Meet people who love community radio as much as you do

It's just 1 month until the largest annual gathering of community broadcasters - the CBAA Conference.

The conference brings together more people from stations all over Australia than any other sector event. It's a great opportunity to meet other people that share your passion for radio, to find out how other stations are doing things, as well as having the chance to share your own station's stories and ideas. Registrations are open now.

This year's program features a keynote address by Australian radio, theatre, television and comedy stalwalt Brian Nankervis on the power of community radio, a special session with entrepreneur Holly Ransom on driving positive change and our ever-popular networking session that will put some of these ideas into action. 

Things will start, though, with our Welcome BBQ event at the scenic Richmond Rowing Club, which is the perfect opportunity for delegates, sponsors and exhibitors to catch up in a relaxed setting, while enjoying some food and the beautiful view. Be ready to hit the dancefloor as well, with electrifying entertainment provided by local Melbourne community broadcasters CC:DISCO! and Nick Brown.

New additions to the not-to-be-missed 2016 program include:

• One-on-one meetings with sector partners the Community Broadcasting Foundation, APRA AMCOS, PPCA and McNair Ingenuity Research, where delegates will have the chance to talk about grants, fundraising, music licensing and research.

• A revamped Medialab program, focused on the skills you need to make audio content stand out online. Think “visualising audio” to tell your story online. Whether it’s a short interview with photos or a micro-video quickly edited on your phone to promote your podcast - you can find it at one of the tables in the Medialab. Join small groups for one of the hands-on workshops which will be running throughout the conference. 
• Recorded in front of an audience, our Radio Listening Party will feature a musical performance and interview from APRA AMCOS Ambassador Benny Walker and will showcase some of the best work from the 2016 National Features and Documentary Series. The program will be presented by Michael Pohl, winner of the 2015 Best New Radio Program - Music CBAA Community Radio Award and host of JOY 94.9's babblePOP! program. Join in on this celebration of some outstanding content from the community broadcasting sector presented in the way we know best - as a radio program.

Delegates will also hear from experts from community broadcasting and beyond through a range of workshops where they'll discuss:

• What makes volunteers tick?
• Should your station register as a charity?
• What is citizen journalism and how does it fit with journalism in community broadcasting?
• Strategic community engagement
• Future-proofing your broadcast technologists
• 32.5 ways to win sponsorship revenue

As always, the Conference will culminate in the 2016 CBAA Community Radio Awards Gala Dinner, our night of nights and a fantastic opportunity to reflect on some of best communtiy radio of the year past, as well as wine and dine with broadcasters from all over the country. Check out some photos from last year and see who is up for an award this year. 

We hope that you can join us in Melbourne - all registrations are via this portal.

Thanks to all our sponsors and supporters.