The 2025 REBAA Conference in Melbourne has wrapped up and proved a resounding success.
With this year’s theme, “Together We Evolve,” as its foundation, it was an outstanding two days of learning, networking, and fun for all.
A special thank you must go to the organising committee, especially Luke Assigal, Matt Scafidi and Simon Clarke. This conference sought to be an evolution, looking to build on the format of previous events and raise the bar even higher… and they absolutely succeeded in that endeavour with the vast majority of attendees rating it 9 or 10 out of 10 in our post-conference survey. Thank you to Luke, Matt, Simon and all who volunteered to make this such a great event.
Let’s talk about the speakers who absolutely brought the house down. Chris Helder kicked off both days with his infectious energy, delivering insights on “Useful Belief” and the psychology of influence that had attendees scribbling notes furiously. Often, we were learning through laughter with Chris’s highly entertaining and enlightening presentations. His approach to reframing challenges and building better relationships through understanding personality styles was pure gold – and judging by the feedback, he was exactly what everyone needed to get fired up.
High-profile Aussie speakers don’t come much bigger than Dr. Jana Pittman, whose closing keynote was nothing short of inspiring. Her journey from two-time World Champion to Olympic bobsledder to practising doctor (oh, and mother of six!) was compelling. Her story of resilience, spanning triumph, defeat, and everything in between, was the perfect way to send everyone home feeling invincible.
One theme dominated the conference: artificial intelligence isn’t coming – it’s already here, and it’s transforming how we work. Seth Watts, the 2024 Enterprise AI Leader of the Year, delivered what many called the most practical presentation of the event. His real-world examples of AI adoption and the sheer volume of work it can handle left attendees slack-jawed and eager to embrace this incredible technology.
Jane Slack-Smith also tackled AI, focusing on utilising it for business alignment and client understanding. Her insights into collapsing time with AI and designing targeted client journeys using technology were valuable takeaways.
Terry Ryder brought his signature deep insight based on meticulous market analysis. Terry emphasised early on that market under-supply trumps interest rates every time. His insights into the three major market shifts – the rise of small cities, the exodus to affordable lifestyle locations, and the apartment boom – provided everyone with a clearer picture of where opportunities might lie. His discussion of “second wind markets” was particularly enlightening for those hunting for the next growth areas.
Scott Aggett was another crowd favourite, sharing negotiation secrets from over 30 years and more than 4,000 property deals across three continents. His practical approach to spotting seller motivation and structuring offers that create urgency resonated strongly – this wasn’t theory, this was a battle-tested strategy you could use immediately.
Evan Lucas delivered a fascinating deep dive into why property has become Australia’s “behavioural gauge,” exploring how real estate reflects everything from national optimism to anxiety. His analysis of how behavioural biases like FOMO and loss aversion make homeownership as much an emotional goal as a financial one was both entertaining and enlightening.
HtAG Analytics CEO, Dr. Matija Djolic, challenged conventional wisdom about property analysis, arguing that there’s no universal “optimal” approach to data analysis. His exploration of how data reflects real-world purchasing behaviours and the complexity of tailoring suburb analysis to diverse client goals was intellectually stimulating and required some serious brainpower as a listener.
Of course, we strive to continue this journey of improvement and have read through all the attendee feedback. While everyone had plenty of praise for the event, some very practical suggestions were also put forward by the membership that will help us further develop the conference program and continue its positive trajectory.
This conference proved that our industry is evolving rapidly, and those who embrace change will be the ones who thrive. The quality of speakers, the networking opportunities, and the sheer volume of actionable insights made this event a standout.
If you missed it this year, don’t make the same mistake twice. The 2026 conference is already shaping up to be even bigger and better. Your future self (and your business) will thank you for being there.
