Hockey Stick Advisory launches APAC partnership summit

Hockey Stick Advisory has launched Accelerate, a one-day B2B partnership revenue summit in Melbourne, which it describes as the only event of its kind in the Asia-Pacific region.

Aimed at partnership operators, revenue leaders, founders and leadership teams involved in partner-led growth programmes at B2B software companies, the event will be held at Marvel Stadium and is expected to host up to 200 attendees.

The launch comes as partnerships play a larger role in go-to-market planning for software groups. Research cited by Hockey Stick Advisory from PartnerStack and Wynter found that 69 per cent of B2B SaaS companies are increasing partnership investment this year, while 30 per cent rank partnerships as a top strategic priority.

Separate data from Forrester points to rising expectations for partner-influenced sales. According to the figures cited, 67 per cent of B2B decision-makers expect partner-influenced revenue to grow by more than 30 per cent this year.

Hockey Stick Advisory's own benchmarking suggests mature partner ecosystems can account for about 30 per cent of a company's revenue. It says many businesses in Asia-Pacific are still capturing only part of that potential.

Market gap

The advisory firm created the event in response to what it sees as a lack of specialist forums for partnership teams in the region. Most business and technology events in Asia-Pacific include partnerships only as a small part of a broader agenda, it said.

That positioning reflects a broader shift in how software companies view indirect and ecosystem-based sales models. Rather than treating partnerships as a supporting function, more businesses are placing them closer to core revenue planning.

Bryan Williams, Founder of Hockey Stick Advisory, said the event was designed to address that gap.

"Partnerships have become a much more serious revenue conversation, but APAC has not had a dedicated room for the people building and funding these programs. Most events in the region treat partnerships as one session inside a broader agenda. Accelerate is built around the operators doing the work and the leadership teams deciding where this channel goes next," Williams said.

The programme will include keynotes, panel discussions, roundtables and a workshop, with a focus on practical execution across strategy, validation, activation and optimisation.

An afternoon workshop on artificial intelligence in partnerships will be led by Rob Moyer, Founder of BlueThread.io and former Global Head of Partnerships at Gong. Other confirmed speakers include Jo Gaines, GM APAC at Asana; Chase Gardner, Global Head of Partnerships at Employment Hero; Hannah Udina, Head of Partnerships, ANZ at Shopify; Nick Martinez, Director of GTM Partnerships at Airwallex; and Will Glover, Head of Partnerships, Uber Direct ANZ at Uber.

Also on the programme are Angus Mansfield, SVP Sales & Partnerships APAC at Sinch, Danielle Gormley and Laura Sully from HubSpot, Keith Chan from Fin AI, Alex Wilson from Heidi Health and Jason Cormier from Fitness Passport.

Execution focus

Attendees are expected to include partnership and go-to-market leaders from Shopify, HubSpot, Airwallex, Employment Hero, Asana and Uber. The event is structured to give participants working examples of how partner-led revenue programmes are being built and measured.

Williams said the agenda was intended to prioritise operational value over commentary. "The aim is to bring together the people responsible for partner-led growth and give them a chance to compare what is actually working, pressure-test strategy, and leave with clearer next steps. That matters more now because the market is moving faster than the local infrastructure around it," he said.

Hockey Stick Advisory is a Melbourne-based advisory firm focused on partner-led growth for B2B SaaS companies. Its clients include PencilPay, Lawpath, SafetyCulture and ApprovalMax.

Early bird tickets for Accelerate are priced at AUD $495.