ICMSA, which lays claim to the title of Australasia’s longest‑established Professional Conference Organiser, celebrates 60 years this week. The company was founded on January 28, 1966.
The PCO’s chief executive, Emma Bowyer (above), thanked all previous directors, current and past staff, as well as the company’s clients, suppliers and stakeholders who have helped shape the agency’s journey to date. With 33 full-time staff, ICMSA is headquartered in Sydney but has offices in Brisbane, Melbourne and Christchurch, New Zealand.
“I cannot be more proud to recognise this anniversary,” Bowyer said.
The anniversary comes as ICMSA extends its reach through a series of high‑profile international events. According to reports, the company is preparing to manage the International Congress on Child Abuse and Neglect in Melbourne, an event expected to draw more than 1,000 delegates.
A calendar of 30 conferences has been lined up for the year with national and international events spanning sectors such as education, science, finance, medicine, environment and mining.
ICMSA is also looking forward to delivering its first conference in Scotland for the paediatric-focused Don’t Forget The Bubbles (DFTB) organisation (June 22-24). DFTB has been a long-term client of the PCO and a request was made to deliver the event in Glasgow this year.
So much has changed since 1966, but our core reason for our existence, to create an environment in which people can share their valuable knowledge with their peers and communities to better our society, remains the same. This is what continues to make my team and I so committed to doing what we do every day.”
– Emma Bowyer
Another first will be Interspeech 2026 in Sydney in late September. “We are managing this on behalf of The Australasian Speech Science and Technology Association and the International Speech Communication Association,” a spokesperson for ICMSA told MIX. “The conference, again with more than 1,000 participants expected, promotes research relating to speech communication science and technology.”
On top of an active year for the agency, Bowyer is preparing further announcements including the company’s Diamond Jubilee Gala.
