AI has joined the product team, but no one can quite agree on what it is: a trusted colleague, a very fast intern, or just an overhyped tool that occasionally acts like a bit of a tool. In this fast, comedy‑style debate, product leaders, designers, and technologists argue over how far we should go in treating AI like a teammate – from letting it write PRDs and run rituals to trusting it with real product decisions and customer moments. Expect sharp takes, gentle roasting of modern product teams, and a serious question underneath the laughs: if AI really is your best “colleague”, what does that say about how you’re working today?

Venue TBA→

Festival plusThu 9 · 6pm

The Outlook Pub Quiz

The Outlook Pub Quiz is a loud, slightly unhinged trivia night for product people, designers, and leaders who want to argue about something that actually matters to them: roadmaps, redesigns, and ridiculous stakeholder decisions. Across fast‑paced rounds you will battle it out on everything from legendary launches and infamous UX crimes to “who said that?” leadership quotes, memeable product moments, and real‑world scenario questions pulled from the trenches. Winners walk away with Outlook conference tickets and bragging rights; everyone else gets a good story and maybe a deeply unserious consolation prize.Rounds spanning product lore, design delights/disasters, and leadership or bullshit.Music, meme, and mini‑challenge rounds to keep the chaos high and the energy up.Conference tickets, bar tabs, and “most chaotic team” nods to reward both brains and bravado.This is not a quiet quiz in the corner; it is a proper festival moment where the room gets loud, people yell at the screen, and teams bond over the strange shared language of shipping things with other humans. Come with a team, a terrible pun for a name, and a willingness to be both very right and very wrong in public.

Venue TBA→

Festival plusMon 13 · 6pm

The Outlook Pitch night

A night for founders, builders, and the people shaping what’s next.As part of The Outlook Conference, we’re creating space for early-stage and scaling teams to be seen, backed, and celebrated, with a $10,000 in cash prizes up for grabs. The Outlook Pitch Night brings together startups, product leaders, investors, and operators for an evening of short, sharp pitches — and real conversations afterwards.You’ll hear from 8 standout startups, each pitching live on stage and taking questions from a panel of experienced judges.What to expect on the nightNetworking to start the evening (and again after the pitches).8 live pitches from startup/scale-up teams.Judges Q&A following each pitch.Audience voting for a People’s Choice award.Winners announced + wrap-up, followed by drinks and conversation.Prize poolWe’re putting real fuel behind the winners:$10,000 total prize pool$8,000 Judges’ Choice.$2,000 People’s Choice.Pitch format 3 minutes to pitch.5 minutes judges Q&A.Four-judge panel.Strict timing on the night.Who it’s forFounders building products with a clear point of view.Investors and operators looking for the next wave of teams.Product, design, and leadership folks who want to meet builders in the ecosystem.How selection worksApplications are open for startup/scale-up teams. We’ll select a final lineup based on:Readiness to pitch live.A compelling story and product clarity.A diverse, high-quality mix of teams and perspectives.

Venue TBA→

Free

MeetupTue 14 · 5:30pm

Design Futures meetup

Design futures is a community of 4000+ Melbourne-based Human Centred Design professionals. We are about connecting design thinkers and doers, exploring new technologies and sharing knowledge and best practices through engaging events.

Venue TBA→

Free

MeetupTue 14 · 5:30pm

Therapy for Designers meetup

Therapy for Designers is a global movement that brings creative minds together for real, in-person conversations about the emotional, mental, and professional challenges of design life.TfD will be an in-person session that provides a space for designers to share work challenges, insights, and reflections as a group — developing stronger self-awareness, a growth mindset and leadership capabilities.

Venue TBA→

Festival plusTue 14 · 6pm

Off-Program gems

Off-Program Gems is one special evening of five fast, sharp lightning talks from presenters and stories we loved but could not squeeze into the main-day schedule. It is where the slightly weirder, braver and more experimental ideas get a proper moment, without needing to fill a full-length slot or carry the weight of a keynote. Think tight talks, small-ish room, and the energy of “you kind of had to be there.”Across the night, you will hear work-in-progress thinking, deep craft in snackable form and the kind of niche ideas that are too specific for the main stage but perfect for a room of peers. Each talk is long enough to say something real and short enough that the whole evening feels pacey, playful and full of surprises.You can expect:Five lightning talks that are sharp, opinionated and high on signal, low on fluff.Presenters trying out new ideas in public, sharing things they are still figuring out rather than polished greatest hits.Topics that skew a little weirder, more niche or more vulnerable than the regular program usually allows.Time to mingle after the talks so you can keep the conversation going with speakers and other curious humans.Off-Program Gems is your excuse to skip the obvious pick, lean into something that sounds a bit odd and leave with a handful of stories, ideas and connections you will be talking about long after the main conference wraps.

Venue TBA→

The week