Earning Professional Development Points with HBA
Pre-Seminar Workshops Thursday & Friday, 12-13 February 2026
THURSDAY
12.00 pm
HBA Registration desk opens
1.00 pm
Ethical AI Implementation for Hearing Clinics: Time-saving Tools you can use Tomorrow
LIZETTE FOURIE, Business Mentor, Hearpreneur Solutions
1.45 pm
Introducing AudZone: The First Australian AI Platform for Audiology Clinics
DANIEL FECHNER, Director, AudZone
2.30 pm
Afternoon Break - Exhibition
3.00 pm
Cochlear Nucleus Nexa System:The World's First and Only Smart Cochlear Implant
TBA
3.30 pm
Implementing Branding Strategies in your Practice - Brand in Action: A hands-on Workshop to bring your Personal and Practice Branding to Life
DR. ADAM LOCKER, AU.D., Founder, Audiology A.I. and Delray Hearing Center,
Florida USA
5 - 7 pm
HBA Welcome Drinks for all registered Seminar and Workshops attendees.
FRIDAY - we have limited spaces available, so book early!
7 - 8.30 am
Wax Management under Direct Vision, using the VorOtek O-Scope
CHARLES VORRATH, Director, VorOtek Pty. Ltd. and MEG BUMPSTEAD,
Co-founder and Director, Clear Ears
CONTINUING PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
ACAud inc. HAASA and Audiology Australia CPD points are pending. A note for AudA members, the 2026 CPD cycle concludes 31 March 2026, and this is an ideal opportunity to accrue your points.
FEES: include Welcome Drinks, 5-7 pm.
THURSDAY: $150 +GST for HBA members, and for each of your staff. For non-members, $350 +GST.
This registration fee covers all Thursday workshops - a single fee to attend either or all.
FRIDAY: $150 +GST for HBA members, and for each of your staff. For non-members, $350 +GST.
OUR GUEST TUTORS, COURSE SYNOPSES & TAKE-AWAYS
Lizette Fourie (B. Communication Pathology) brings over 20 years of hearing industry experience - owning, running, and supporting clinics through real-world challenges. Through Hearpreneur Solutions, She helps independent hearing clinic owners build sustainable, values-driven practices. Lizette specialises in strategic planning, financial systems, and practical technology implementation that respects both clinical excellence and business realities. She has pioneered AI-powered systems for client management and business intelligence, while maintaining compliance with the Australian Privacy Act and professional standards. Her approach combines audiological foundations with business clarity, offering guidance that's grounded in care, practical experience, and a deep understanding of what clinic owners actually face daily.
Lizette will show you how to save 70-80% of your document creation time, using AI tools, while maintaining patient privacy and professional standards. No AI experience is required, and bring your laptop/device to practice. You will learn the RACE (Role, Action, Context, Expectations) framework, four simple steps to transform vague AI requests into clinic-ready resources, and receive course materials. You will be able to:
-
Apply RACE to create effective AI prompts to generate clinic documents such as marketing materials and Medicare/HSP patient communications, etc., while also minding professional indemnity insurance implications.
-
Identify and explain compliance obligations under the Privacy Act, Australian Privacy Principles (APPs), and AHPRA advertising guidelines.
-
Critically evaluate medical accuracy, compliance and professional propriety, recognise AI hallucinations, and apply verification protocols before use.
-
Implement the "3 Rules for Responsible AI Use”:
-
Protect patient privacy by avoiding identifiable data inputs.
-
Verify all medical claims and comply with AHPRA advertising standards.
-
Maintain accountability using AI to assist, not replace, clinical judgement.
Daniel Fechner is a dedicated hearing care professional with over 22 years’ experience spanning independent and vertically integrated clinics as well as hearing aid and implant manufacturers. He trained in Germany and, since 2015, is now based in Australia. Daniel combines his technical expertise with a deep commitment to improving clinical outcomes for individuals with hearing impairment. As a business owner of six years, he is passionate about helping other clinics enhance their operational efficiency, financial sustainability, and client care standards. While running his own hearing care clinic in Castle Hill in Sydney, Daniel also offers consulting services to hearing care clinics nationwide and helps those clinics with the implementation of technical solutions to their challenges.
Daniel will introduce you to AudZone, a purpose-built platform to streamline and support the core functions of independent audiology practices. You will get a first look at how it simplifies your management, with features like AI-powered clinical notes, report generation, supervision tools, compliance tracking, and a glimpse into the future of financial reporting and other features.
He will walk you through the software’s applications, view real-life cases, and show how AudZone reduces admin burdens while improving clinic oversight and business insight.
This session is ideal for those looking for an efficient, future-focused platform to centralise operations and elevate your practice. You'll walk away with a clear understanding of how AudZone can help you run a more organised, compliant, and scalable clinic, and:
-
Recognise common operational and clinical challenges in your clinic.
-
Discover key features of AudZone that streamline clinic management.
-
Learn how AudZone improves efficiency through real-life use cases.
-
Assess AudZone’s impact on clinic scalability, compliance, and oversight.
Pending
Cochlear Nucleus Nexa System: The World's First and Only Smart Cochlear Implant.
TBA
Dr Adam Locker, Au.D., is an audiologist, entrepreneur, and international speaker known for helping hearing care professionals grow their practices and build authentic brands that connect. With more than 25 years in the profession, he brings experience across clinical, corporate, and entrepreneurial roles, giving him a rare, 360-degree view of the industry. Dr Locker began his career in corporate audiology with HEARx, gaining early insight into large-scale patient care systems. He then joined Phonak, where he helped practices integrate new technology and improve clinical outcomes, later moving into business development with AHAA (American Hearing Aid Associates), supporting hundreds of independent clinics nationwide. He went on to found and successfully sell HearFlorida, a respected multi-location hearing care group in Florida. Today, as the founder of Audiology A.I. and Delray Hearing Center, Dr Locker combines his clinical background with cutting-edge marketing and automation strategies to help practices stand out and succeed.
In this interactive workshop, Dr Adam Locker will guide you through applying both external and internal branding strategies directly to your own practice.
You will map your patient journey, identify brand gaps, and build a real-world action plan for implementation. You will leave with ready-to-use templates, messaging outlines, a clear roadmap to execute your brand strategy confidently and consistently, and be prepared to:
-
Analyse your current brand strengths and weaknesses across digital, physical, and interpersonal touchpoints.
-
Create a patient experience map that identifies opportunities for improved engagement.
-
Develop a practical 90-day implementation plan for internal and external branding improvements.
-
Recognise how to delegate, automate, and measure key branding activities using tools like Audiology A.I. to ensure consistency and sustainability.
Charles Vorrath is a business leader with over three decades of experience in B2B marketing and leadership roles across diverse industries. He is currently Director at VorOtek Pty Ltd, an Australian medical device company specialising in the design, manufacture, and distribution of medical devices with precision optics and fully integrated LED illumination. Before joining VorOtek, Charles was the Marketing Director at Tetra Pak Oceania. He began his career at Unilever as a Product Manager, honing his expertise in business-to-business operations. Charles holds an MBA from Melbourne Business School, a Graduate Diploma in Marketing from Monash University and a Bachelor of Engineering in Chemical Engineering from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.
Meg Bumpsead has over 30 years’ experience in the health sector in hospital management, management consulting, and nursing in acute hospital and community health environments. She is the co-founder of a small business start-up, Clear Ears, and has worked clinically both nationally and internationally. She holds qualifications from the Course in Aural Care, Clear Ears and The Univ.of Melb, Masters Business Administration, Deakin Univ., Post Grad Diploma Advanced Clinical Nursing (Intensive Care), The Univ, of Melb., and Bachelor Applied Science Nursing, La Trobe Univ. Meg’s founded Clear Ears in 2011 to improve access to ear wax removal via the gold standard dry techniques, which at the time was only provided in Australia by ENT surgeons. Clear Ears was known as a “disruptive and innovative start-up” being the first Australian health service to be completely cloud based and offer patients online booking processes. Clear Ears established the first course in Aural Care and Microsuction techniques in Australia. The course was initially a face2face course and then developed as a fully online digital learning portal in collaboration with ENT and audiology experts and digital learning and development experts at Deakin Co. Online learning has the advantage of improved knowledge consolidation as evidenced by spaced learning theory (practice/repeat cycle). Meg is recognized as a leading expert in Aural Care education and the online course has been globally accepted with participants across Australia, New Zealand, South East Asia, Europe and Africa.
Charles and Meg will teach you practical skills and wax management tips, using the VorOtek O Scope. This includes patient assessment, cautions and consent, wax ring and curettage, and micro-suction techniques, set-up tips and controllers, equipment cleaning, curretage and microsuction equipment, depth perception, forceps & hook, Jobson Home & Wool Carrier. You be able to:
-
Perform effective wax removal using the VorOtek O-Scope.
-
Build proficiency in advanced wax management techniques.
-
Assess patients and obtain consent.
-
Set up and maintain the VorOtek O-Scope, suction pump, and associated tools.
-
Improve depth perception and recognise cautionary cases.
-
Troubleshoot challenges, and integrate techniques for optimal outcomes.