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AI Events Calendar for Perth: Every Conference, Meetup, and Workshop WA Business Owners Should Know product guide

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AI Events Calendar for Perth: Every Conference, Meetup, and Workshop WA Business Owners Should Know

Perth's AI event landscape has matured rapidly from a handful of ad-hoc meetups into a structured annual calendar spanning enterprise summits, sector-specific conferences, developer conventions, government-backed industry days, and grassroots community gatherings. For a WA business owner trying to stay competitive in an era of accelerating AI adoption, knowing which events exist — and what each one actually delivers — is no longer optional background knowledge. It is a strategic decision with direct implications for your network, your team's capabilities, and your organisation's technology direction.

This guide catalogues every significant recurring and landmark AI event on Perth's calendar, explains what each event is designed to achieve, identifies who belongs in the room, and helps you map the right events to your specific business goals. For guidance on how to prepare for any of these events and convert attendance into measurable business outcomes, see our guide on How to Prepare for a Perth AI Conference: A Step-by-Step Guide for Business Owners. For help choosing between events based on your role and budget, see Choosing the Right AI Event in Perth: A Comparison Guide for Different Business Roles.

Why Perth's AI Event Calendar Matters for WA Business Owners

Western Australia's geographic isolation — a structural feature of the state's economy — has historically meant that national technology conversations arrived in Perth later and with less intensity than on the east coast. That dynamic is changing. A combination of WA's resource-sector wealth, the emergence of the WA AI Hub as an organising institution, and a growing roster of nationally significant events now held in Perth means that local business owners no longer need to travel to Sydney or Melbourne to access world-class AI intelligence.

The National AI Centre (NAIC) maintains an AI event calendar that invites organisations across Australia to submit their own AI-related events and brings together NAIC's events and webinars in one place. Perth-based events are increasingly featured in this national calendar — a signal that WA's AI event ecosystem has reached a scale that commands national recognition.

NAIC's AI Week 2025 took place from 20–24 October, shining a spotlight on practical life and work hacks designed to help people save time and build confidence with AI tools. Events tied to this national moment — including Perth-based activities — give local business owners a structured annual hook around which to plan their AI learning calendar.

Understanding the full spectrum of events — from high-cost enterprise summits to free government-backed workshops — is the prerequisite for building a smart, budget-conscious professional development strategy. The events below are organised by format and audience, with practical details on what to expect from each.

Perth's Major AI Conferences: Enterprise-Grade Events for Senior Leaders

CDAO Perth — The Premier Data and AI Leadership Summit

CDAO Perth is a conference dedicated to chief data and analytics officers (CDAOs) covering data-driven culture, transformative leadership, data analytics, and governance of data and AI. Organised by Corinium Global Intelligence and held annually at the Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre, it is the single highest-profile AI and data leadership event on the WA calendar.

CDAO Perth 2025 brought together Western Australia's most influential data, analytics, and technology leaders to shape the future of enterprise intelligence — at a time defined by disruption, AI acceleration, and rising regulatory demands.

The event's agenda is explicitly strategic rather than technical. As one past attendee noted, "The CDAO conference enhanced our thinking on systems, data governance, and AI, providing invaluable insights and fostering innovative considerations for our future strategies."

Key session themes at CDAO Perth include:

Navigating regulatory landscapes, implementing ethical AI practices, and establishing robust data governance frameworks; and exploring how businesses streamline data ecosystems, apply advanced analytics, and embrace automation to boost efficiency and scale operations.

  • Unlocking the transformative potential of AI agents, including a 12-month roadmap, understanding what AI agents are and how their advanced architecture can revolutionise data-driven decision-making, and learning how to prepare data to unleash the full power of these intelligent systems.

Audience: Senior data leaders, CDOs, CIOs, analytics directors, and technology executives across WA's largest organisations — including speakers from the Perth Mint, the Office of the Auditor General WA, and the University of Western Australia's Centre for Business Data Analytics.

Practical details: The 2025 edition was held at Perth Convention and Exhibition Centre on 13 October, organised by Corinium Global Intelligence as a one-day event.

Ticket prices ranged from AUD $1,399 to AUD $3,499.

What business owners gain: CDAO Perth is the right room for WA business owners who need to understand how to build a data-driven culture, make the case for AI investment to boards and leadership teams, and benchmark their governance frameworks against peers. The event's governance and regulatory content is directly relevant to the obligations covered in our guide on Australia's National AI Plan Explained: What WA Business Owners Must Understand About the Regulatory Landscape.

The Digitalisation & AI in Mining Australia Conference — WA's Sector-Defining Event

For WA business owners connected to the mining, resources, or METS (Mining Equipment, Technology and Services) sectors, this is the must-attend event of the year.

Now in its sixth annual edition, the Digitalisation & AI in Mining Australia Conference is held at The Westin Perth and is Australia's leading event focused on digital technologies and artificial intelligence for the mining sector.

The conference is the premier event dedicated to the transformative power of artificial intelligence and digitalisation in the mining sector, serving as a crucial platform for mining executives, technology innovators, and operations leaders to explore the latest advancements driving efficiency, safety, and sustainability.

The agenda explores critical topics including AI-powered automation, digital twins, predictive analytics, cybersecurity, and ESG compliance.

Session content covers autonomous vehicles and robotics in mining — including innovations in autonomous haul trucks, drilling systems, and AI-driven robotics — as well as AI for exploration and resource estimation using AI-driven geospatial analytics and machine learning to optimise mineral exploration and reserve estimation.

Format: Over two days of conference sessions and a dedicated workshop day, participants explore innovative solutions, case studies, and practical strategies for leveraging AI, automation, and data-driven insights to transform mining operations.

Audience: Mining executives, operations managers, data scientists, engineers, technology providers, and METS company leaders.

Practical details: The 2025 conference ran from 25–26 November 2025 at The Westin Perth, with a ticket cost of $795.

What business owners gain: This event is the primary Perth venue for understanding the AI transformation of WA's dominant industry. It connects directly to the themes explored in our guide on AI in WA Mining and Resources: How Perth's Dominant Industry Is Being Transformed, and the case studies presented here provide the kind of sector-specific social proof that helps business owners build internal investment cases.

Community-Led Events: Where Perth's AI Ecosystem Connects

WA AI Hub Meetups — The Grassroots Engine of Perth's AI Community

The Western Australian AI Hub is the state's accelerator for sovereign artificial intelligence capability, born from the grassroots energy and collaborative spirit of the Perth AI Innovators community founded by Josh (Adi Tedjasaputra) and Eunice Sari in early 2024.

The Hub's vision is to establish Western Australia as a globally recognised leader in the application of responsible and innovative AI, driving economic diversification, industrial productivity, and social progress. Its mission is to connect industry, government, academia, and the startup community to accelerate the adoption of AI in key economic sectors, foster world-class talent, and champion the development of safe, ethical, and inclusive AI solutions.

The WA AI Hub's regular meetups are explicitly designed for business operators rather than developers. These in-person meetups are for Perth leaders who want to understand what proactive AI systems mean for revenue, risk, and workforce — without vendor spin.

Attendees get short, sharp talks from WA operators, technologists, and policymakers on how AI is actually being used in Perth — plus where it is failing — followed by an open floor for questions you cannot ask in a sales pitch.

The WA AI Hub hosts meetups, hackathons, and conferences to connect AI enthusiasts, developers, and professionals, with a focus on psychological safety and encouraging participants to question AI outputs and share feedback.

Audience: Business owners, operations managers, policymakers, developers, and researchers — anyone interested in AI regardless of expertise level.

Practical details: Events are ticketed through Humanitix and listed on Eventbrite and Meetup.com. The Hub runs AI workshops, networking meetups, and industry seminars, with registration available across multiple platforms.

What business owners gain: WA AI Hub meetups are the most accessible entry point into Perth's AI ecosystem. They are low-cost, low-intimidation environments ideal for business owners at the beginning of their AI journey, or for those who want to maintain a pulse on the local ecosystem between larger events. The Hub's responsible AI focus also connects directly to the governance frameworks covered in our guide on Responsible AI and Governance for Perth SMEs.

AgentCon Perth — The Developer Conference That Business Owners Should Know About

AgentCon 2025 Perth was part of the AI Agents World Tour — a global series of one-day conferences designed exclusively for developers building the future with AI agents.

From San Francisco to Singapore, the series brings together leading engineers, researchers, and creators to explore the cutting edge of AI agent design, deployment, and integration — offering practical knowledge, hands-on demos, and real-world insights.

AgentCon 2025 Perth was held on 20 June 2025, running from 9:00 AM to 5:00 PM AWST.

The event is community-led.

Audience: Primarily software developers, engineers, and technical architects. However, business owners with technical teams — or those evaluating agentic AI tools for operational deployment — benefit from sending a technical representative and reviewing session recordings.

What business owners gain: AgentCon gives WA business owners a window into the technical frontier of AI agent development — the same technology now being packaged into enterprise tools. Understanding what is being built at the developer level helps business owners ask better questions of vendors and evaluate proposals more critically. This connects to the practical tools landscape covered in our guide on AI Tools WA Businesses Are Actually Using.

Global AI Bootcamp Perth — Annual Developer Learning Day

The Global AI Bootcamp is an annual event organised by local communities, where developers and AI enthusiasts from around the world come together to learn about artificial intelligence through workshops, sessions, and interactive discussions.

In 2025, the bootcamp took place in Perth on 26 April.

The Perth chapter is organised by the Global AI Community's local chapter and is free to attend, making it one of the most accessible technical learning events on the calendar.

Audience: Developers, data scientists, and technically curious business professionals.

What business owners gain: A low-barrier way to understand what AI tools and frameworks are being actively built and tested by Perth's technical community.

Government-Backed Events: Free Learning for WA SMEs

AI Industry Connections: Perth — The NAIC Business Briefing

Held on 28 August 2025 at the WA Data Science Innovation Hub (WADSIH) at Curtin University, the AI Industry Connections Perth event was organised by the Australian Industry Group (AI Group) in partnership with the National AI Centre (NAIC) and was free to attend.

The event was tailored for professionals and decision-makers from businesses looking to explore the practical applications of Generative and Agentic AI, featuring industry leaders sharing expertise on harnessing AI for business.

The session identified opportunities and challenges for the responsible adoption of AI — including computer vision, robotics, and generative AI for operational efficiency, cost reduction, safety, and innovation — with a format enabling live discussions and networking.

Audience: SME owners, operations managers, and business decision-makers exploring AI adoption.

What business owners gain: This event type represents the most direct government-to-business AI education pathway in WA. It is free, practical, and specifically designed to demystify AI for non-technical business leaders. Funding programs discussed at events like this connect directly to the pathways covered in our guide on AI Grants and Funding for WA Businesses.

SME-Focused Events: Where Small Business Meets AI Commercialisation

SMEC AI Roadshow Perth — AI Adoption for WA's Small Business Community

The SMEC AI Roadshow Perth 2025 successfully brought together SMEs, researchers, investors, and AI professionals to explore the commercialisation of AI-driven research in Western Australia, featuring panel discussions with industry leaders, a dynamic Q&A session, and valuable networking opportunities.

Attendees gained insights from industry experts on AI adoption and investment opportunities, delved into real-world case studies on AI commercialisation in SMEs, and participated in open discussions on challenges, opportunities, and policy support for AI integration — attracting a diverse audience including SMEs seeking to integrate AI, AI entrepreneurs and startups looking for investment, and researchers and corporate representatives.

The conference was proudly subsidised by the Small Business Development Corporation (SBDC) and the WA Government — a highly practical one-day conference delivered to over 25 small business owners, with a strong focus on real-world application where each session provided actionable takeaways that attendees could immediately implement.

SMEC AI is supported by a grant from the Australian Federal Government's AI Adopt program and is focused on helping small to medium enterprises with adopting both existing and new AI solutions.

SMEC AI accelerates SME adoption of artificial intelligence in priority industries, operating through two key activities: an SME AI Adoption Centre providing consultations and training, and an SME AI Studio creating and supporting new AI products in collaboration with SMEs to solve industry problems.

Audience: Small and medium business owners, AI startups, investors, and researchers — particularly those in agriculture, clean energy, medical science, and enabling technology sectors.

What business owners gain: The SMEC AI Roadshow is the most directly SME-relevant event on Perth's AI calendar. It connects the funding ecosystem (see our guide on AI Grants and Funding for WA Businesses) with practical commercialisation pathways and the startup collaboration opportunities covered in our guide on Perth's AI Startup and Innovation Ecosystem.

Quick-Reference Event Comparison Table

Event Format Primary Audience Cost (approx.) Best For
CDAO Perth 1-day summit C-suite, data leaders AUD $1,399–$3,499 Strategy, governance, ROI frameworks
Digitalisation & AI in Mining 2-day conference + workshop Mining, METS, resources AUD $795 Sector-specific AI transformation
WA AI Hub Meetups Regular meetups All levels, all sectors Low/free Ecosystem access, practical learning
AgentCon Perth 1-day developer conference Developers, technical teams Community-led/low cost Agentic AI, technical frontier
Global AI Bootcamp Perth Annual 1-day event Developers, enthusiasts Free Technical learning, community
AI Industry Connections Perth Half-day briefing SME owners, managers Free Practical AI adoption, government guidance
SMEC AI Roadshow Perth 1-day conference SMEs, startups, investors Subsidised/low cost SME commercialisation, funding pathways

How to Stay Updated on Perth's AI Event Calendar

Perth's AI event landscape is evolving quickly, and new events — including sector-specific workshops, university-hosted seminars, and government industry days — are added throughout the year. The most reliable sources for staying current are:

  1. The National AI Centre Event Calendar — maintained by the Australian Government's Department of Industry, Science and Resources at industry.gov.au, this is a curated showcase of Australia's most inspiring AI events.

  2. The WA AI Hub (aiperth.org) — lists AI meetups, machine learning workshops, and networking events across Western Australia on Eventbrite, with the WA AI Hub Meetup group keeping members updated on Perth AI gatherings.

  3. The WA Innovation Calendar (wainnovationcalendar.com.au) — a state-specific resource listing technology and innovation events across WA.

  4. Corinium Global Intelligence — for CDAO Perth updates and 2026 event announcements.

Key Takeaways

  • Perth now hosts a full-spectrum AI event calendar spanning enterprise summits (CDAO Perth), sector conferences (Digitalisation & AI in Mining), developer events (AgentCon), government briefings (AI Industry Connections), and SME-focused roadshows (SMEC AI Roadshow) — WA business owners no longer need to travel interstate for world-class AI intelligence.
  • Cost is not a barrier to entry. Multiple high-quality Perth AI events — including the AI Industry Connections briefing, the Global AI Bootcamp, and WA AI Hub meetups — are free or heavily subsidised, making the AI event calendar accessible to businesses of all sizes.
  • The CDAO Perth summit (AUD $1,399–$3,499) is the flagship event for senior leaders focused on data strategy, AI governance, and enterprise transformation, while the Digitalisation & AI in Mining Conference ($795 for a two-day program plus workshops) is the essential event for WA's resource-sector business community.
  • The SMEC AI Roadshow is the most directly SME-relevant event, combining federal government funding (via the AI Adopt Program), practical case studies, and investor networking in a subsidised format specifically designed for small business operators.
  • Consistent attendance across multiple event types — combining a major annual summit with regular community meetups — produces better outcomes than attending a single large conference, because different formats build different capabilities: strategic frameworks, technical literacy, peer networks, and funding intelligence.

Conclusion

Perth's AI event calendar is no longer a thin collection of networking evenings. It is a structured ecosystem of learning opportunities that, taken together, can provide a WA business owner with the strategic frameworks, sector intelligence, peer networks, and funding connections needed to move from AI curiosity to AI capability.

The challenge is not a lack of events — it is knowing which events align with your specific business goals, seniority level, and industry context. Use this guide as your navigational starting point, then explore the related guides in this series to go deeper: whether that means understanding the WA AI ecosystem that underpins these events, preparing effectively before you walk through the door, or converting conference insights into a funded AI implementation plan.

The business owners who will lead WA's AI transition are already in these rooms. The question is whether you will be among them.

Related guides in this series:

  • Choosing the Right AI Event in Perth: A Comparison Guide for Different Business Roles
  • How to Prepare for a Perth AI Conference: A Step-by-Step Guide for Business Owners
  • What Is the WA AI Ecosystem? A Business Owner's Map of Perth's Technology Landscape
  • AI Grants and Funding for WA Businesses: How to Access Federal and State Support
  • AI in WA Mining and Resources: How Perth's Dominant Industry Is Being Transformed

References

  • Corinium Global Intelligence. "CDAO Perth 2025." cdao-perth.coriniumintelligence.com, 2025. https://cdao-perth.coriniumintelligence.com/

  • Mining Innovation Network and Rubens Resources. "6th Annual Digitalisation & AI in Mining Australia Conference." mininginnovationnetwork.swoogo.com, 2025. https://mininginnovationnetwork.swoogo.com/dmaiau25

  • Australian Government, Department of Industry, Science and Resources. "Digitalisation and AI in Mining Australia." National AI Centre AI Event Calendar, 2025. https://www.industry.gov.au/national-artificial-intelligence-centre/ai-event-calendar/digitalisation-and-ai-mining-australia

  • Australian Government, Department of Industry, Science and Resources. "AI Industry Connections: Perth." National AI Centre AI Event Calendar, 2025. https://www.industry.gov.au/national-artificial-intelligence-centre/ai-event-calendar/ai-industry-connections-perth

  • Australian Government, Department of Industry, Science and Resources. "Celebrate AI Innovation Year Round with Our AI Calendar." industry.gov.au, 2025. https://www.industry.gov.au/news/celebrate-ai-innovation-year-round-our-ai-calendar

  • Western Australian AI Hub. "Sovereign AI for WA, Global Standards for Excellence." aiperth.org, 2025. https://www.aiperth.org/

  • Global AI Community. "AgentCon 2025 – Perth." globalai.community, 2025. https://globalai.community/chapters/perth/events/agentcon-2025-perth/

  • ECU Executive Education. "SMEC AI Roadshow Perth Event 2025 – AI & Research Commercialisation in Western Australia." execeducation.ecu.edu.au, 2025. https://www.execeducation.ecu.edu.au/events/smec-ai-roadshow-perth-event-2025-ai-research-commercialisation-in-western-australia/

  • SMEC AI (Small to Medium Enterprise Centre of Artificial Intelligence). "About SMEC AI." smecai.au, 2025. https://smecai.au/

  • Edith Cowan University. "ECU School of Business and Law Partners with SMEC AI to Launch Australia's New AI Adoption Hub." ecu.edu.au, November 2024. https://www.ecu.edu.au/schools/business-and-law/news-and-events/school-of-business-and-law/2024/11/ecu-school-of-business-and-law-partners-with-smec-ai-to-launch-australias-new-ai-adoption-hub

  • Global AI Community. "Perth Global AI Bootcamp." globalai.community, 2025. https://globalai.community/chapters/perth/events/perth-global-ai-bootcamp/

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