SwimSchoolers back ASSA’s 2026 Swimposium: 8.8 out of 10, with 98% recommending it to a colleague.
“Accessible”, “affordable”, “awesome”. These attendee responses are exactly why ASSA created the Swimposium Educator Roadshow series. It gives the industry the training and professional development they are craving. For the second year running, more than 300 SwimSchoolers who attended said it “delivered” – rating the series 8.8 out of 10.
The Australian Swim Schools Association (ASSA) has wrapped its 2026 Swimposium series, the professional development tour built for SwimSchoolers, the owners, managers and teachers who run and staff the nation’s swim schools. The series visited seven cities across Australia and New Zealand, from Canberra, Adelaide and Sydney to Melbourne, Perth, Brisbane and Auckland, bringing more than 300 SwimSchoolers together to learn from each other and from leading industry presenters.
Swimposium was created on the exact words mentioned by our attendees: accessible, affordable and awesome. Accessibility came first. Taking the tour to seven cities meant SwimSchoolers did not have to travel far to be in the room. The programme was shaped for the educators on the pool deck, not head office alone.
“We built Swimposium around what our members kept asking for. Training built for the people on the pool deck, the educators doing the actual teaching. That is the whole reason these events exist. We listened, then we delivered it seven times over.”
said Luke Daly, CEO of ASSA.
Affordability shaped the rest. A deliberately low price point meant smaller and regional schools could send whole teams rather than a single representative. The New Zealand leg felt it most keenly.
“Thanks for making these opportunities available in Auckland at a reasonable price. It means smaller swim schools can send team members they could never afford to send to Australia.”
said a SwimSchooler from a smaller Auckland school.
The last word, awesome, will always be for the room to judge. The series scored an overall 8.8 out of 10, with topic relevance at 9.1. Ninety-eight per cent of respondents said they would recommend Swimposium to a colleague. More than half rated it a 9 or 10.
Sessions on teaching neurodivergent swimmers, infant and baby water safety, parent communication and workplace personalities drew the strongest praise, with many attendees naming specific ideas they planned to put into practice straight away.
“Great event, really enjoyed the content. Improved so much from the year before. Usually I like at least one thing. This time I had a list.”
said one Sydney SwimSchooler.
ASSA will take the momentum into SPARK 2026, the industry’s next major event. Member feedback is already shaping the next Swimposium series.
“None of this happens without the industry stepping up. ASSA is a small team. Every one of these rooms was filled with SwimSchoolers who gave their time and their hard-won expertise to help others grow and improve. That generosity is what carries an event like this. Thank you,”
said Daly.
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About ASSA
The Australian Swim Schools Association (ASSA) is the national body representing swim schools across Australia and New Zealand. Through professional development, industry events and its BOSS (Business of Swim Schools) community, ASSA backs the SwimSchoolers who run, manage and teach in the nation’s swim schools. It champions an industry that teaches people to swim and saves lives.
