Asia Pacific Social Marketing Conference
Event details
Location
- UWA Business School
- Map location
Date and time
- 21-23 October 2026
Event type
- Business
Audience
- Professionals
- University level teachers
Registration
- Registration essential
The premier regional conference of the Australian Association of Social Marketing
APSMC 2026: Compassion, Complexity, and Change: Navigating a Polycrisis World
Key Dates
- 15 August 2026
- Early Bird Registration Closes
- 4 September 2026
- Regional Showcase Submission Closes
- 21–23 October 2026
- Conference
About the conference
The Asia Pacific Social Marketing Conference (APSMC) brings together academics, practitioners, policymakers, and doctoral researchers to advance social marketing scholarship and practice across the region.
APSMC 2026 is hosted by The University of Western Australia and convened under the auspices of the Australian Association of Social Marketing (AASM). It represents the revitalised evolution of the long-standing International Social Marketing Conference – strengthened in its Asia-Pacific identity, and broadened in its commitment to regional relevance, cultural diversity, and systems-level social impact.
This year's conference welcomes contributions spanning public health, sustainability, social equity, community resilience, behaviour change, digital technologies, and policy innovation.
Compassion, Complexity, and Change: Navigating a Polycrisis World
Social marketing is increasingly called upon to address interconnected crises – in public health, environmental sustainability, social inequality, and trust in institutions. The 2026 theme responds to this moment of heightened responsibility and opportunity, foregrounding three interrelated imperatives:
- Compassion
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Centring care, dignity, equity, and ethical responsibility in social change efforts.
- Complexity
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Recognising non-linear dynamics, power asymmetries, and unintended consequences within social systems.
- Change
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Advancing transformative, regenerative, and systems-level interventions, including the implications of digitalisation and AI for social marketing practice and governance.
Conference tracks
Academics and practitioners will present research papers across six thematic tracks:
- Social Marketing and Contemporary Social Challenges
- Ethics, Responsibility, and Inclusion
- Systems, Policy, and Institutional Contexts
- Digital and Emerging Technologies
- Advancing Social Marketing Theory and Methods
- Practice, Policy, and Knowledge Translation
APSMC 2026 will engage:
- Academics and researchers working in social marketing, public health, sustainability, behaviour change, and related disciplines
- Practitioners and program designers seeking evidence-based approaches to social change
- Policymakers and government representatives engaged in upstream intervention and systems design
- Doctoral researchers looking to present early-stage work and connect with the field's leading scholars
- Industry and NGO leaders working at the intersection of social impact and behaviour change
About the Regional Showcase Competition
APSMC 2026 Regional Showcase Competition invites practitioners across Australia, New Zealand, and the Asia-Pacific to submit a video (maximum length 3 minutes) and a written summary (max 750 words) showcasing a social change initiative, its approach, and its impact, with submissions due by Friday, 4 September 2026, 23:59 AWST. Shortlisted entrants pay a registration fee covering workshops, the gala dinner, and a showcase session, with award categories for outstanding regional campaigns and social change practice.
For full details, download pdf here
Registration Fees
Come join us in Perth! Register for APSMC2026
| Registration type | Earlybird Fee | Standard Fee |
|---|---|---|
| AASM Member | $950.00 | $1,150.00 |
| Standard | $1,100.00 | $1,275.00 |
| Student | $575.00 | $650.00 |
All conference registrations include:
- Full 3-day conference: all sessions and workshops
- 3 days fully catered morning tea, lunch, and afternoon tea
- Welcome drinks and canapes at Bayside Kitchen, Matilda Bay
- 3 course gala dinner at Doubletree by Hilton Perth Waterfront (including drinks)
- Conference program (printed copy)
- Conference proceedings (digital)
- Conference lanyard and tote bag
- 2-year complimentary membership of the Australian Association of Social Marketing
- Incredible opportunity to network and share ideas
Program Highlights
We are thrilled to share that the APSMC 2026 program is shaping up to be truly exceptional.
|
DAY 1 WELCOME, CONNECT & BE INSPIRED |
Wednesday 21 October
|
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DAY 2 LEARN, COLLABORATE & SHARE |
Thursday 22 October
|
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DAY 3 DEVELOP, SHOWCASE & CELEBRATE |
Friday 23 October
|
Speakers
APSMC 2026 will feature keynote speakers whose work addresses compassion, complexity, and change in social marketing and related fields.
Dr. Doug McKenzie-Mohr
- Founder of Community-Based Social Marketing (CBSM), a globally adopted framework for behaviour change.
- Award-winning environmental psychologist and author with over 40 years of international impact.
- Recipient of international awards recognising his contributions to environmental psychology and social marketing.
Joni Avram
- Founder of Cause & Effect, helping organisations turn good intentions into measurable social impact.
- International consultant and educator with expertise in behavioural science, social marketing and public engagement.
- Leader in designing evidence-based behaviour change interventions that deliver sustainable outcomes.
- The Host
-
The University of Western Australia, Perth
APSMC 2026 is proudly hosted by the UWA Business School at The University of Western Australia – a leading research university with a strong commitment to translational scholarship, Asia-Pacific engagement, and research that serves society.
Perth, Western Australia offers a world-class conference destination: a vibrant, culturally diverse city with excellent international connections across the Asia-Pacific region.
- Conference Co-Chairs and Organising Committee
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APSMC 2026 Co-Chairs
Dr. Gauri Laud & Dr. Uwana Evers
Australian Association of Social Marketing | The University of Western AustraliaAPSMC 2026 Organising committee
Dr Emma Joenpolvi, UWA Business School
Dr Uwana Evers, UWA Business School
Dr Gauri Laud, UWA Business School
Luke van der Beeke, The Behaviour Change Collaborative - Sponsors and partners
-
APSMC 2026 is grateful for the support of our sponsors and partners.
Asia Pacific Social Marketing Conference 2026
21–23 October 2026
The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia
Organised by the Australian Association of Social Marketing (AASM)
- For enquiries: [email protected]
Planning your trip to Perth?
The conference organisers has secured a range of accommodation offers from hotels across the CBD and close to the UWA campus.
