The 18th Australian Cotton Conference attracted more than 1900 delegates to the Gold Coast, a new record for attendance in the event's 36 years of operation. The event drew cotton growers, ginners and others in the industry from as far north as Emerald in Queensland, and from as far south as Swan Hall in Victoria.

Holly Ransom

The Australian Cotton Conference is a joint initiative of Cotton Australia and the Australian Cotton Shippers Association.

Cotton Australia CEO Adam Kay says every two years the Australian Cotton Conference draws growers together to network as a part of the broader cotton community and also to connect with the whole supply chain.

“The record number of attendees, more than 1900, speaks about our industry's resilience and our place in the agricultural community,” Mr Kay says.

“Importantly, this year's has attracted a significant contingent from the Southern Valleys - the Riverina and Northern Victoria - which represents the area of fastest growth for our industry."

Speakers and highlights from the event’s closing session, chaired by Adam Kay, include:

• Shayne Elliott, ANZ Chief Executive Officer: Shayne discussed the rise and transformation of China and how it is changing the world in which we live, the rapid adoption of digital technologies, definitions of sustainable and ethical businesses and embracing the challenge of the future. The closing session was presented by ANZ.
• Peter Greste, Australian-born journalist and Andrew Greste, cotton farm manager of the ‘WaverleyΆ farm in the Namoi Valley: the Greste brothers presented on resilience, courage and teamwork and the well-known story of Peter's 2014 incarceration in Egypt. The Greste brothers discussed the enormous ΅behind-the-scenesΆ effort of the Greste family and the Australian public to fight for PeterΆs release. Peter personally thanked the Australian cotton industry for its efforts to raise awareness of his incarceration during the 17th Australian Cotton Conference held in 2014.
• Holly Ransom, Emergent Chief Executive Officer: Holly presented on leadership and workforce development strategies for inter-generational change, the importance of looking forward towards the horizon and not looking down at your feet, transforming leadership to engage with the next generation of leaders, and challenging the way we package up a message for new audiences.

Missed out on the highlights from days 1 and 2 of the Australian Cotton Conference?

Click below for highlights from: