Registration open for WA and VIC Olive Industry Think Tank Workshops
The AOA’s Olive Industry Think Tank Workshops are all systems go, with the first two events scheduled for early-mid October.
The state-based events are replacing the AOA National Olive Conference & Exhibition for 2026, and respond to grower feedback about the value of knowledge-sharing and networking via industry events.
Designed as peer-to-peer, problem-solving workshops packed with practical business information, the program topics for each event will be based around local issues, providing an opportunity to tackle collective hurdles, and walk away with actionable knowledge and ideas.
Multi-event experience for WA
The WA Think Tank is first on the calendar, with a full two-day olive industry experience on offer to make the most of the journey to Perth. Additional industry events are being held either side of the Think Tank workshop, hosted respectively by the AOA and Olives WA.
1.Think Tank Workshop
Date: Thursday 8 October, 12:00noon – 5:00pm.
Location: Mounts Bay Sailing Club, Australia II Drive, Crawley, WA
Cost: $55 inc GST for members & levy payers / $66 inc GST for general entry. Price includes lunch upon arrival and networking drinks, and the olive oil and olives tasting session at the end of the day.
Registrations close: 30 September.
2.AOA Back to Basics Field Day
Being held the day prior to the Think Tank, the AOA’s Back to Basics field day program covers everything from planning a grove to harvest timing and methodologies once you’ve hit production stage. Designed for growers at all levels of experience, topics covered include: site selection, varieties, irrigation, grove management, pruning, pests and diseases and harvest options. Equipment suppliers and service providers may also be on hand to highlight the latest tools to optimise grove efficiency.
Date: Wednesday, 7 October @ 8:30 am – 4:30 pm
Location: York Olive Oil, 254 Ashworth Rd, Daliak, WA
Cost: $44 inc GST for members & levy payers / $55 inc GST for general entry. Price includes arrival tea/coffee, morning tea and lunch.
3.2026 WA Olive Awards
Directly following the AOA Think Tank – and at the same venue – are the WA Olive Awards, recognising and celebrating the best of 2026 production.
Date: Thursday, 8 October @ 5:00 pm.
Location: Mounts Bay Sailing Club, Australia II Drive, Crawley, WA
Cost/Tickets: Contact Ellen Slobe at [email protected].
Register now!
Find out more about all WA events and register for the Back to Basics Field Day and Think Tank here.
Get a grasp on grafting at VIC Think Tank
Supported by Olive Growers Victoria, the Victorian Think Tank workshop has the added bonus of a comprehensive session on How to and how not to graft olive trees. Presented by Oasis Olives’ owner John Symington, the morning grafting workshop will discuss the results of different techniques, followed by a comparison of trees grafted in the past with standard trees planted at the same time.
A shared lunch will provide an opportunity for networking before the Think Tank workshop, a structured half-day collaborative session addressing regional challenges and opportunities. There’ll also be practical guidance on labelling compliance and packaging issues, and discussions on the olive levy roadmap and industry benchmarking.
Date: Sunday, 18 October @ 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
Location: Oasis Olives 431 McKernan Rd, Kialla East, VIC
Cost: $55 inc GST – AOA members/levy payers; $66 – General entry. Includes lunch and networking drinks.
More information and register here.
Help shape your local Think Tank
To ensure those local issues are truly reflected at each event, the AOA’s organising team want to know about the specific state-level challenges and agronomic barriers impacting your groves right now.
They’ve created a quick 5 question pre-event survey so you can nominate the real-world environmental, operational and pest/disease pressures unique to your region. It’ll take just 5 minutes, so please click through here and let your voice help drive the agenda.
More information
We’ll update on event details for the SA, TAS and NSW Think Tanks as they’re confirmed, both in Grove Innovation and the Friday Olive Extracts e-newsletter. In the meantime, you can find out more and view the program here.
PLATINUM SPONSOR
SILVER SPONSOR
R&D EVENT PARTNER
These events are part of the Olive levy project Australian olive industry communications and extension program (OL22000), funded by Hort Innovation, using the Hort Innovation olive research and development levy, co-investment from the Australian Olive Association and contributions from the Australian Government.