Step into a world of ideas, innovation, and inspiration.

Rub shoulders with industry trailblazers, discover smarter ways to place talent, and unlock the secrets to attracting candidates who wow.

This isn’t just another conference - it’s Talent X 2026.

Get ready for what’s next.

Date:
21 May 2026

Suitable for:
All recruitment and staffing professionals. 

Across three stages, session content will cover recruitment business development, candidate care, marketing, operational and back-office best practice, team building, leadership and much more!

Venue:
Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre, 1 Convention Centre Pl, South Wharf, VIC

Timing:
8:30am – 3:30pm AEST

Early Release Speakers - More to be announced in 2026...

MATT JONES

CO-FOUNDER, FOUR PILLARS

Matt Jones is one of Australia's leading strategists and storytellers when it comes to the intersections of brand, business, leadership, experience, culture, technology, human behaviour and storytelling.

Matt has an eclectic background, combining economics, politics, brand experience and gin.

As one of three co-founders and the brand brains behind Four Pillars, Matt Jones connects the dots between brand and purpose theory and gritty business and delivery reality.

His storytelling is insightful, engaging, energising and (perhaps most important) highly relatable to all kinds of businesses.

Matt is obsessed with sport, food, photography, wine, film, travel, politics, fiction, architecture, technology, design, hotels, ideas, experiences, cinema, contemporary art, human behaviour, ideas and (yes) gin.

He works in, speaks about, and connects the dots, between all of the above areas and is a former panellist on The Gruen Transfer.

SESSION DETAILS

The Power of Story 
In this keynote, Matt Jones will explore the power of relationships, storytelling and human connection in an ever more digital (and AI-powered) world.

Matt believes we are all in the same business: people. And that our success will be anchored by our ability to tell stories, shape narratives and build relationships.

Matt will argue that stories and the language we use (not AI and large language models) will be the future of our industry. 

DR BEN HAMER

REBECCA HARTSHORN, MRCSA

MICHAEL JONES, MRCSA

Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre

The Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre is superbly located on the banks of Melbourne's Yarra River, close to the heart of the CBD and just 30 minutes from Melbourne's International Airport.

The Convention Centre has received worldwide acclaim for achieving a 6 Star Green Star environmental rating by the Green Building Council of Australia, the first in the world for a convention centre.

Wurundjeri Woi Wurrung Country,

1 Convention Centre Pl,

South Wharf VIC 3006