03/07/2026
# Reflecting on the Resonate Conference 2026:
Three Days of Learning, Connection and Innovation
Each year, the Resonate team comes together from across Australia to step away from project work, reconnect as a team, and invest in what makes us better consultants. This year's conference took us to Moreton Island, Queensland, where we spent three days learning, sharing ideas, celebrating achievements and looking ahead to the future of Resonate.
While the location was spectacular, what made the conference memorable wasn't the scenery, it was the people. With team members travelling from Adelaide, Melbourne and Sydney, the conference provided a valuable opportunity to connect face-to-face with colleagues we often work alongside remotely. As Resonate continues to grow, these moments become increasingly important. They allow us to strengthen relationships, share experiences, and build the connections that underpin the way we work together throughout the year.
The conference began with opportunities to explore the island, unwind, and enjoy some unique local experiences, including the chance to hand-feed wild dolphins along the shoreline.
Thursday's conference program commenced with a Welcome to Country delivered by Aunty Evie, providing a meaningful start to the day and an opportunity to acknowledge the cultural significance of the place in which we gathered. Her stories were enlightening and engaging, outlining her connection to the island and surrounds. Welcome to country means so much to us here at Resonate especially after completing our Reconciliation Action Plan this year.
Throughout the morning, our leadership team reflected on the achievements, challenges and growth of the past year. It was an opportunity to celebrate milestones across the business while also looking ahead to the opportunities that lie in front of us.
A workshop facilitated by Performance Frontiers encouraged us to think more broadly about the role we play as consultants. Prior to the conference, each team member was asked to reflect on a time they delivered meaningful value to a client that had nothing to do with technical expertise. The resulting discussions highlighted something we know to be true at Resonate: technical excellence is only one part of great consulting. Relationships, communication, trust, and understanding people remain equally important.
One of the ongoing highlights of the Resonate Conference was our annual Tech Talks session. Tech Talks have become a cornerstone of the Resonate conference experience. They provide an opportunity for team members to explore topics they are passionate about, share technical knowledge with colleagues, and challenge themselves to communicate complex ideas in an engaging and accessible way. This year saw a new team-based format, with consultants and graduates grouped into teams led by Principals and Technical Directors. Across the afternoon, presenters delivered a diverse range of topics that reflected the breadth of expertise and curiosity that exists across the business. From emerging technologies and acoustic modelling techniques to psychoacoustics, environmental noise, offshore wind, monitoring systems and speech privacy; the presentations demonstrated both the technical depth and innovative thinking that continue to drive Resonate forward. What stood out most was not just the quality of the presentations, but the level of engagement throughout the room. Questions were thoughtful, discussions were lively, and every presentation sparked new ideas and perspectives.
While the judging was incredibly close, three presentations were recognised by the panel:
**First Place – Artur Moreira**
Artur's presentation explored how acoustic modelling systems can be leveraged to extract greater value and insight from standard workflows. Combining practical application with technical rigour, the presentation challenged the audience to think differently about tools many use every day.
**Second Place – Ryan McKay**
Ryan presented on the emerging challenge of predicting community noise impacts from delivery drones. Drawing on research supporting his Inter-Noise 2026 Adelaide paper (Inter-Noise Adelaide coming up this year in August https://internoise2026.org/), Ryan explored how existing assessment frameworks apply to this rapidly evolving technology and where future approaches may need to adapt.
**Third Place – Harry Miles**
Harry's presentation focused on speech privacy and the role acoustic design plays in creating environments that support both communication and confidentiality. Through practical examples, he highlighted how thoughtful acoustic design can positively influence the experience of the people who use the spaces we help create.
Congratulations to all presenters. The quality of every presentation reflected the passion, curiosity and commitment to learning that exists throughout the business.
Friday's program provided an opportunity to focus on the people behind the projects. The morning included our shareholder AGM, a People & Culture session, and a review of staff survey results, creating space for open discussion about what we're doing well and where we can continue to improve. There was also an opportunity to celebrate a special milestone, with the team surprising our Managing Director, Tom Evans, with a birthday cake and a few games during morning tea.
A three-day offsite offers valuable perspective on a team. It provides an opportunity to appreciate the genuine qualities of your colleagues and witness the culmination of weeks of hard work and preparation. Moments like sharing a casual laugh outside of office hours reinforce a strong sense of unity, reminding everyone of how rewarding it is to collaborate as a team. We can’t wait to do it all again next year!
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*Resonate Consultants is an acoustic and audio-visual consultancy with offices in Adelaide, Melbourne, and Sydney. We work across architectural acoustics, environmental noise, and AV design - and we take our annual conference very seriously.*
