Date and time: Wednesday 15 October 2025, 8.30am - 9.30am AEDT 
Topic: Post aes25 Reflection: Interconnections 'beyond the bubble'
Location: Proximity Advisory Services
Hosts: Samantha Mayes, Julie Elliot, Ruth Nicholls, Martina Donkers | AES ACT Committee
Register online by: 10 October 2025

Event Description

For Canberra based AES members who attend the aes25 conference and would like to reflect on what you heard and saw, or for those who won't be able to be there in person but who would appreciate the chance to hear some highlights and reflections, please come along to this interactive, in person session.

This year's conference in Canberra is set to be another brilliant opportunity for our evaluation community to come together, this time to explore the theme of 'Beyond the Bubble'.

The conference sub-themes are focused on developing more holistic and inclusive understandings of the world:
Transforming
Embracing ethical use of AI, new technologies, adaptive leadership, innovation, and learning.
Foundations
Paying attention to world views, values, theories, methodologies, tools and techniques of evaluation and where we have come from.
Connecting
Fostering networks, democratisation and citizen engagement, participatory and people-centred approaches, Indigenist evaluation, systems thinking, place and ecosystems.
Cultivating
Growing the profession, building capacity and awareness of evaluation, and knowledge translation.

Thought-provoking keynotes will be given from distinguished keynotes speakers, including:

Bianca Montrosse-Moorhead, Professor of Evaluation, University of Connecticut, USA - Keynote abstract: 'Do you prefer to dig deep or free range?'
Andi Fugard, Director, Quantitative Impact Evaluation, IFF Research, UK - Keynote abstract: 'Challenging binaries in evaluation'
Ray Lovett, Professor, Mayi Kuwayu Study, Yardhura Walani Centre, The Australian National University, and Bobby Maher, Researcher, Yardhura Walani Centre, The Australian National University - Keynote abstract: 'Let’s get real: Transforming evaluation through Indigenous-led practice'

Numbers are limited for this post-conference event - please only register if you plan to attend.

Presenter Details 
Sam Mayes, Julie Elliott, Ruth Nicholls and Martina Donkers are members of the ACT Committee of the AES.

This interactive breakfast session is for ACT based AES members and others who are either able to attend the conference or weren’t but are curious about what happened. This free event has been organised by the AES Canberra Regional Network. Our seminar series provides an opportunity for you to meet with AES members and others in the evaluation community and to share and learn from the experiences of fellow evaluators.