CAE Exam between 1 - 14 May 2026 This course is for the May 2026 examination *Please note that the exam registration through ASAE is separate and is the delegates responsibility. AuSAE is here to help

Course cost - AuSAE Member $750 

Non member / Business partner  $950 includes  

• Course material ( Professional Practices in Association Management, 4th Edition)

• Cliff notes with practice exam questions for each domain

• Study group learnings and exam questions

• Practice exam exam

The Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential is an International marker of a committed association professional who has demonstrated the wide range of knowledge essential to manage an association in today’s challenging environment.

Have you got what it takes to go to the next level, AuSAE is here to help you!!
Applications close with ASAE 20 February 2026 for the exam

Program Starting Friday 20 February 2026

Week 1 20 February : CAE Orientation session and Systems thinking

Week’s 2 - 9: Covering the eight domains 1 hour each week (Friday)

• 27 February: Domain 1 Governance
• 6 March: Domain 2 Executive Leadership
• 13 March: Domain 3 Organisational Strategy
• 20 March: Domain 4 Operations
• 27 March: Domain 5 Business development
• 2 April: Domain 6 Member and Stakeholder Engagement and Management
• 10 April: Domain 7 Advocacy
• 17 April: Domain 8 Marketing and Communications

Week 10: Wednesday 22 April Practice exam in exam conditions (100 questions) 2 hours
Friday 24 April Open forum (1hour 30 mins)

• CAE Exam fee is separate and paid through ASAE when applying for the exam. Member cost $500 USD

Associations are constantly launching, refreshing and promoting products, programs, campaigns and advocacy initiatives, however achieving consistent cut-through across members and stakeholders remains a challenge.

This practical, hands-on skills lab is designed for association professionals responsible for engaging members and stakeholders through communications, events, marketing and campaigns. It is particularly relevant for those working across membership, advocacy, education and events.

Key takeaways:

1. How to clearly articulate the value of your association: Learn how to market who your association is, what it offers and why it matters so members and stakeholders better understand the value of engaging.
2. How to apply that value to marketing campaigns that perform: Understand how effective association campaigns position education, advocacy, membership and events to drive engagement, uptake and relevance.
3. How to improve campaign messaging to increase response: Learn how to assess whether campaign messaging is connecting with audiences and refine it to improve engagement, attendance, retention and participation.
4. How to deliver integrated marketing campaigns across channels: Learn how to promote campaigns consistently across websites, events, newsletters and social media so audiences receive a clear, joined-up message.
5. How to focus marketing effort where it drives the most impact: Gain practical insight into simplifying marketing activity, reducing noise, and prioritising the campaigns and messages that deliver the greatest return.

Using real association examples and practical frameworks, you will leave with tools and approaches you can apply immediately within you own organisation.

This workshop helps you market your value more clearly and run campaigns that drive stronger engagement, uptake and member connection.

Meet Our Presenter

Debbie Bradley, Group Account Director, Zadro

Debbie is a strategic communications and campaigns specialist with extensive experience delivering integrated marketing, advocacy and engagement initiatives for associations and purpose-led organisations. She works closely with clients to translate strategy into practical, high-impact campaigns that connect with members and stakeholders and drive meaningful outcomes.

Session Overview:
AI is moving quickly from experimentation to expectation. For association leaders, the real question is how to be ready to use it in ways that genuinely improve member engagement and decision-making.

This session explores what AI readiness looks like in a practical association context - focussing on the data foundations, systems alignment, and organisational habits that make smarter engagement possible. Using familiar scenarios across membership, events, education, and communications, we’ll examine how better-connected data enables more meaningful networking, more relevant learning experiences, and more timely engagement, and why fragmented data limits insight and impact.

Rather than focussing on tools or trends in isolation, the discussion connects strategy to day-to-day reality, helping association executives understand where to focus their attention first and how to build momentum over time. Participants will leave with clearer priorities, shared language for internal conversations, and actionable yet simple next steps.

Key Learnings:

• A clearer view of what AI readiness means in an association environment
• Insight into how connected data supports more relevant and timely member engagement
• A practical way to assess the strength of their current data foundations
• Guidance on where AI can add value now - and where it’s not yet realistic
• Clear next steps to strengthen data, systems, and engagement outcomes

Meet Our Presenter

Over the last 30+ years Paul has worked with more professional bodies, industry associations, charities and fundraisers than most people would gather in several lifetimes. He is passionate about helping Not-For-Profits and Associations reach their goals, through adopting new and innovative solutions to help them run more efficiently. He is Managing Director of ASI Asia-Pacific which has more than 600 Not-For-Profit clients in the region. Paul enjoys working everyday with great staff and great clients and is rewarded by seeing great things ASI clients do in and around the community and knowing that ASI is able to contribute to that.

Start your morning with purpose, perspective and powerful conversation.

Join us in Brisbane for our upcoming networking breakfast:

Mission and Margin: Innovating for Growth in Associations – Whitepaper Launch

Take a couple of hours out of your day to connect with fellow association professionals, explore high-level issues that truly matter, and gain practical insights you can apply immediately.

At this networking breakfast event, we’ll unpack the key themes from Mayvin Global’s Mission and Margin White Paper series (Volumes 1–3), followed by an engaging panel discussion facilitated by Deanna Varga, CEO and Founder of Mayvin Global.

Mayvin Global’s Mission and Margin white paper series (volumes 1, 2 and 3) series brings to life how associations and purpose-driven organisations can balance purpose with commercial reality—examining revenue diversification, risk readiness, and innovation through real world case studies. Together, the series positions financial sustainability not as a trade off with mission, but as an enabler of impact and confident leadership in an increasingly complex environment.

This is a unique opportunity to:

• Connect with peers in a relaxed, informal setting
• Develop meaningful professional relationships
• Gain fresh thinking on innovation and sustainable growth
• Walk away with practical strategies to strengthen your organisation

Event details:
Date: Wednesday 25 March 2026
Time: 7:30 am to 9:30 am AEST
Plated hot breakfast provided (please advise of special dietary requirements)
Venue: Sky Room, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre, Grey Street, South Brisbane

Step out of the office, share ideas with your peers, and start your day inspired to lead.

Meet our Speaker

Deanna Varga GAICD, MBA, CICE is Founder and CEO of Mayvin Global, bringing over 25 years’ experience across business events, tourism, government, and the arts. She specialises in sustainable commercial strategy, revenue diversification, and capability building. Deanna is an Adjunct Associate Professor at UTS and serves as an Independent and Non-Executive Director across several organisations, including the Australasian Society for Ultrasound in Medicine and Transport Heritage NSW.

We want to thank our Venue Partner, Brisbane Convention & Exhibition Centre for hosting our Networking Breakfast.

In 2026, associations face a dual challenge: remaining indispensable to members while navigating an increasingly complex workplace landscape themselves. Industrial relations reform, psychosocial risk obligations, wage pressures and governance expectations are reshaping the environment across Australia and New Zealand.

In this session, Citation Group shares frontline insights drawn specifically from our Advisory work with associations across Australia, alongside HR Advice Line data and sector-wide trends. We’ll unpack the key compliance, workforce and risk issues association leaders are raising with us, what’s driving concern within their member bases, and where gaps commonly emerge.

Attendees will gain association-specific intelligence on what keeps both boards and members up at night — and leave equipped with practical, data-informed strategies to strengthen internal capability, enhance member value, and position their association as a proactive, trusted partner in 2026 and beyond.

What You’ll Gain

• Association-specific insight drawn from Advisory interactions with Australian associations
• Clarity on 2026 IR, compliance and psychosocial obligations affecting associations and their members
• Visibility into the most common HR risks and governance challenges emerging in the sector
• Practical strategies to strengthen internal capability and member-facing support
• Data-informed talking points to enhance advocacy, communications and perceived value

Meet Our Presenter

Wes O’Donnell
Head of Enterprise Growth, Citation Group

Wes is an experienced Lawyer with extensive consultancy experience in the field of workplace relations and employment law. Wes has over 20 years’ experience and has assumed senior workplace relations and management roles in both Australia and London.

As Head of Enterprise Growth at Citation Group and a member of the Executive Team, Wes leads the strategic expansion of the Group’s professional services divisions, overseeing the design and delivery of workplace relations and WHS solutions for major industry associations and large corporates.

He also manages the delivery of large, complex contingent projects through Citation’s Flying Team — a specialist cohort of HR, WHS, and legal experts mobilised to tackle critical compliance and workforce challenges. This combination of enterprise growth leadership and hands-on project delivery gives Wes unique insight into the compliance, workplace relations, and HR issues facing Australian businesses across diverse industries.

Wes prides himself on demonstrating strong commercial awareness, used to great effect in delivering commercial solutions, strategies and advice tailored towards the specific requirements of clients.

Wes’s expertise focuses on:

• Advocacy – Conciliation and Litigation
• Disciplinary/Grievances
• Workplace Mediation
• Workplace Investigations
• Performance Management
• Drafting Contracts
• Redundancy/Restructure
• Anti-Discrimination
• Privacy Law
• Coaching/Training

Wes is frequently called upon to lead seminars and provide coaching on all aspects of employment law throughout the entire employee lifecycle.

Qualifications: BEc, LLB.

Association Management Systems

Are you considering a new Association Management System (AMS), upgrading your current one, or looking to maximise its potential? Join us for this complimentary online event where Association Management Solutions (AMS) providers will showcase their latest innovations designed to streamline operations, enhance member engagement, and drive efficiency.

Get a firsthand look at cutting-edge AMS solutions through live demos, with time to ask questions. Each session features a 20-minute presentation, giving you a quick and insightful overview of the membership management platform and best tools to support your association.

Date: Thursday, 30 April 2026
Time: 10:00am - 2:00pm (AEST) / 12:00pm - 4:00pm (NZST)
Location: Virtual

Event Program

• 10:00 am - Welcome - Toni Brearley, AuSAE
• 10:15 am - Presentation
• 10:30 am - Coming soon
• 11:00 am - Coming soon
• 11:30 am - Coming soon
• 12:00 pm - Coming soon
• 12:30 pm - Coming soon
• 1:00 pm - Coming soon
• 1:30 pm - Coming soon

Demo days are not open to suppliers of the sector in their respective fields

Don't miss this chance to discover the right solution for your needs.

An Immersive Retreat for Women
in Association Leadership

5 - 8 May | Christchurch, New Zealand

Join us for an exclusive 3.5-day retreat set in Canterbury's breathtaking high country at Fable Terrace Downs Resort.

Over the 3.5 days you will experience a transformational leadership retreat facilitated by Lauren Parsons, CSP.

The WIAL Retreat includes:

• 3 nights accommodation in beautiful, tranquil surroundings (2 bedroom, 2 bathroom suites. Single supplement available at additional cost).
• Facilitated leadership & personal growth program;
• Nutritious, locally inspired daily meals;
• Return Christchurch transfers.

What you'll gain:

• Strategic clarity to lead with sharper focus, purpose and impact;
• Stronger executive presence and communication to influence and inspire;
• Tools to prevent burnout and sustain high performance through busy seasons;
• Emotional intelligence and decision-making skills for complex environments;
• Brave boundary-setting to protect your time, energy and attention; and
• Proven culture-building frameworks to lift wellbeing and results.

Why This Retreat Stands Out

This is not a conference. It is an intimate, high-trust environment where learning goes deeper and breakthroughs happen faster.

You will work closely with Lauren Parsons – award-winning leadership expert, TEDx speaker and author of Thriving Leaders, Thriving Teams. Each participant will receive a personal copy of the book to reinforce long-term change.

Located at Terrace Downs – “a place that reinvigorates the mind and soothes the soul” – you’ll reset, recharge and realign with what matters most.

The Results

You will leave:

• Re-energised, centered and future-focused
• Equipped with a clear leadership roadmap and practical tools
• Ready to lead with greater energy, empathy, confidence and influence

Spaces are strictly limited and will be allocated on a first-in, first-served basis.

* Open to women currently working in an association or not-for-profit organisation.

Earn CAE Credits

All education sessions at the Retreat are CAE-eligible and attendees may earn up to 10 CAE credits for attending the event. 

Click here for a draft program and timings.

Payment by installments is available - please email elaine@ausae.org.au and we can assist.

Proudly sponsored by: