Jamie Whincup is the latest high-profile name to join the speaker line-up for Connect Conference 2026. The program for the three-day event, which will run each morning from 2-4 September at the Sydney Showground, is now all but locked in say organisers Visual Connections.
One of Australian motorsports’ greatest drivers, Whincup is the all-time Supercars (and Australian Tour Cars Championship) race win record holder with 125 wins, seven Supercar Championships and four Bathurst 1000 wins over his career. He is now Managing Director and owner of the successful Triple Eight Race Engineering and Team Principal with the Red Bull Ampol Racing Team.
Whincup will speak on Day 2 of the conference, on the fine balance between sponsor entitlements, media visibility and aerodynamic performance criteria which defines successful vehicle livery.
“We are excited to welcome Jamie to the Connect Conference 2026 program, and to offer conference delegates the chance to get the inside view on designing, testing and approving high-stakes vehicle liveries under strict regulations, and a behind-the-scenes look at high-performance competition culture and commercial strategy,” said Karren Challoner-Miles, CEO of conference organiser, Visual Connections.
Whincup appears courtesy of Avery Dennison, official graphics and material science partner for high-performance livery wrap solutions to Red Bull Ampol Racing, which has thrown their support behind the new event as a Partner Sponsor of the Day 2 program. They join Premium Sponsor ORAFOL Australia, Partner Sponsor Spicers Australia, and supporting partner ASGA, in making the event possible, and affordable.
He joins an impressive group of local and international experts in economics, business, sport, technology and government who will share their knowledge and insights on topics as diverse as sustainability, leadership, business ethics, innovation and change, including:
DAY 1
- International Industry Insights – with senior leaders from US, UK and European print and sign associations
- Steve Vamos – technology leader and leadership expert
- Talent Acquisition, Skills, Training and Careers – with Megan Lilly, Jobs & Skills Australia, careers advisors, TAFE and industry
- Dr David Cooke – ESG leader and author of Kind Business – How Values Create Value
DAY 2
- Gillon McLachlan, Tabcorp, in conversation with Matt Aitken, IVE Group
- Jamie Whincup, V8 Supercars
- Gayle Sloan – CEO Waste Management & Resource Recovery Association of Australia
- Scott Maynard – Polestar ANZ performance electric vehicles
- Barbara Albert – 100% Renewables
DAY 3
- The Future of Outdoor – Fireside Chat with JC Decaux and Signarama
- Cyber Awareness & Adaptability – with cyber and AI expert Richard Williams
- The Future of Signage – with ASGA’s Mick Harrold and a panel of signage experts
- Dr Craig Emerson – economist and former politician
- Integrating and Optimising AI – with Dr Zun Li from CSIRO
This impressive line-up confirms the value of the conference, which is designed to complement the existing, industry-focused conference offerings with an event that is more strategic, economic, business and innovation focus.
Connect Conference 2026 will run from 8:30AM – 1:30PM each day from 2-4 September in Conference Hall 2A at the Sydney Showground, Sydney Olympic Park.
Entry and exit to the Conference Hall will be via The Dome, where visitors will be able to view the latest innovations for the digital print, signage, display and wider visual communications sector from more than 60 exhibitors at Visual Impact Expo. Entry to the show is included with Conference registration.
Tickets start at just $249 (GST included) a day, or $656 (GST included) for a three-day pass, with ticket prices kept deliberately affordable to make it accessible for as many businesses as possible.
Caption:
Jamie Whincup appears courtesy of Avery Dennison, official graphics and material science partner for high-performance livery wrap solutions to Red Bull Ampol Racing
Click here to register for Connect Conference 2026 or find out more at visualimpact.org.au