The Australian Tourist and Heritage Railway Association (ATHRA Australia) invites expressions of interest from interested parties to host the ATHRA Conference in the second half of 2025.
The conference aims to bring together members of the heritage railway industry for knowledge exchange, networking, and professional development.
The conference will be styled: 2025 Australian Heritage Railway Conference.
Please consider the following criteria as a guide for hosting the ATHRA Australia Conference:
Proposed Dates: Please provide the proposed dates for hosting the event.
Venue Proposed – with Images and Available Facilities: Facilities should be modern and provide suitable heating/cooling, audio visual facilities, suitable catering arrangements – including noting the proposed venue for the Conference Dinner.
Financial Responsibility: The host organisation must undertake all operational and financial risks associated with the event. Surplus or deficit is retained by the host organisation.
Duration and Activities: The conference should span over a minimum of two days, with at least one social or field trip included in the itinerary.
ATHRA Speaker: Hosts are required to facilitate at least one speaker from ATHRA, who will present on the achievements and initiatives of ATHRA.
ATHRA Awards: ATHRA anticipates using the Conference to announce its biennual awards for excellence. The Conference program needs to provide a suitable time for this to occur which may be as part of the conference dinner. ATHRA will independently organise and administer the ATHRA Awards.
Speakers: The conference host will need to make suitable arrangements with all proposed speakers.
Copyright: Speakers agree to providing a Creative Commons Attribution ShareAlike licence (as used by Wikipedia and Youtube) to allow ATHRA to publish presentations and papers online.
Financial Management: All registrations and payments shall be managed by the host organisation. There is no expectation of profit payment to ATHRA, but hosts are responsible for managing all financial aspects, including contracts, payments to venues, speakers, caterers, etc.
Conference Web Page: Hosts must set up a dedicated conference web page to host event information, registration details, payment portals, etc. ATHRA will include a conference page on its website which will direct people to the host’s conference page. After the Conference, ATHRA will host the conference legacy web page including presentations etc. The conference host will facilitate the transfer of appropriate information to ATHRA to enable this to occur.
Promotion: The conference host should consider how it will promote the conference. ATHRA will support the Conference host by promoting the conference to its members via its webpage and newsletter / emails.
Experience: Interested parties should demonstrate their experience in hosting and organising similar events.
Hosting the ATHRA Australia Conference provides substantial advantages to the heritage railway industry. It facilitates industry development by offering knowledge exchange and networking opportunities. Additionally, it facilitates connections with heritage railways both nationally and internationally, promoting the preservation and growth of this cherished sector.
Submission Deadline:
Please submit your expression of interest by Tuesday 11 June 2024. For inquiries and submissions, please contact:We look forward to receiving your proposals.