AST Management Pty Ltd

What AST Management Pty Ltd does

AST Management Pty Ltd (trading as AST Management, legal name Conference and Education Management Pty Ltd) is a Queensland-based professional conference organiser (PCO) founded in 1992 that provides end-to-end conference and event management services to associations, government bodies, and not-for-profit organisations. The company currently delivers 11 named annual conferences with its central partnership being the Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association (ANZMHA), under which it has managed the International Mental Health Conference since 1999 and has expanded to seven ANZMHA-aligned events spanning mental health, addiction, domestic violence, indigenous wellbeing, and neurodivergence. Notable non-ANZMHA engagements include the Developing Northern Australia Conference (government segment) and the ANZ Disaster & Emergency Management Conference.

The company's product surface is organised around six integrated service modules: Development and Delivery (online registration, conference databases, abstract submission systems, payment gateways), Venue and Accommodation Management, Sponsorship and Exhibition, Budgets and Banking, Secretariat Services, and Association Management. Its technology stack is conventional third-party conference management software, email marketing infrastructure, and payment gateway integration, with no proprietary platform or AI capabilities disclosed. The firm has managed over 500 conferences since inception and has raised over $10 million in sponsorship on behalf of clients, and holds Certified Event Company (CEC) accreditation from PCO Australia.

Revenue is generated through bespoke professional services fees for conference management engagements, with sponsorship sales on a transaction basis for some clients. The company operates on direct, relationship-driven sales with multi-year engagements, targeting associations and government bodies in Australia and New Zealand. The firm is privately held, founder/management-controlled, with no external investment, no subsidiaries, and no disclosed financial figures. Headcount is reported at 9 employees, indicating a small, niche professional services firm reliant on a concentrated anchor client relationship.

Name

AST Management Pty Ltd

Legal name

Conference and Education Management Pty Ltd

Website

https://astmanagement.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1992

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

AST Management Pty Ltd is a Queensland-based professional conference organiser founded in 1992, providing end-to-end conference management, secretariat, sponsorship, and financial services to associations and government bodies, anchored by a 30+ year partnership with ANZMHA across seven mental health conferences.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Conference and Event Management Services

NAICS

Convention and Trade Show Organizers (56192), Convention and Trade Show Organizers (561920)

akta.pro primary industry

Association & Society Conference Management (Nonprofit, Professional Bodies) (THAHACAA)

akta.pro secondary industries

Onsite Operations & Event Staffing Management (THAHACAL), Conferences & Conventions Operations Services (Registration, AV, Logistics) (MPAGAGAM), Sponsorship, Exhibitor & Partnership Management Services (THAHACAK)

Keywords

• Conference management services
• Event management services
• Association secretariat services
• Sponsorship and exhibition management
• Conference registration services

Headquarters

HQ city

Tugun

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Conference and Event Management Services: Full-service conference management including planning, delivery, registrations, venue coordination, and on-site management. This is the core revenue stream delivered to associations and government organisations.
2. Secretariat Services: Administrative and secretariat support services including registration management, committee communications, program coordination, and post-event reporting.
3. Sponsorship Sales and Exhibition Management: Sponsorship sales programs, trade show/exhibition management, and sponsor relationship services. The company has raised over $10M in sponsorship for clients.
4. Financial and Banking Services: Budget management, payment processing, banking reconciliation, and financial reporting services for conference events.
5. Venue and Accommodation Management: Venue sourcing, negotiation, room block management, delegate accommodation booking, and payment processing for lodging.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion3 records

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

AST Management provides full-service conference and event management for associations, government bodies, and professional organisations. Services span the full event lifecycle including online registration, secretariat administration, sponsorship sales, venue and accommodation coordination, budgeting and banking, exhibition management, abstract and speaker management, and on-site delivery. The company also acts as an association's secretariat and administrative arm, managing recurring annual conferences across mental health, domestic violence, disaster management, regional development, and wellbeing sectors.

Product overview

AST Management offers a unified conference and event management service platform centered around managing conferences for associations and organizations. The core offering consists of 11 named conference products covering mental health, wellbeing, domestic violence, disaster management, and regional development sectors, supported by six integrated service modules: Development and Delivery (online platforms, registration systems, financial planning, abstract/speaker management), Venue and Accommodation Management, Sponsorship and Exhibition, Budgets and Banking, Secretariat Services, and Association Management. These services work together to provide end-to-end event management from initial concept through post-event reporting.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Secretariat Services Full secretariat support before, during, and after events for associations and organisations, including registration services, online registration, event websites, mail campaigns, audio visual, theming and set design, room block management, exhibition management, program coordination, publication management, and total on-site management.
• Development and Delivery Comprehensive support across all stages of event planning and delivery, including online platforms and registration (websites, registration pages, databases, payment gateways), financial planning (fee processing, expense reports, final audit reports), and abstract and speaker management (submission databases, marketing campaigns for applicants).
• Venue and Accommodation Management One-stop venue selection, negotiation, and accommodation logistics, including simultaneous delegate registration and accommodation booking, room block management, payment processing, delegate amendments and refunds, and hotel coordination at 90, 60, and 30 day intervals.
• Sponsorship and Exhibition Full exhibition and sponsor management, including trade show management, marketing campaigns for sponsorship sales, sales programs for trade shows, exhibition sales packages, on-site exhibition management, booth construction and signage, freight coordination, and post-event survey distribution. The company has raised over $10 million in sponsorship for clients across its portfolio.
• Budgets and Banking Budget creation and management services for conferences of all sizes, including transparent budget tracking, risk management tools, committee meeting budget reviews, financial reports, payment processing, and weekly reconciliation, integrable with existing organisation budget systems.
• Association Management Administration and membership management services for associations, including support for the Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association with education, knowledge advancement, and advocacy services.
• International Mental Health Conference

Quantifiable outcome

• 500+ conferences managed since 1992
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

One partnership is on record.

• Australian & New Zealand Mental Health Association (ANZMHA)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 1992Primary strategic partnership since 1992 with Australia's leading mental health advocacy organisation. AST Management serves as the exclusive conference management partner delivering multiple annual events including the International Mental Health Conference (since 1999), Rural Mental Health Conference (since 2008), and six additional mental health-themed conferences. The partnership has grown to encompass 7+ annual conferences across mental health, addiction, domestic violence, and neurodivergence sectors.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• All Occasions Group: All Occasions is an Australian event management and PCO with a long track record of delivering association conferences, gala dinners, and corporate events. Comparable in service breadth, association client base, and Australian market focus.
• Arinex Pty Ltd: Arinex is one of Australia's largest independent PCOs, providing end-to-end conference and event management for associations, governments, and corporations across Australia and internationally. Directly comparable to AST in service offering, customer profile (associations/peak bodies), and geographic focus.
• Consec - Conference and Event Management: Consec is an Australian PCO providing association and corporate conference management services. Comparable in target customer (associations and peak bodies), full-service delivery, and Australian geographic focus.
• ICMS Pty Ltd (International Conference and Management Services): ICMS is an Australian PCO and association secretariat with a long track record in scientific, medical, and professional association conferences. Directly comparable to AST in association secretariat positioning and PCO services.
• ICEBERG Events: ICEBERG Events is an Australian full-service event and conference management firm with a comparable mix of association, government, and corporate clients. Similar boutique scale and full-service delivery model to AST.
• ASN Events Pty Ltd: ASN Events is an Australian full-service conference and event management company serving associations, government, and corporate clients. Closely matches AST in scale, association focus, and service modules including sponsorship, registration, and on-site delivery.

Emerging players

• Eventive Australia: Eventive is an Australian event technology and management provider with a focus on hybrid and virtual event delivery platforms. Adjacent to AST's traditional in-person PCO model and represents a partial substitute in the digital event layer.

Broad incumbents

• MCI Group Australia: MCI Group is a global association management, conference, and events firm with ANZ operations. Serves the same association and PCO market as AST but at much larger scale and with broader geographic reach; AST could be a tuck-in target or a regional specialist alternative.

Others

• Professional Conference Organisers Association of Australia and New Zealand (PCO ANZ): PCO ANZ is the industry body that grants AST its CEC accreditation. Not a direct competitor, but defines industry standards and represents the broader competitive set of certified PCOs in the Australian market.

Regional players

• The Conference Company: The Conference Company is a New Zealand-headquartered PCO delivering association conferences across Australasia and Asia-Pacific. Comparable in association focus and end-to-end service model, with the same ANZ geographic orbit as AST.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ast-management-pty-ltd

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about AST Management Pty Ltd