MELBOURNE– Australia's finance and broking industries descended upon the historic Melbourne Town Hall Monday night in spectacular style for the start of Australian Finance Group's (AFG) 2026 national conference.
"This is the core group," Them Lam, AFG's chief distribution and marketing officer, told Australian Broker. "The community of AFG has all come together: the one-man bands and the medium-sized groups and the massive groups. If you look around, we've got groups that have 100 brokers; we've got groups over here that have 10 brokers. We've got groups over here that are on their own. And they're all here together sharing ideas.
"I'm so excited," the executive continued. "What's always proven to be true about AFG is that we get together and we share ideas. We think about the future and really collaborate on what's coming next. The market is hard right now; it is terribly hard. But our community gets together and they say, 'how do we be better for the Australian consumer? How do we help them in a period where we've had five rate rises?' That's what AFG is about. And I think you would be hard-pressed to find an industry where everyone cares about each other and they share ideas and they want each other to grow. Because our common goal and common purpose is us wanting to do better for all Australians."
The festivities took place at the historic Melbourne Town Hall.
There was no shortage of familiar faces at Monday night's welcome party, where guests were treated to live singers beneath a rainbow of theatrical strobe lights, a pipe organ rendition and a DJ keeping up the energy. Madonna's "Like a Prayer" was among the crowd-pleasers, while guests danced, nibbled on pasta and steak, sipped bubbly and made the most of the networking opportunities.
"I love the sparkling juices and I love the live music," said Sophie McMullen, Melbourne-based business development manager at Heartland Bank Australia. "The party is amazing."
The welcome function included live singers.
But the show has just begun. Beyond the glitz and grandeur, the evening was about something more: bringing the industry together.
"Face-to-face is everything," said McMullen, who relocated from New Zealand a few months ago. "Any person I meet is a bonus. But I think face-to-face trumps any Teams call or meeting. It's amazing putting a face to a name."
More than 900 industry professionals — from brokers and brokerage firms to lenders and industry partners — from across the country are expected to turn up for the three day industry conference, dubbed AFG Next, which takes place Monday night through Wednesday at the Crown Melbourne.
"AFG conferences are well-organized; they're quick. They're precise. It's good fun," said Goran Trogrlic, founder and director of Melbourne-based Smart Choice Home Loans. Trogrlic, who has been in the industry for nearly 26 years, estimates that he's been to at least 15 AFG conferences.
"They're also a chance to catch up with my broker mates," he said. "And it's a good way to interact and meet new people."
Pauline Montano, senior business development manager at commercial asset finance firm Maple Asset Finance, agreed.
"A lot of brokers come from all over Australia. So it's always good to connect and have those conversations," she said.
Montano, who is based in Melbourne, added: "You can't beat that in-person experience. And some of these people have been in this group for many years. So they, sort of, all know each other somewhere along the track. And it's just good to interact and be able to talk about your experience on the road, how the business is growing. That's really why they come.
"And AFG always has very good guest speakers as well," she said. "Brokers will be able to get tips and tricks for their business strategies."
Anthony Hopson, founder and director of Urban Broker in the Central Coast, is one of those brokers.
"I normally don't come to the parties," he said. "But I think it's important to come because there are good connections that you make, and it's good to just keep them going.
"It's about being part of this community," Hopson continued. "I'm a solo operator. So sometimes it can be pretty lonely in business. So these sorts of things are actually really cool to come to. And there's always something new to learn. I'm pretty keen to hear about what the latest and greatest is from my peers."
The conference program features 20 speakers spanning sports, economics, branding and technology. The line-up includes four-time Olympic swimming champion Ariarne Titmus, Australia and New Zealand Banking Group (ANZ) Senior Economist Jasmine Zheng, brand coach Carlii Lyon and artificial intelligence business speaker Adam Franklin and more, with Australian actor Shane Jacobson serving as master of ceremony.
Beyond the main-stage, attendees can take part in six interactive breakout sessions exploring leadership, branding, AI and business strategy. Meanwhile, the expo floor will feature roughly 30 exhibitors,with the likes of Macquarie Bank, ING, La Trobe Financial, Great Southern Bank, National Australia Bank (NAB), Ubank, Westpac, Pepper Money, Bankwest, AMP Bank and others. There are also dedicated sessions for commercial brokers.
The conference wraps with the AFG gala dinner and awards ceremony at Centrepiece Melbourne, where winners of this year's state awards will compete for their chance at four AFG national broker titles.
