Event & Speaking Program Design
SmallBiz Melbourne
Bringing big business questions to life for small business owners. Forestlyn organised a two-day speaking program featuring 36 speakers across 22 sessions at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, with Lucy Lin as program organiser, MC and panel moderator.
Speakers
Sessions
Days of programming
Panels moderated
The challenge
The program needed to address a broad range of business priorities while remaining relevant to small business owners, operators and startup founders. Sessions covered AI adoption, cybersecurity, intellectual property, finance, compliance, marketing, leadership and the future of work. The challenge was to bring these subjects together in an accessible program, balancing expert advice, practical examples and honest conversations about running a business.
What Forestlyn did
Forestlyn brought together speaking program organisation and delivery, with Lucy Lin serving as program organiser, MC and panel moderator. We organised a two-day program featuring 36 speakers across 22 sessions, bringing together keynotes, panel discussions, technology demonstrations and expert roundtables. We moderated conversations on hiring and upskilling, cybersecurity incident response, finance and compliance, marketing and sales, and AI and the future of work; drew out different perspectives from business owners, technology specialists, government representatives and industry leaders; and hosted the stage as MC, connecting sessions and keeping the audience engaged and entertained throughout the program.
The result
The program brought expert knowledge into conversations grounded in small business realities: growing on a budget, navigating risk, building teams, and using technology without losing the personal touch. Attendees heard from subject matter experts, learned from fellow business owners and interacted in themed roundtable sessions — a combination of formats that created opportunities for both big-picture thinking and practical discussion. Feedback from panellists and audience members praised Lucy's moderation, stage presence and ability to engage the room, highlighting the value of thoughtful program design and a host who brings both subject knowledge and first-hand insight into the realities of running a small business.
Outcomes
- Two-day speaking program featuring 36 speakers across 22 sessions
- Keynotes, panel discussions, technology demonstrations and expert roundtables
- Moderated conversations on hiring, cybersecurity, finance, marketing and the future of work
- MC hosting that kept the audience engaged and entertained across both days
- Praised moderation and stage presence from panellists and audience members
Speaker perspectives
“Loved the conversation and the engaged audience! Thanks for moderating Lucy Lin”
Lauren Morrey
COO, Innovation Victoria
“You did such a cracking job MC'ing!”
Andrew Rowse
Councillor, City of Melbourne
More work