Highlights from AALARA 2026

The ROLLER team spent a few great days at AALARA 2026 on the Gold Coast, catching up with customers, partners, and plenty of familiar faces from across the industry.

As always, AALARA delivered that mix of learning, conversations, and time spent with people who genuinely care about what they’re building, both in their venues and across the wider community.

On the show floor

This year’s event was hosted at The Star, with the conference and exhibition areas close together, so it was easy to move between sessions and the show floor without missing a beat.

Our booth stayed busy throughout the week, with people dropping in for a quick chat, a break between sessions, or a longer conversation.

Key themes

Across conversations with operators, a few themes came up again and again:

• Ways to improve the guest experience
• Tools and tactics to simplify operations
• How to make better use of data

One of the biggest shifts from last year was how much AI and data came up. Last year, people were still asking whether they should be using AI. This year, the conversation has clearly moved on.

Operators are now focused on how to use it in practical ways — where it fits into their business, and how it can make day-to-day work easier.

Sessions and speakers

We were proud to be part of the program this year, including sponsoring the Women in Industry Breakfast and the Gala Dinner.

The breakfast session, moderated by ROLLER’s Chief Performance Officer, Mandy Gooch-Smith, was a real highlight. The conversation around leadership journeys (stepping up before you feel ready, and the role of mentors along the way) clearly resonated with the room.

It was also great to see customers and partners sharing their perspectives on stage, including Joel Shillinglaw from Adventure Park and James Greig from Chaty.ai.

One piece of feedback we heard a lot was just how strong the overall speaker lineup was this year.

The moments in between

Some of the best parts of the week happened outside the agenda.

The Monday Welcome Event was a great way to kick things off; there was a real buzz in the room, with people excited for the week ahead and open to connecting. The industry breakfast also sparked plenty of thoughtful conversations and shared perspectives.

These moments are what make events like AALARA so special. It’s where ideas flow more freely and connections really start to build.

Looking ahead

AALARA continues to be one of those events where you get a real sense of where the industry is at. This year, that meant more focus on AI, more interest in data, and a continued push to simplify operations without losing what makes venues special.

Thanks to everyone who stopped by the ROLLER booth, shared their thoughts, or took the time to connect. See you next year!