Xerocon Brisbane 2025: The best sessions to attend
With 60% more discovery sessions and 50% more guest speakers than last year, Xerocon Brisbane 2025 (held on Turrbal and Yuggera Country) promises to inspire innovation, bridge new connections, and deliver game-changing insights across two action-packed days.
To help you plan your event itinerary, here’s how to make the most of each day (by attending the 13 best sessions):
🤖 The best sessions on AI in accounting
‘Renovating’ your practice for an AI-powered future
Presenters:
James Bergin, Xero
Beau Gaudron, Growthwise
Sarah Lawrance, Hot Toast
Mere Teinaki, Northland Chartered Accountants Limited
Time: Thursday 4 September, 11.45am
What will an accounting practice look like in five years, and how do you make sure yours doesn’t get left behind?
Drawing on research, lessons from the past, and insights from four leading panelists, this future-focused session will dive into how AI and other technologies are shaping the industry for the better.
From AI agents and automation to talent hiring and development, you’ll learn about the digital capabilities that matter most, and how to architect your business to take full advantage.
Where's the value? Finding accounting's human edge in an AI-driven world
Presenters:
James Bergin, Xero
Soon-ee Cheah, Xero
Will Flynt, Xero
Kayur Patel, PwC New Zealand
Time: Wednesday 3 September, 2.30pm
As automation takes over more complex tasks, your greatest value as an accountant is shifting from precision to judgment, trust, and relationship-building.
In this session, James Bergin, Xero’s EGM of Tech Research & Advocacy, will host a powerful conversation with three leaders whose careers have been transformed for the better by AI.
Together, they’ll break down what AI really means for your workflows, your clients, and your future in practice. If you’re ready to move from “how do I keep up?” to “how do I lead?”, this is your roadmap to thriving in the era of AI-powered accounting.
Bonus: Panelist Kayur Patel is hosting a separate practical session, ‘How you can save at least 1 hour a day right now, using Gen AI’ on Thursday 4 September, 9:45am.
I want AI to take my job! All the tasks I'm handing over and why
Presenter: Timothy Munro, Change Accountants and Advisors
Time: Thursday 4 September, 9.45am
Timothy Munro views AI as a tool and not a threat. Learn exactly how he’s using it to impress and win clients, run smooth client meetings, successfully reprice clients, and automate his team’s performance and salary reviews.
🌱 The best sessions on personal growth
You are the boss of your future: Natalie Lennon’s personal journey from loss and darkness to success and self-empowerment
Presenter: Natalie Lennon, Two Sides Accounting
Time: Wednesday 3 September, 10.30am
When life throws you a curveball, you can’t out-spreadsheet or overwork your way through it. Most of the time, it’s going to hit you hard. But you can still learn and grow from it.
Join Natalie Lennon as she opens up about her journey: navigating personal challenges, stepping away from the safe option, and building a successful firm on her own terms. You’ll learn how real growth often comes from the moments that derail us, in this candid session that reframes setbacks as opportunities, embraces the unknown, and inspires you to keep moving forward.
Shining the light on accounting’s unsung heroines: Confronting imposter syndrome, countering the talent drain, and reshaping our industry
Presenters:
Jolene Elliot, Karlaya Accounting & Business Advisory
Sarah Lawrance, Hot Toast
Lauren Thiel, The Real Thiel
Time: Wednesday 3 September, 1pm
Too many brilliant women in accounting second-guess themselves, holding back ideas, opportunities, and influence.
This empowering session will bring together Jolene Elliott and Lauren Thiel, guided by moderator Sarah Lawrance, to share how they re-wired their inner critics and turned imposter syndrome into rocket fuel for their careers.
Expect an honest conversation with hard-won strategies, unpacking how to back yourself as a leader, embrace flexibility, and create an inclusive culture that sets up current and future employees to succeed.
💸 The best sessions on pricing strategy
The courage to say 'no': Pricing, positioning, and picking the clients you actually want
Presenter: Clayton Woods, Business Edge Advisors
Time: Wednesday 3 September, 3.30pm
Saying yes to every client might feel like good service, but it’s often what keeps firms stuck.
Join Clayton Woods as he shares the Clarity Matrix: a practical framework to help you assess complexity, communicate your value, and name your price with confidence. You’ll build the mindset (and courage) to say no to the wrong clients, so you can create space for the right ones—and for yourself.
True leadership is about knowing your worth, and owning it. This is your opportunity to let go of the limiting beliefs that block your firm’s growth.
Communicating VALUE: A framework for accountants to stop over-giving, charge what you’re worth, and deepen client connections
Presenter: Michelle Kolze, Bluestone Accountants
Time: Thursday 4 September, 11.45am
You’re delivering incredible value. But if clients don’t see it, you stay stuck in a cycle of overwork and under-appreciation.
This session will introduce the 5-step VALUE framework, designed to empower you to clearly articulate your worth, build meaningful client relationships, and trade over-extending with intentional, sustainable growth.
Prepare to walk away with the tools, language, and mindset necessary for change. One that ensures that your value is no longer invisible, and your work finally gets the recognition (and balance) it deserves.
📚 The best sessions on bookkeeping
The bookkeeping practice of the future
Presenter: Rebecca Buchanan, Straight Up Bookkeeping
Time: Wednesday 3 September, 2.30pm
What built a successful bookkeeping practice two years ago won’t carry you forward today. In this session, Rebecca Buchnanan will break down the five challenges facing the profession today, and what you can do to stay ahead.
From AI and timesaving, to talent shortages and technology, to systemisation and Quality Management Systems (QMS), this session will offer answers to your most burning questions about the state of the industry.
How strategic bookkeepers scale profit and time with advisory and automation
Presenter: Jeannie Savage, The Strategic Bookkeeper
Time: Wednesday 3 September, 3.30pm
In this dynamic workshop, Jeanne Savage will explain her strategy for building a profitable service model that scales. Learn how to package your services with productisation, save time without compromising on quality by leveraging automation, and become a strategic partner by embracing your role as an advisor.
With the right systems, you can achieve freedom and financial reward in your bookkeeping career. If you’re ready to grow on your terms, charge what you’re worth, and stop reinventing the wheel every month, then this is your blueprint.
💰 The best sessions on business strategy
Understanding and engaging with Generation Alpha
Presenter: Ashley Fell, McCrindle
Time: Wednesday 3 September, 3.30pm
Generation Alpha (born 2010-2024) are set to become the largest and most influential generation in history. So, how do you engage them?
Join Ashley Fell, who literally wrote the book on Gen Alpha, as she dissects the next generation of future accounting professionals, revealing who they are, how they think, and why they’ll reshape education, work, and the economy.
Forget linear, forget traditional. This cohort is 100% digital, global, and unlike any generation before it.
From numbers to 'know how': Strategies for success in the current economy
Presenters:
Jason Robinson, Future Advisory
Louise Southall, Xero
Susan Toft, The Laundry Lady
Time: Wednesday 3 September, 3.30pm
What do the numbers really tell us about the road ahead? In this session, Xero economist Louise Southall will look beyond the data, exploring what the latest trends mean for small businesses and their advisors.
Joined by a practising accountant and a small business owner, she will discuss today’s challenges and opportunities, share examples of what’s working (and what’s not), and offer practical ideas for setting small businesses up for success.
Thoughts about tomorrow you can talk about today
Presenter: Matt Church, Thought Leaders
Time: Thursday 4 September, 9.45am
Change is inevitable. Clinging to what used to work is the fastest path to irrelevance.
In this disruptive session, Matt Church will challenge the traditional way of doing business. Instead, he’ll equip you with the strategies and knowledge to build a business set to last: one built around a culture of agility, creativity, and foresight.
Leave with actionable advice to future-proof your firm, inspire adaptability in your team, and lead with vision.
A conversation with Joe Brumm, creator of Bluey
Presenter: Joe Brumm, creator of Bluey
Time: Wednesday 3 September, 12.15pm
Bluey is the globally adored animated series that has redefined family storytelling and captured hearts across generations. It’s been streamed for over 55 billion minutes, and has earned a Peabody, BAFTA, multiple Logies, an International Emmy, and the 2025 Screen Producers Award for Animated Production of the Year.
And its creator, Joe Brumm, is hitting the Xerocon stage to share his leadership journey and principles of collaboration, innovation, and inclusivity.
Look for booth E17
From world-class speakers and tech reveals to serendipitous conversations in the expo hall, Xerocon 2025 offers future-focused firms a chance to connect, learn, and level up.
Make sure you swing by booth E17 to say hello to the Karbon team.
