
Keynote: TBC
The 2026 Economic Outlook: What Indie Agencies Need to Know to Stay Ahead:
10:50am
Panel: Louise Cummins, Australian Centre for AI in Marketing
The AI Advantage: Could AI Unlock a Better Future for Media, Marketing and Advertising?
11:15am
Morning tea break
11:30am
Keynote: Toby Hemming, Managing Director, Little Black Book
What Great Work Looks Like: From Global Standards to Everyday Execution.
12:00pm
Keynote: Katie Rigg-Smith, Futurist, Say Robots
Future-Ready Agencies: The Mindsets and Moves That Will Matter in 2026.
1:00pm
Networking at Watson's EQ
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Sydney Event Hosts and Welcome
Andrew “Bucky” Bucklow
A journalist, presenter and professional celebrity wrangler. He started out in commercial radio before jumping to news.com.au in 2013, and has since interviewed just about every A-lister on the planet. Bucky has hosted hit podcasts, covered the biggest showbiz moments, and regularly appears on TV and radio with his signature mix of humour and insight.
Sam Buchanan
The CEO of Independent Media Agencies Australia and a founding leader of the organisation. With 25+ years across media owners, agencies and clients, Sam has grown IMAA into a powerful industry voice, championing independent agencies, collaboration, sustainability and meaningful industry change.
Dan Bourchier
A multi-award-winning journalist, broadcaster and highly regarded MC. As General Manager and Editor-in-Chief of NITV, he leads Australia’s national Indigenous broadcaster. Dan is known for guiding complex conversations with clarity, cultural insight and authority, creating inclusive, engaging environments for meaningful dialogue.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
TBC
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About the keynote
The 2026 Economic Outlook: What Indie Agencies Need to Know to Stay Ahead.
Independent agencies are entering 2026 amid ongoing economic uncertainty, shifting client expectations and evolving market dynamics. In this keynote, our speaker unpacks the key economic forces set to shape the year ahead and explores what they mean in practical terms for indie agencies. From changes in client spend and market confidence to emerging risks and growth opportunities, the session provides a grounded, realistic outlook on the environment leaders will be navigating. Designed for agency CEOs and senior leaders, the keynote moves beyond headline forecasts to focus on decision-making, resilience and strategic positioning.
Attendees will gain clearer insight into where pressure points may emerge, how to plan with greater confidence amid uncertainty, and what proactive steps agencies can take now to protect margins, support teams and identify sustainable growth opportunities in 2026.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Brittney Rigby
Brittney is managing editor AUNZ at LBB. She is a seasoned journalist with leadership experience across both newsrooms and agencies, including as editor at Mediaweek, deputy managing editor at Mumbrella, and head of communications at DDB Group Australia.
She is also a freelance writer with by-lines in mastheads like The Guardian and Sydney Morning Herald, the author of a regular Substack newsletter about books, and a qualified lawyer.
About the keynote
Work Built Different: When Creative Excellence Meets Media Intelligence
In this keynote, Little Black Book’s local leaders team up with a chief creative officer to dig into the world’s best work: the ideas that couldn’t exist without the media thinking, the fit-for-channel creative that shows off the medium, the executions that grab – and keep – attention to build brands.
They’ll analyse why the work works, what it says about the market and category it was made in, and how indie media practitioners can support – and stretch – their creative partners to achieve excellence and effectiveness.
KEYNOTE SPEAKER
Katie
Rigg-Smith
Katie Rigg-Smith is a renowned strategist and futurist who helps organisations navigate change and prepare for what’s next. As founder of Say Robots, Katie specialises in translating complex data signals, cultural shifts and technology trends into clear, future-ready strategies leaders can act on today. She advises governments, corporations and industry bodies on the capabilities and mindsets required for the next phase of growth, and was recently commissioned by the Media Federation of Australia to examine the future skills of the industry. Widely recognised as “a window into the future and a key to unlock the now,” Katie brings clarity, challenge and practical foresight to the stage.
About the keynote
Fact, fiction or fad? Which are the futures that Indies need to prepare for in 2026.
Whilst we can’t predict the future, we can use signals, trends, and data to help prepare for it. Katie will explore some of the big trends impacting consumers in the next 12-24 months and what that means for Indies as you (we?) prepare for the year ahead.
PANEL
The AI Advantage: Could AI Unlock a Better Future for Media, Marketing and Advertising?
AI reshapes every part of media, marketing and advertising, leaders don’t just need predictions – they need clarity, confidence and a practical sense of what’s coming. This session lets us step into 2035 and explore how the industry could evolve if we approach AI with intention, creativity and responsibility. I’m looking forward to moderating a conversation that cuts through the noise and focuses on what really matters: building an industry that’s more innovative, more accountable and, importantly, more human.
Moderator: Louise Cummins, Co-Founder – Australian Centre for AI in Marketing
THE CONVERSATION
About the Sydney Panelists
Louise Cummins
Founder of the Australian Centre for AI in Marketing and a leading voice on AI-enabled transformation. She advises brands, agencies and industry bodies on how to build the skills,confidence and structures needed to thrive in the AI era.
Bel Harper
Chief Product and Marketing Officer at oOh! Media and a senior leader in out-of-home media innovation. She leads marketing, product and creative strategy, bringing a commercial, audience-led perspective on how out-of-home makes brands unmissable.
Matt Travers
Founder of BRAIVE, an AI and automation agency helping marketers achieve more with less. With global advertising experience, he focuses on practical AI that removes low-value work, improves revenue per employee, and enables higher-impact execution.
Katie Rigg-Smith
Founder of Say Robots and a leading strategist and futurist. Katie helps leaders navigate cultural, behavioural and technology shifts, translating complex signals into practical, future-ready strategies that prepare organisations and industries for what’s next.
Kathryn Illy
One of Australia’s Top 25 Chief Marketing Officers with extensive experience across tourism, financial services, professional services and advisory. She has led brand, growth and customer strategy at Destination NSW, PwC and Macquarie Bank, delivering commercially focused, audience-led outcomes across large-scale B2B and B2C organisations.
Margie Reid
CEO and Partner at Thinkerbell, one of Australia’s leading independent agencies. Margie brings deep experience across creative and media, with a track record building high-growth businesses and delivering integrated brand and communications strategies at scale.
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