GROWING WHAT'S NEXT
26–28 JULY 2027 GOLD COAST GCCEC
PROTECTED CROPPING AUSTRALIA CONFERENCE 2027
AUSTRALIA'S PREMIER PROTECTED CROPPING EVENT
After a landmark 2025 conference in Adelaide, PCA2027 comes to the Gold Coast showcasing the innovations, partnerships and commercial opportunities driving the future of our industry, and providing a platform for those leading that change.
530+
Delegates in 2025
70+
Exhibition Booths
3
Conference Days
87%
Would Attend Again
WHAT TO EXPECT
THREE DAYS OF DISCOVERY, CONNECTION AND OPPORTUNITY
Outstanding speakers, a vibrant exhibition floor, and Gold Coast evenings to remember.
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Outstanding Program
Keynotes, concurrent sessions, panels and pre-conference workshops across technology, production, markets and sustainability.
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Industry Connections
Growers, researchers, technology providers, policymakers and investors from across Australia and New Zealand under one roof.
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Exhibition Hall
75–80 booths across a 1,550m² hall. Three full days of access with dedicated catered breaks keeping foot traffic high.
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Gala Dinner
Celebrate industry achievement at the conference gala dinner, a standout networking night on the Gold Coast.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND
BUILT FOR EVERYONE SHAPING THIS INDUSTRY
Whether you grow, supply, research, invest or advise, PCA2027 is where the people and ideas moving protected cropping forward come together.
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Growers and Producers
See what is working on farms right now. Access the latest crop production research, automation and climate management technologies, and connect directly with the suppliers solving your biggest challenges.
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Agtech and Input Suppliers
Put your products and services in front of 500+ decision-makers across three full days. Meet buyers, distributors and strategic partners actively looking for solutions to bring into their operations.
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Researchers and Academics
Share your findings with an audience of practitioners who can apply them. Build industry partnerships, explore commercialisation pathways and position your institution at the leading edge of protected cropping science.
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Investors and Financiers
Understand where protected cropping capital is flowing. Meet the operators, innovators and ventures defining the next wave of growth across Australian and international horticulture.
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Government and Policy
Engage directly with an industry responsible for a growing share of Australian fresh food supply. PCA2027 is where policy meets practice, with growers, researchers and business leaders in the same room.
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Industry Service Providers
From logistics and packaging to legal, finance and consulting, PCA2027 brings together the full supply chain. If protected cropping is part of your client base, this is where your next relationships are built.
CONFERENCE THEMES
The Big Ideas
Driving Our Industry Forward
PCA2027 will explore the forces reshaping protected cropping in Australia and beyond. These are the conversations the industry needs to have now.
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Innovation and Technology
From robotics and automation to AI-driven crop monitoring and precision climate control, we will explore the technologies already transforming protected cropping operations and those on the near horizon. What is ready to deploy today, and what should you be planning for tomorrow?
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Partnerships and Collaboration
The next chapter of protected cropping will be written by those who build the right relationships. PCA2027 will examine how growers, suppliers, researchers and investors are forming the partnerships needed to scale, innovate and compete, both domestically and on the world stage.
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Commercial Opportunity
Protected cropping is one of the fastest-growing segments of Australian agriculture. Sessions will cover market access, export pathways, capital investment, supply chain efficiency and the commercial models helping businesses grow profitably at scale.
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Industry Leadership
Who is leading this industry forward, and how? PCA2027 will spotlight the growers, businesses and thinkers setting the pace, sharing their strategies, their failures and their vision for where protected cropping in Australia needs to go next.
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Sustainability and Resilience
Producing more food with less water, energy and waste is both a commercial imperative and a social responsibility. We will explore the sustainability practices, circular economy models and climate adaptation strategies helping growers build operations that are profitable and resilient for the long term.
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Workforce and the Future of Farming
Attracting, training and retaining skilled people remains one of the industry's greatest challenges. This theme will address workforce strategy, skills development, the role of automation in labour planning and how the industry can build a pipeline of talent ready for the farms of the future.
A UNIQUE 2027 OPPORTUNITY
Two Conferences.
One Destination.
PCA is working closely with Berries Australia, whose conference will be held on the Gold Coast from 4–5 August 2027, just days after ours. A joint announcement is coming shortly.
With both conferences in the same city within a fortnight, 2027 presents a unique opportunity to engage across key sectors of Australian horticulture in a single trip.
WHY SPONSOR OR EXHIIBIT?
Priority access to packages
01
Register now to secure first choice before the prospectus is publicly released.
Tailored commercial opportunities
02
Packages shaped around your business objectives, not one size fits all.
Industry leadership positioning
03
Place your brand at the centre of conversations shaping the future of protected cropping.
Extended horticulture reach
The PCA and Berries Australia partnership open ups access across two connected sectors in one trip.
04
PCA 2027 · 26–28 JULY
BERRIES AUSTRALIA · 4–5 AUG
GOLD COAST
SPONSORSHIP & EXHIBITION
Register Your
Interest Today
The sponsorship and exhibition prospectus is coming soon. Register your interest now for priority access to packages and updates on the PCA 2027 Conference and Berries Australia Conference.
Questions? Contact the PCA 2027 Team: conference@protectedcropping.net.au