Some sessions don’t just land well – they stick.
At Digital Workplace Conference New Zealand 2026 at the end of February, a handful of speakers lit up the room with the kind of practical, honest stories people kept talking about long after they’d left.
Below is a sneak preview of standout content – built from attendee evaluations and verbatim comments – featuring speakers you’ll also have the chance to hear in Australia May 28-29 when you come to the conference. Here’s what resonated most, in the words of the people who were in the room.
1) Kirsty McGrath
Novice to Nimble: Mastering Microsoft 365 Copilot Prompts
Kirsty’s session was high-energy with actionable insights – exactly the kind of momentum our community comes for.
Feedback from this session was strong, with attendees calling out “great practical advice” from an “engaging speaker”. It was clear the session landed at just the right moment, with “really useful insights” that people were keen to start trying straight away. Kirsty is always contagiously energetic, and one comment perfectly captured the vibe in the room: “fast, furious and informative.”
2) Steve Knutson
The Future of Intranets: AI Meets SharePoint
Steve brought strong demos and future-focused intranet ideas we could genuinely picture using in our own environments. He showcased a stack of new SharePoint features – some still in preview – and brought the room along as he walked through practical use cases and a few key gotchas. Attendees left with “pragmatic takeaways” and “really good tips”, plus some handy summary points to guide the work once we were back at our desks.
3) Sharon Connolly
Sceptics to Superfans: How to get everyone in your organisation excited about technology
Sharon delivered a change and adoption session that felt very “relatable” – a message that was story-driven, and packed with ideas people could take back to their teams. Attendees commended the session as being “very clear and having lots of good ideas,” and several comments mentioned how the human story “gave greater meaning” to illustrate the point and make it stick. Sharon definitely gained some superfans during this engaging presentation!
4) Shannon Donovan & Debbie Ireland
Keepin’ it real: getting sh*t done
We took a peek into Shannon and Debbie’s world of work, with ideas and tips that people could apply immediately. You could feel the “oh, I’d never thought of that” moments in the room as they showed an array of real-world demos. Attendees at this session consistently described the session as “super practical and relevant” with “engaging and useful content.”
5) Sutter Schumacher
Digital Governance That Guides, Not Grinds
Sutter made governance feel accessible – practical, engaging, and easy to understand even for non-technical audiences. The community feedback captured the tone perfectly: “very engaging, highly relevant, and thoroughly enjoyable,” with a genuine note of appreciation – “thank you for making governance straightforward and easy to understand.” Another attendee shared how it landed emotionally as well as practically: it “sparked a lot of ideas; validated a lot of feelings…”
6) Andrew Pope
Making Work Less Crap
Andrew delivered a lively, entertaining session that resonated across the room. Using memorable interactive exercises, he tackled the realities of hybrid work with practical, people-first tips. His presentation was described as “fantastic”, “engaging”, and “very entertaining”. He shared realistic strategies that apply in any organisation, in any industry. The clear recommendations and relatable stories made the content stick, and people left with actionable takeaways for their teams.
If this is the standard of conversation we’re already having, Digital Workplace Conference Australia 2026 is going to be something special. These are the sessions people were still buzzing about after they walked out of the room – and they’re just a taste of what’s coming to Australia, alongside plenty more speakers, stories, and practical takeaways.
We’re putting the finishing touches on the full agenda now – keep an eye out for it, and start thinking about which challenges you want to tackle this year. If you want practical insights you can use straight away (and a few laughs along the way), you’ll want to be in the room at DWCAU2026!
