High performance coaches, directors, managers and support staff gathered at the Australian Institute of Sport (AIS) last month for the inaugural World Class to World Best: Australia’s high performance sports conference.

Close to 300 people participated in the landmark event, including representatives from national sporting organisations, state institutes and academies of sport, the AIS and academia.

The conference provided a unique opportunity for greater information sharing and collaboration across the high performance sports sector, covering the themes of coaching, athlete pathways and selection, program psychology and leadership.

Highlights from the three-day conference included a stimulating presentation from world renowned neuroscientist Baroness Susan Greenfield on the power of the mind and its impact on performance; an honest and insightful Q&A session with Jake White and Dean Benton from Brumbies Rugby; international perspectives on high performance planning and case studies from across the sector.

World Class to World Best will be back next year from Wednesday 13 to Friday 15 November 2013.