The Outlook Festival 2026

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.

Ace Hotel, Sydney

Details coming soon.

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 teamsJudges Q&A following each pitchAudience voting for a People’s Choice awardWinners announced + wrap-up, followed by drinks and conversationPrize poolWe’re putting real fuel behind the winners:$10,000 total prize pool$8,000 Judges’ Choice$2,000 People’s ChoicePitch format 3 minutes to pitch5 minutes judges Q&AFour-judge panel Strict timing on the nightWho it’s forFounders building products with a clear point of viewInvestors and operators looking for the next wave of teamsProduct, design, and leadership folks who want to meet builders in the ecosystemHow selection worksApplications are open for startup/scale-up teams. We’ll select a final lineup based on:Readiness to pitch liveA compelling story and product clarityA diverse, high-quality mix of teams and perspectives

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?

Details coming soon.

Since 2019, Amir and David have met for what they proudly call “shit sandwiches,” brutally honest catch‑ups where they chew over life’s big and small dramas. Should I quit? How do I handle this nightmare report? Why won’t my back stop hurting? Nothing is off‑limits. These sessions have been part therapy, part strategy meeting, and part stand‑up routine. Now they’re bringing that same mix of vulnerability and ridiculousness to the stage.A live gameshow inspired by Who Wants to Be a Millionaire, but with more bad language and better hairAudience members tackle leadership dilemmas in multiple‑choice formLifelines return: 50/50 (because decisions are always painful), Phone a Friend (or enemy), and Ask the Audience (brace for chaos)Real workplace stories blend with live improvisation, questionable wisdom, and plenty of laughterWho Wants to Be a F**ing Leader* is part confessional, part comedy roast, and part leadership workshop disguised as entertainment. Come for the laughs, stay for the shared pain, and walk away feeling slightly more prepared—or at least more amused—by the messy art of leading people.

Off-Program Gems is where we tuck the talks that were too special, too weird, or too deep to squeeze onto the main program — and give them the space to shine.Off-Program Gems is a curated series of intimate sessions featuring speakers and stories we loved but couldn’t fit into the main-day schedule. Expect experimental formats, deep dives, and work-in-progress ideas from practitioners pushing at the edges of product, design, and leadership. These are the conversations that don’t always work on a big stage — quieter, braver, sometimes stranger — but they’re the ones you’ll be talking about over drinks months later.

In the late 1980s, fewer than 2,000 people lived in Melbourne's CBD. It was a ghost town after 5pm. Then in 1992, the City of Melbourne launched Postcode 3000 — a planning policy that turned empty office towers into apartments, derelict laneways into global destinations, and a business district into a living city.This morning walking tour traces that transformation on foot. Starting in the Hoddle Grid, we'll walk the laneways, arcades, streetscapes, and converted buildings that tell the story of one of the most significant urban regeneration projects in Australian history — and ask what it means for the people who design, build, and shape products and places today.Along the way, we'll explore:How constraints created opportunity — a property crash, empty offices, and cheap rent as the conditions for reinvention.Incremental over heroic — how many small moves by many agents, not one grand plan, created the Melbourne we know.Laneways as a design system — the 19th-century grid adaptations that became the city's most distinctive feature, and what enabled them to flourish.Culture follows density — what happened when people started living, not just working, in the city, and the cafés, bars, galleries, and street art that followed.The tensions ahead — over-development, displacement, and what the next chapter of 3000 looks like.Whether you're a product leader, designer, urbanist, or simply curious, this tour is a grounded lesson in how culture, policy, design, and community intersect to transform a place — and a provocation for how we think about the systems we build every day.Format: Guided walking tour, ~2 hours, morning start. Comfortable shoes recommended.

Details coming soon.

It's one design brief, four designers, and one live crit. Hosted by Rich Brophy, it's going to be all that and more!

Meet fellow designers in rapid-fire networking rounds.

Presentation Karaoke is a live improv format where people present slides they have never seen before and somehow make them make sense. It is part public speaking challenge, part group comedy, and part masterclass in confident storytelling under pressure.The fun is in the gap between the slide and the explanation: vague charts, over-serious frameworks, awkward visuals, and suspiciously confident business language. Contestants have to keep going, build a narrative in real time, and commit fully to whatever appears next.Present a deck you have never seen before.Turn random slides into a coherent story on the fly.Expect strange diagrams, unrelated images, and consulting-grade nonsense.Win on confidence, commitment, and your ability to connect the unconnectable.Great for sharp thinkers, chaotic improvisers, and anyone who can speak with unjustified authority.Come for the absurdity, stay for the surprisingly convincing nonsense. By the end, the audience gets laughs, the speakers get glory, and everyone gets a reminder that confidence is often just structure plus momentum.

The Perspective is a live “culture briefing” at The Outlook Festival that explores how product, design, technology, and organisational culture shape the work we do every day in product organisations. It is designed to be sharply pragmatic: less trend theatre, more “this is how culture actually shows up in roadmaps, rituals, leadership decisions, and the tools we use.”The session will be hosted by Sarah D’Sylva, who will guide a fast, facilitated conversation between senior leaders across four lenses:Chief Product Officer / VP Product – bringing a product‑led view on strategy, discovery, bets, and the cultural signals of healthy product practice.Chief Design Officer / Head of Design – bringing a design‑culture view on craft, critique, experience quality, and the rituals that protect good work under pressure.Applied futurist / technology leader – a senior product, AI, or innovation leader who can talk about how emerging tech is changing teams, expectations, and how we build.Culture / organisational psychology leader – an organisational psychologist or culture/leadership expert who links behaviour, safety, and performance in product and design teams.Across 45–60 minutes, the group will unpack:The cultural traits of effective APAC product and design organisations.The everyday practices (rituals, structures, tools) that make those traits real.How leaders at different levels can deliberately shape culture while still shipping.Where AI and new technology are already shifting culture on the ground.This live briefing will also seed our ongoing “Perspective” section on The Outlook website: a series of short, grounded essays and artefacts from participants that extend the conversation beyond the room, offering practical lenses and language that PMs, designers, engineers, and leaders can apply the next day.

Hotel Nacional

Join us on Friday evening for relaxed social drinks to wrap the festival week with the whole community in one place. This informal gathering is a chance to swap highlights, share what you learned, and connect with new friends and collaborators before heading home. Your festival pass includes entry, so bring your stories, your curiosity, and help us raise a glass to closing out an incredible week together.

An evening with the Notion community.

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.

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.

As the only design unconference in Melbourne, our vision is to create an inclusive and supportive event where participants can connect with the community, share diverse viewpoints, and grow as designers. We aim to provide a safe space for networking, learning and career progression, inspiring attendees to discover their voice and leave with lasting connections and renew passion for their craft.

​Ladies that UX Melbourne is all about creating an inclusive, welcoming space for the UX community. Speaking opportunities are reserved for women and non-binary folks, but everyone is welcome to attend and be part of the night. If you’re an ally to diversity, you’re an ally to LTUX. 💛

An evening meetup for the DesignOpsLOL community.

Calling all UX SaaS enthusiasts … This is our chance to meet up and swap ideas.Learn about design best practices in the SaaS (Software as a Service) industry, as well as the tech trends that are shaping online platforms. We will explore topics broadly spread across the spectrum of user experience, research and design, and examine how they can be applied in SaaS businesses.Experienced industry experts will help educate and empower our community, increase our skill sets and improve engagement for our products. Speakers will also delve into case studies on what works and what pitfalls to avoid.

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