Why Innovation Thrives in Places You Don’t Expect: Lessons from Toowoomba.
Some events stick with you not because of the location or the size, but because of the intent behind them. McConacon 2025 — was one of those.
McConacon is the annual staff conference for McConachie Stedman (MCS) who are accountants, advisors, auditors and financial planners. MCS have offices across Queensland’s South East but they’re fundamentally based in regional areas.
While many people think conference speakers spend their days in the large convention centres of Melbourne, Brisbane, Sydney, the Gold Coast or in the resorts of the Whitsundays there are so many great events, conferences and businesses to work with in regional Australia. Some of my most enjoyable conferences have been in Toowoomba, or other regional centres where you find amazing people doing great things.
In this case, I was invited to run two sessions for the MCS team: one exploring the major technological and economic shifts reshaping work, and another digging into the human side of all this change — how people adapt, learn, lead and stay relevant. Solid topics. But what struck me wasn’t the content. It was who was leaning into it.
There’s a persistent myth that innovation only happens in capital‑city towers filled with people who say ‘ecosystem’ a lot. But some of the most forward‑looking, curious and genuinely future‑oriented teams I have worked with have been in regional centres. MCS is a great example. I think when the market you’re in is smaller you have to be prepared to pivot with the local economy and ensure your services are right for the market and the agility of inherently smaller companies can be a real enabler.
At McConacon we had Ninety staff, spanning all levels of experience, who turned up ready to think about the future — not in a theoretical sense, but in a practical, grounded, “how do we actually grow, adapt and look after our each other, our company, our clients, and the community?” way. It’s the kind of attitude that makes these engagements a pleasure.
The morning session itself was packed: conversations, learning, a lean planning committee keeping the wheels turning, great questions, and great discussions on how change requires us to adapt to the new and explore what’s next.
My sessions covered everything from AI and automation to adaptability, creativity and the human traits that matter more than ever in a tech‑enabled world. But the real story was the people in the room: open, curious, committed, and willing to stretch themselves.
I love working with organisations like this — groups who are investing in their people not because it’s trendy, but because they genuinely want to build a resilient, capable, future‑ready business. You don’t need a big city skyline for that. You just need leaders who are open minded to the possibility that what got us here won’t get us where we’re going.
Huge thanks to the team at MCS for the opportunity to open your conference and on a personal level for the reminder that there are smaller companies with great cultures who invest in their people almost everywhere you look.
