Factor Events · Invite-only
CTO Day: The invite-only CTO conference in Sydney and Melbourne
For CTOs and engineering leaders. Next: Sydney, 12 May 2027.
CTO conference dates 2027: Sydney and Melbourne
Live from the Factor events calendar. Each date has its own registration page.
What is CTO Day?
CTO Day is Factor’s invite-only CTO conference for the CTOs, heads of engineering and chief architects who make the platform and delivery calls in Australia’s enterprises.
The day covers platforms, architecture, engineering productivity and delivering AI at scale. It combines keynotes, closed-door roundtables under the Chatham House Rule and pre-matched 1:1 meetings, built around the priorities delegates report in Factor’s CTO Wave of Change™ research.
CTO Day runs in Sydney and Melbourne.
On the agenda
- Cost optimisation alongside innovation
- Platform and architecture strategy
- Delivering AI in production
- Engineering productivity
- Security by design
How CTO Day differs from a typical CTO conference
Large CTO conferences and CTO summits are built for scale. CTO Day is built around one senior room.
Gated, not open registration
Every delegate is approved on role and seniority, so the room is CTOs and the leaders around them, not a general audience.
Roundtables, not just a main stage
Most of the day is spent in closed-door roundtables of peers under the Chatham House Rule, moderated by Factor analysts.
Meetings matched before the day
Delegates are surveyed in advance, and 1:1s with partners are booked around the priorities, budget and timing they report.
Built on research
The agenda follows what CTOs tell us in Factor’s Wave of Change™ surveys, and the findings are shared with the room.
What CTOs are telling us
From CTO Wave of Change™, May 2025. The program is built around these priorities.
60%
of CTOs cite cost savings as a top priority, even as they invest in next-generation technology.
For CTOs
Why Executives Keep Coming Back
CTO Day is built for the CTOs in the room: peers, not pitches, and only the partner meetings that fit your agenda.
Peers, not pitches.
I really love the way they match your profile to the vendors that are attending, so that you can actually get value out of those vendor engagements.
Invite-only, gated on role and seniority
Partner meetings matched to your priorities
Closed-door roundtables, Chatham House Rule
Research from the leaders in the room
Simone Heaperman
Director, Corporate Platforms, Colonial First State
Sponsor CTO Day
CTO Conference Sponsorship
Sponsor a CTO conference where every meeting is with a CTO matched to what you sell, with a brief on each delegate before you sit down.
Fewer partners. Better meetings.
There's different ways of meeting the different CIOs and having different conversations, which is quite unique, because normally you only have one stream.
Executive 1:1s, matched
A brief on every delegate
Research cut for you
A seat at the front
Mona Lolas
APAC Marketing Leader, Apptio
Executive 1:1s, matched
Pre-booked meetings with delegates whose priorities fit your solution, matched on business drivers.
A brief on every delegate
Their remit, priorities and buying timing, in your hands before each 1:1.
Research cut for you
A Wave of Change™ edition for your category, with the stats that matter to your buyers.
A seat at the front
Keynote, panel or a closed-door roundtable under the Chatham House Rule, moderated by a Factor analyst.
Partners across Factor Days
Research for CTOs
Wave of Change™ surveys and reports from the leaders who attend.
Research report
CTO Wave Of Change™ May 2025
Research report
The New Rules of Platform Strategy in the Age of Agentic AI
Only 18% of organisations align AI, platform and business strategy. Those that do grow revenue 2.2x faster. Factor research across 1,031 executives.
Research report
The AI Enablement Journey
Research report
Future Proofing Enterprise It Strategy
Past CTO Day events
Every edition since 2024.
CTO Day FAQs
Something else? Ask the Factor team.
What is CTO Day?
CTO Day is Factor’s invite-only day for CTOs. It brings together keynotes, closed-door roundtables under the Chatham House Rule and pre-matched 1:1 meetings with a small number of technology partners, built around the priorities delegates report in Factor’s Wave of Change™ research.
Is CTO Day a CTO conference?
Yes. CTO Day is an invite-only CTO conference (some call it a CTO summit) for CTOs, running in Sydney and Melbourne. Unlike a large ticketed conference, every delegate is approved on role and seniority, and the day is built around closed-door roundtables and matched 1:1 meetings rather than an expo hall.
What is the best CTO conference in Australia?
It depends on what you want from the day. Large analyst and media conferences suit broad learning and big keynotes. CTO Day suits CTOs who want a smaller, senior room: peers approved on role and seniority, roundtables under the Chatham House Rule, and only the partner meetings that fit their priorities.
When and where is CTO Day in 2027?
CTO Day Sydney, 12 May 2027; CTO Day Melbourne, 8 September 2027. Each edition has its own registration page, linked from this page.
Who can attend CTO Day?
CTO Day is for CTOs, heads of engineering, chief architects and platform leaders. Attendance is invite-only and every place is approved on role and seniority, so the room stays senior and relevant. If that is you, request an invitation on this page and the Factor team will confirm your place.
How do I register for CTO Day?
Choose the city and date under “Upcoming dates” and register on that edition’s page. If you have not received an invitation, use “Request an invitation” on this page.
What happens on the day?
Keynotes and peer panels, closed-door roundtables of senior CTOs moderated by Factor analysts under the Chatham House Rule, and pre-booked 1:1 meetings with technology partners matched to the priorities you report before the day.
How are the 1:1 meetings matched?
We survey every delegate before the day and match meetings on the priorities, budgets and timing they report, so CTOs only meet partners relevant to what they are working on.
How do I sponsor CTO Day?
Use “Sponsor CTO Day” on this page. Tell us what you sell and who you want to meet, and we send the prospectus, package options and the delegate breakdown by title within one working day.
What do sponsors get?
Executive 1:1s matched on business drivers, a brief on each delegate before every meeting, keynote, panel or roundtable slots, and pre-event survey insight on what the room is prioritising, cut for your category.
Is CTO Day a good networking event for CTOs?
Networking is the point of the format. Delegates spend the day in small roundtables with peers at the same level, and every 1:1 is booked in advance around what they are working on.
How much does CTO conference sponsorship cost?
CTO Day sponsorship is packaged per event. Package options and pricing are in the prospectus, which we send within one working day of an enquiry, together with the delegate breakdown by title.
Does Factor run other executive days?
Yes. Factor runs a day for each executive audience: CIO Day, CFO Day, Security Day, Data + AI Day, B2B CMO Day, plus executive roundtables through the year.