Inaugural AFS Australia-New Zealand Chapter Meeting

The 2-day Australia-New Zealand Chapter AFS Meeting and Personal Finance and Investment Symposium was held at QUT Gardens Point Campus in Brisbane, Australia, on 25-26 November 2024. We had 48 attendees, representing a diverse mix of industry representatives, academics, research students, and undergraduates. The event had international reach, with colleagues from the US, Canada, and New Zealand joining in-person and online. As a first, we were able to secure sponsored research prizes, highlighting the symposium’s commitment to supporting and promoting high-quality financial services research:

• UniSuper Research Student Achievement Award (Conrad Gilbert, PhD Griffith)
• FAAA Research Excellence Award (Dr Campbell Heggen, Deakin University)

Additionally, for the first time, Canadian and Australian financial advisers were able to receive CE and CPD recognition for attending the academic tracks on Tuesday.

The blended delivery format was well-received, with only minor technical hiccups on Monday. Recordings and slides of the event were uploaded to Google Drive/Dropbox, and attendees have received access to shared resources.

Feedback Summary

The event received a 35.4% response rate for feedback, with overwhelmingly positive results:

Overall event experience was rated 4.88 out of 5

Figure 1: How would you rate the overall event experience? (1 = Poor; 5 =Excellent)

• 100% of respondents indicated they would attend future events
• Attendees found the panel sessions "Bridging Theory and Practice" and "Professional Updates" highly relevant
• Key takeaways included fresh perspectives on emerging research, networking opportunities, and collaboration potential
• A few suggestions for improvement included longer presentation slots and additional Q&A time

Overall, the symposium brought the Australia-New Zealand AFS community closer together, providing a unique platform for research exchange, industry engagement, and professional development.

Our congratulations to Dr. Elisabeth Sinnewe, Chair of the AFS ANZ Chapter and to the fantastic committee that helped make this event a success:

• Dr Laura de Zwaan (QUT, Australia)
• Associate Prof Dan Richards (York U, Canada)
• Associate Prof Kirsten MacDonald (Griffith University, Australia)