The FBAA has announced the line-up for its inaugural conference, with president Peter White promising the event will contain a wealth of practical information, and be more than "a piss up".

The FBAA will hold its first conference at the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre from 15-17 February 2012. The association's president, Peter White, has told Australian BrokerNews the conference will include speakers such as Yellow Brick Road executive chairman Mark Bouris, Advantedge general manager of broker platforms Steve Weston and ASIC senior executive leader for deposit takers, insurance and credit providers Greg Kirk, as well as representatives from Treasury and the Financial Ombudsman Service.

White said the conference's opening ceremony would be "something to behold", and promised strong content for the conference as a whole.

"This isn't just, 'Come to the conference for a piss up'. It's content that will help them compete and help the practical day-to-day functions of their business. The exhibition hall isn't just lenders and mortgage insurers. It's things we touch and feel in our day-to-day business. People will get discounts and benefits by coming to this that will help them practically in their day-to-day business," he commented.

White commented that conference speakers would represent both the mortgage and finance industry, and the business world at large. He said the speakers would look to challenge brokers to "get up and do something", and to manage their businesses and stress levels efficiently.

"It's all about looking after the people in this business. We need to look after our health both mentally and physically," he said.

The conference will focus on the practical, White said. He said this would be reflected both in the content of the daily sessions, and in the types of exhibitors on display.

"The whole thrust of the conference is to invigorate a market that has probably gone a little flat with the GFC. The conference is composed of top-end businessmen who have built their businesses from scratch, who have gone through the GFC and dealt with regulatory compliance and have still been successful," he said.

White said the conference was open to both FBAA members and non-members, and promised that attendance would be priced so as to "capture everyone who wants to come".

"People say some of these conferences are just too damned expensive. It has to be priced right. It's not a profiteering exercise, and it's all about value and benefit to the industry," White said.