Last Thursday night it was our privilege to co-host the Australia Towards 2020 Networking Event in partnership with our friends at Thrive PR.
Thank you to the Thrive team for hosting us in their wonderful Thrive360 space, Salts Meats Cheese for the divine grazing table and of course a big thank you to all those in attendance. For those who missed the night, here is an event recap.
As guests arrived it was great to experience a time of networking with McCrindle and Thrive clients.




Mark McCrindle opened the night by looking back at the changes we’ve seen since this decade began, back in 2010. As we approach 2020, he uncovered some of the megatrends that are redefining Australia. Not only is our population growing, but we are also moving, ageing and transitioning generationally. Mark reminded us that to engage with the emerging generations that are digital, mobile, visual and social is vital, and that we need to not only understand the shifts taking place around us, but to respond to them and remain relevant in these ever changing times.
A copy of Mark's presentation from the event is available for download here.




Next we heard from Leilani Abels, Managing Director of Thrive PR on her insight into effective communications. Leilani reassured us that storytelling in marketing and communications will become more important than ever as we approach 2020, and that technology advancement will see storytelling take on new forms and levels of sophistication. Leilani reinforced the importance of analytics and measurement in marketing, the important role PR agent’s play in establishing this for clients, and that data will become the biggest production material in the future.


We then had a short time for questions with Mark and Leilani, and received some fantastic questions about the content of their presentations and how we can apply this as we approach 2020.


We’d like to say a big thank you to all of our valued clients and friends who attended the night. Be sure to look out for our upcoming Australian Communities Forum taking place in Sydney, and if there is anything we can assist with in the way of research or providing a keynote speaker, please don’t hesitate to get in touch!
About McCrindle and Thrive
McCrindle is a research based communications agency that conducts research across a range of industries. Thrive is a PR, media and digital agency assisting clients with traditional and online media activity. Throughout the year, McCrindle and Thrive work closely together to conduct consumer research for clients for product and brand positioning, helping organisations uncover insights and shape strategy.
A recent project that we recently worked on with Thrive was for Optus, to uncover the attitudes, behaviours and technology trends of Australian renters, to develop the Renter of the Future Report. This national research has been launched in partnership with Optus and their Home Wireless Broadband Internet offering, and revealed some interesting insights into who is renting, what defines their situation and what they are looking for in a rental property.
The report highlights that 3 in 10 renters are 'choice renters'. “There’s this idea that the great Aussie dream is to move into a home that you own and if you haven’t done that then the dream hasn’t come true for you. But with generational change that’s just not true. You’ve got a lot of people who are the choice renters because they prefer the lifestyle. And they themselves might be landlords so financially they’re rocketing ahead." - Mark McCrindle.