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25-28 MARCH 2026 PORT MACQUARIE
25-28 MARCH 2026 PORT MACQUARIE
PLACE LEADERS AWARDS + URBAN LEADERS' SUMMIT

PLACE LEADERS URBAN LEADERS' SUMMIT

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25-28 MARCH 2026 (core days 26-27) PORT MACQUARIE

(multiple venues across Port Macquarie / The Glasshouse / CBD)​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Each year, this Summit brings together place-makers, designers, civic leaders, cultural practitioners, and community builders from across the Asia Pacific. What sets this gathering apart is our shared belief that placemaking is not just about the design of spaces, it is about the relationships, conversations, and collaborations that define them. This year’s theme, Place Engagement, brings that belief to the forefront. This is more than a conference - it’s Port Macquarie turning itself into a university for placemakers. Don't miss this unique chance to stay ahead in your field thanks to our 2026 Summit Partner, Port Macquarie-Hastings Council.

Port Macquarie CBD with the Awards venue facing the Hastings River. 

Port Macquarie is a fitting host for this Summit. Across the region, you will see a commitment to
lighter, quicker, cheaper experimentation, local creativity, engagement, accessible design, and community-led transformation. The case studies you will explore like Phillips Lane, Mrs York’s Garden, the City Heart revitalisation, Town Beach Reserve, and Tacking Point Lighthouse are powerful examples of what can be achieved when placemakers and communities work together with imagination and purpose.

 

You'll step out of the auditorium and into these places, to learn directly from the practitioners who
created them and the people who bring them to life. You will also have the opportunity to connect
with peers across government, industry, academia, and community sectors, and to gain practical tools through the Place Engagement micro-credential, included as part of your Summit registration.

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Multiple site tours are available including interactive walking and bus tours that will broaden your perspective on activating urban spaces, but but you’ll start on the evening of Wednesday 25 March with a signature Summit moment included for all delegates: you'll come together under twinkling lights for a long-table outdoor dining experience celebrating local vibes and creative culture. Phillips Lane in the CBD will be dressed for a unique place experience
including soft music and a welcoming, relaxed atmosphere.

 

In addition, attendance at the Place Leaders Asia Pacific Awards Presentation and Dinner at Rydges Port Macquarie, right on the Hastings River, is included for all delegates.

 

You'll also enjoy the ultimate Port Macquarie experience: a post-Awards dinner 'recovery' breakfast served right on the beach. During breakfast, delegates will enjoy a dynamic series of spotlights showcasing Port Macquarie-Hastings Council’s engagement-led placemaking approach.

 

You’ll wrap-up on the morning of Saturday 28 March with a relaxed finale to the Summit, a guided visit to the Wauchope Farmers’ Market, a monthly gathering of growers, makers and artisans that has become one of the region’s strongest examples of 'grass roots' community-led place activation.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

Enjoy a uniquely Port Macquarie experience - a breakfast on Town Beach. During breakfast, delegates enjoy a dynamic series of spotlights showcasing Port Macquarie-Hastings Council’s engagement-led placemaking approach

The Urban Leaders’ Summit 2026 offers a unique opportunity to experience engagement-led placemaking in one of Australia’s most community-driven coastal regions. Delegates will gain practical insights, create new connections, and explore new approaches to creating places where people and culture genuinely lead design.

 

1. Learn from an engagement-led council

Delegates will step directly into places shaped by co-design, cultural expression, lighter-quicker-cheaper experimentation and collaboration with the Birpai community. Here, engagement is a practice, not just a step in a process. You’ll see how transparent governance, low-cost trials, and genuine partnerships deliver trusted outcomes that communities love and look after long after the project is complete. All delegates will also receive a Certificate of Completion for the Place Engagement micro-credential, recognising their capability in contemporary, people-centred engagement practice.

 

2. Experience coastal placemaking at its best 

Port Macquarie is a living classroom for place-based learning. Delegates will explore:

  • Tacking Point Lighthouse - a nationally recognised example of heritage care, universal access, Birpai cultural interpretation, coastal resilience, and visitor management.

  • Beach-to-Beach Shared Path - where inclusive design, wayfinding, environment and tourism meet.

  • Town Green & Town Beach Reserve - outdoor social infrastructure with activation, safety, accessibility, and community identity.

Each site is presented by the practitioners and community members who built and manage them, turning theory into lived experience.

 

3. Explore (and dine in!) Phillips Lane, a case study in low-cost transformation

Port Macquarie’s most beloved laneway is a perfect illustration of what smart activation, creative partnerships, lighting, art and micro-grants can achieve. Delegates will learn how to enable businesses and local creatives to co-lead activation, and how the Permit, Plug & Play framework built a culture of ‘yes’.

 

4. Learn place engagement methods from the leaders who practice them daily

Across workshops, field tours, keynote speakers, and outdoor spotlights, delegates hear directly from international and national practitioners. Our speakers and presenters focus on methods that are practical, replicable, and developed in real-world constraints familiar to every placemaker.

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Port Macquarie’s placemaking magic is found in surprising corners: a laneway that feels like a pocket festival, murals that change the mood of a street, the expansive beauty of the
Beach-to-Beach Shared Pathway, and a lighthouse precinct that blends heritage, First Nations voice, equitable access, and coastline in one breathtaking arc of white and blue.

Delegates will experience these places as part of the Summit tours

​This Summit is a must for anyone dedicated to urban planning, community development and leadership, civic leadership, policy making, and placemaking. On this page are links including the full conference Agenda, flight and accommodation options, and pre-Summit / post-Summit tours. ​​

SUMMIT HIGHLIGHTS​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

  • Immersive field tours through Port Macquarie’s most influential placemaking projects. Experience the places that locals love - from the Tacking Point Lighthouse precinct and Beach-to-Beach Coastal Walk, to the evolving City Heart, Town Green, Town Beach Reserve, and Phillips Lane. Guided by the PMHC placemaking team, these tours reveal how engagement, codesign, and tactical trials shape lasting outcomes.

  • All participants receive a Certificate of Completion for the Place Engagement micro-credential, gaining practical tools for meaningful engagement, community-led design, and place-based collaboration. This professional recognition is provided at no additional cost.

  • Keynotes and presentations from international and national thought leaders, including:

... and more

  • Engagement-focused masterclasses and hands-on learning. Deep-dive into practical methods for co-design, creative economies, cultural engagement, governance alignment, and low-cost place transformation, with templates and tools you can take home.

  • Phillips Lane Long Table Dinner - a magical outdoor dining experience under lights in one of Port Macquarie’s most successful urban laneway transformations. Local produce, music, and great conversation - a Summit favourite.

  • 10th Anniversary Place Leaders Asia Pacific Awards Presentation & Dinner. Celebrate at Rydges Port Macquarie as we honour the 2025 Award Winners, Highly Commended projects, and the prestigious Jan Gehl Centrepiece Award. A night that brings together the Asia-Pacific's leading placemakers, councils, designers, and innovators.

  • Sunrise Yoga & 'Recovery' BBQ Breakfast at Town Beach. Start the day with optional sunrise yoga (if you're game!) overlooking the ocean, followed by an inclusive community-style recovery breakfast at Town Beach.

  • Networking by the Hastings River. Enjoy sunset drinks and conversations with peers from across the Asia Pacific practitioners, civic leaders, industry specialists, academics, community builders, and award-winning placemakers.

  • Optional paid regional tours and masterclasses mean you can extend your experience with curated optional tours showcasing coastal culture, nature, design, regeneration projects, and place-based storytelling across the Mid North Coast.

​​​​REGISTRATIONS NOW OPEN 

 

REGISTRATION FEES

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  • Full Registration Member* - $745

  • Full Registration Non-Member* - $990

  • Awards Event Guest Ticket - $225

  • Half-Day Curated Local Showcase Tour (9:00am - 12:30pm 25 March 2026 - optional) - $245

  • Place Engagement Case Study and Deep Dive Masterclass (2:00pm - 4:00pm 25 March 2026 - optional) - $69

  • Lighting Up Places Masterclass: How Creativity Builds Community Life & Night-Time Vibrancy (2:00pm - 4:00pm 25 March 2026 - optional) - $69

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   All prices include GST and are in Australian Dollars.

* Member discounts are available to members of Place Leaders Asia Pacific.
* Place Leaders members enjoy at least one complimentary all-inclusive Summit ticket (and one Awards nomination) as part of their membership. Not a member? Join now to enjoy these benefits and more.

 

REGISTRATION INCLUSIONS

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Full delegate registration for speakers, members, and non-members includes:

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  • Attendance at all conference sessions from the Wednesday evening sunset cruise to the Saturday morning visit to Parap Village Markets

  • Attendance and dinner/drinks at the Place Leaders Asia Pacific Awards on Thursday evening

  • Daily catering including morning tea, lunch and afternoon tea - Thursday and Friday

  • Certificate of Completion for the ‘Indigenous Perspectives and Place’ Place Leaders microcredential provided to each Summit attendee by Place Leaders Asia Pacific

  • Delegate list

  • Speakers papers and presentations

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See you in Port Mac!

Your chance to shine! Coming to Port Macquarie, the 2025 Place Leaders Asia-Pacific Awards nominations are open and will be announced at the Awards Presentation and Dinner at the Place Leader’s Urban Leaders’ Summit in March 2026.

 

Join us in celebrating cutting edge innovation and excellence in the place sector, with categories covering projects, processes, leadership, governance, and digital placemaking - see the 2024 and 2023 awardees.​

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The Place Leaders Asia Pacific Awards Program provides a platform for the promotion and celebration of innovation and excellence across a broad field of place-focused work. The program highlights the achievements of Place Leaders like you and the ongoing contribution of your work in delivering successful place outcomes that enrich the life and well-being of all communities.​ 

 

Visit our 2025 Awards page for full details.

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What’s New in the 2025 Awards?

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  • An expanded Awards Jury with international expertise and local leaders who know what it takes to deliver place impact with tight budgets and demanding communities. Entries will be assessed for both excellence and context so whatever your scale or budget, your project has a place here. 

  • The 2025 Awards Guide includes links to Place Leaders Community of Practice summaries so you can take a deeper dive into what made Awardee nominations successful.

  • The 2024 Awardees page includes Winner and Highly Commended citations and project details for all categories.

  • The Jan Gehl Centrepiece Award returns as the headline placemaking accolade for the Asia-Pacific. This award is about impact, creativity, and vision, not the biggest budget. Every nomination, regardless of category, is automatically considered for this Award.

  • Awardees will be celebrated across Place Leaders’ channels throughout 2026 for ongoing recognition, profile, and reach across the region.

  • Each award category is linked to a Place Leaders micro-credential, giving nominees practical ways to keep building their place leadership skills and capacity.

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2025 Awards Jury

 

  1. Henriette Vamberg, Partner & Managing Director (Europe, Gulf & Asia), Gehl People

  2. Sam Redston, President, Open House Melbourne

  3. Emma Appleton, Director, Planning and Development, City of Whittlesea

  4. Erin Marchant, Place Manager, Ipswich City Council

  5. Lucilla Marshall, Group Manager, Liveable Communities, Port Macquarie-Hastings Council​​​

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The stunning Hastings River waterfront location for the 2025 Place Leaders Awards Presentation and Dinner

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