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Raising the Bar Adelaide

Raising the Bar is a global initiative making education and innovation a part of our City’s popular culture.

About

20 TALKS. 10 BARS. 1 NIGHT

Raising the Bar Adelaide has cemented its reputation as one of South Australia’s most thought-provoking and engaging local events—bringing expert discussion into casual settings.

Commencing in 2018, the event has transformed hotels across the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters into venues for big ideas and bold conversations. This award-winning, one-night-only event challenges, inspires and connects audiences.

Part of a global initiative that began in New York, Raising the Bar now spans cities across the world, including Hong Kong, London, Sydney—and Adelaide.

Interested in speaking at Raising the Bar?

We’re looking for engaging speakers who can share their expertise, experience or research in an accessible and inspiring way. If you have knowledge to share, a unique perspective or a story that sparks curiosity, we want to hear from you.

Submit a Speaker Expression of Interest:

Speaker Expression of Interest

Want to host a Raising the Bar session?

If you’re a hotel venue based in the City of Norwood Payneham & St Peters and interested in hosting a session or two, we’d love to hear from you. 

Submit a Venue Expression of Interest:

Venue Expression of Interest

2025 speakers

Venue Time Speaker Lecture Title
The Rising Sun Inn 6.30pm Trish Evelyn Breathless and Burnout - A silent epidemic no one is talking about
8.00pm Ali Ahmadi Resilience Reimagined - From refugee to industry leader
Maylands Hotel 6.30pm Rose Irranca Lead the Way: How Adult Wellbeing shapes strong kids
8.00pm William Ngiam Attention! Are we losing it?
Ferg's Stepney 6.30pm Dr. Tamara Fletcher ‘The Past is Prologue’: Returning to a warm Arctic
8.00pm Jasmin Ilic The Cyber Crisis We’re Ignoring - fear isn’t the solution
The Colonist 6.30pm Elle Holiday Honey, Lemon, and Other Lies - What really keeps your voice healthy?
8.00pm Dr. Scott Zarcinas  The Bicycle Shop of the Mind: How to Build a Life of Balance, Joy & Freedom
The Alma 6.30pm Associate Professor Shohreh Sherry Majd How Emotional Intelligence Helps You Handle Life, People and Stress
8.00pm Dr. Sonja Frolich Pixels & Pathogens: How AI is changing science
Robin Hood Hotel 6.30pm John Boland  Mallee Magic
8.00pm Chris Bryant Urban Jungle
Payneham Tavern 6.30pm Veronica Soebarto Resilient housing for older people: How to get ready for future climates
8.00pm Susan Hazel 10 Things to Stop Doing So Your Dog Can Live a Better Life
Kensington Hotel 6.30pm Dr Evangeline Mantzioris What to Eat to Live to 100
8.00pm Dr Amy Hutchison You are WHEN You Eat
Britannia Hotel 6.30pm  Zachary Read Munn Why is 85% of Medical Research Wasted Effort?
8.00pm Elizabeth Williamson Married at Last Sight - Why opposites attract and then drive us crazy
The Maid Hotel 6.30pm Victoria Fielding Trump, Lies and Power: Flooding the propaganda gray zone
8.00pm Sean Fewster and Daniel Panozzo Virtual Criminality: An Artificial probe into our lawless digital world

 2024 speakers

Venue  Time Speaker Lecture Title
The Robin Hood Hotel 6.30pm Dominic McAfee Reversing extinction; repairing the sea for a brighter future
8.00pm Abby Potter Navigating fashion in a cost-of-living and global-warming crisis
The Colonist

6.30pm

Mike Schwarzer If You Want to Change the World, Think Less and Be a Ripple of Consciousness!
8.00pm Bel Ryan Hey World – We Need to Chat
Maylands Hotel 6.30pm Elizabeth Williamson Resilience Re:Imagined

8.00pm

Scott Zarcinas The Flea Circus: How to Break Bad Habits and Live Effectively

Ferg's Stepney 

 

6.30pm

Evangeline Mantzioris The Mediterranean Diet - much more than a dietary pattern

8.00pm

John Boland Electricity from Renewables – SA the World Leader
Reform Distilling 6.30pm Benjemen Elengovan How to earn extra income by starting a sidehustle?
8.00pm Kate Burr Think Like a Comedian
Britannia Hotel 6.30pm Rosemary Cadden Warning: "To dabble in history means submitting yourself to chaos"
8.00pm Brad Irvine-Thomas

Workplace Wisdom: Know Your Rights and Responsibilities

The Suburban Brew 6.30pm Rick Sarre "Let's get the lawyers out of sport!" Really?
8.00pm Kellie Finlayson and Sophie Edwards Sh!t Talkers in Conversations
Little Bang Brewing

6.30pm

Sean Fewster & Daniel Panozzo Suppression versus silence: Separating the public interest from the interested public
8.00pm Wala Truscott Intimate Relationships: More Sexy Eyes, Less Stink Eye
Republic Norwood

6.30pm

Tania Savelli You're The Voice! How Finding Your Voice Can Elevate Your Career (cancelled)

8.00pm

Dr Shohreh Majd Fixed or Growth Mindset? How Our Beliefs Shape Our Success
The Rising Sun Inn

6.30pm

Simon Robert Dawson Body Language Reading the Signals Successfully
8.00pm Adel Brewer Have You Ever Felt Like You Didn't Have A Voice?

 

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Raising the Bar 2025:

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