Our ambition for 2027
SE27
2026 has so far been quite the year.
We set out to run an expanded festival, launch a new event for product leadership, and stage our first Awards Gala. The festival brought new formats, the product leadership event was rated our best event yet, and across the year our program has drawn 2,900+ attendees, a large share of them new to The Outlook.
Tickets were harder to move than in any year we have run, and price was not the obstacle, it was time away from work. Filling our rooms took everything our team had, but it was worth it and turnout at our flagship stayed at 92 percent.
The Awards did not run, and we have postponed them indefinitely. We read the room, and were told directly, that current workloads do not offer much time for celebration.
What we heard beyond that was consistent. Our audience is overwhelmed with content, with almost every brand running its own conference, webinar, or content series. AI has added enormous workload to teams that were already stretched. Between the two, getting out of the office is harder than it has ever been.
2026 taught us what our audience wants: fewer things at greater depth. So, for Season 2027 we are focusing our effort on our core events, each one well worth leaving the office for.
In Melbourne, that means a combined product and design leadership summit, our flagship conference, and Outlook: Customer Intelligence—a day on how leading organisations turn data into intelligence, and intelligence into the decisions behind market-leading products.
We are taking our first real step beyond Melbourne by bringing a leadership summit and a satellite of TO27 to Singapore, as well as running an invite-only leadership summit in Sydney. Outlook After Dark continues year-round for our partners and the product and design leaders who have made it a fixture.
Our 2027 program keeps our focus on the curation and quality of our core events that set us apart. For our partners, the same relationship now reaches two markets: our Australian calendar, tailored to Singapore.
We're always looking forward, and we can't wait to see you in 2027.
Grant Show
2026 in numbers
- 2,900+
- attendees across our 2026 program
- 92%
- turnout at our flagship conference
- 320+
- companies in the room in 2026
- 9,000+
- attendees since 2021
Our ambition for 2027
Our focus
Product
From early discovery to scaling strategies, product teams shape how people interact with technology every day. We explore how great product practice balances commercial outcomes with clarity, care, and creativity, especially in complex or high-pressure environments.
Design
Design today is about more than execution. It’s about resonance, responsibility, and creating value across teams, systems, and society. We examine how design functions as a multiplier, elevating experience, sharpening outcomes, and driving long-term impact.
Leadership
Whether formal or informal, leadership is about making space for others to do their best work. We spotlight the mindsets, methods, and behaviours that help people lead through uncertainty, and build cultures that are resilient, inclusive, and future-ready.
Our planned events
flagshipExplores how leading organisations deliberately alter the conditions to build a product identity, commit for the long term, and make teams, not individuals, the unit of performance behind market-leading products.
15 July 2027
small formatExplores how leading organisations turn customer insight into intelligence, and intelligence into the decisions behind market-leading products.
11 November 2027
flagshipTO27: Singapore
Our flagship conference comes to Singapore.
September 2027
summitLeadership: Singapore
We're bringing our leadership summit for product and design to Singapore.
May 2027
summitLeadership: Sydney
An invite-only edition of our leadership summit for product and design in Sydney.
March 2027
summitLeadership: Melbourne
Our much-loved leadership summit returns for product and design in our much loved roundtables format.
March 2027
Our audience
Enterprise practitioners
Designers and product managers looking for practical skills, sharper craft and tools they can use on Monday.
Scale-up managers
Leaders growing teams fast without losing customer focus or speed.
Senior leaders
Decision-makers at large organisations working through complexity, regulation and transformation.
Academics and specialists
Experts who bring depth, critique and a longer view of the industry.
Consultants and agencies
Practitioners who carry patterns across industries and shape what clients expect.
Call for presenters
We're accepting presentation ideas for 2027
Our call for presentations covers every event in Season 2027. Our Content Academy coaches every presenter, from first-time presenters to seasoned keynotes, with a narrative coach, a presentation manager, and a full rehearsal at the venue.
Ambassador program
We're accepting new ambassadors for 2027
Our Ambassadors represent the heart of The Outlook. As champions of our community, they shape content, serve as lead jurors for the awards, and contribute to the learning agenda across our events, programs, and partnerships.
Key dates
October
- Call for presenters
- Call for ambassadors
November
- Presenter info webinar
- Ambassador interviews
- Ambassadors confirmed
- Ambassador long lunch
January
- Call for presenters closes
- All events and dates confirmed for 2027
- Presenters interviewed and selected
Ways to partner
Outlook After Dark
Leadership engagement
Invite-only executive dinners hosted by us, curated to your target accounts and a whole lot of fun.
Custom experiences
Bespoke events and activations
We'll continue to create custom experiences, events, and activations that engage our network and develop relationships for our partners.
Community
Sponsoring meetups and community events
We'll continue to support the community through meetup sponsorship, event sponsorship, and more.
Our current and past sponsors include
What sets us apart
Independent, impactful, and focused
We are a fiercely independent platform with a values-led approach. Our independence gives us the freedom to curate with integrity, focus on meaningful impact, and bring together voices that might not otherwise be heard.
Built on enduring partnerships
We believe the most impactful partnerships are those where both sides shape the ideas, co-create the content, and share in the outcomes.
Outstanding track record
Since 2021, The Outlook has become one of Australia's most trusted platforms for design and product leadership.
In just a few years, we have grown from a bold idea into a trusted stage where leaders and practitioners from across disciplines meet, exchange ideas, and shape the future.
See you in 2027
Partnering with us
Our approach to partnerships is built on radical transparency and endless optimism. When you join our partner cohort, you join a community working towards the best design conference in the region.
Present
Our call for presentations is open, and we're eagerly seeking submissions across all of our events for next year.
Forward-looking statements
This page outlines our plans for Season 2027, including events and formats that are still evolving. Dates, venues, and programs may change as we confirm each event, and we are committed to delivering what we agree with our partners and presenters.
We encourage you to consider this when partnering with us for the year.
FAQs
- When will call for presentations open?
Call for presentations will open on Monday 5 October.
- Can we sponsor an event?
Yes, we're actively discussing sponsorship with new and existing partners and encourage you to reach out.