The two-day conference follows on from the inaugural Connecting Coaches conference in Auckland last year and from conferences held in Dunedin by the Otago Academy Of Sport in the past, academy manager Michael Coutts said.
A memorandum of understanding was established between the academy and Sport New Zealand to hold the conference in Dunedin every second year.
The conference is open to up to 200 coaches, but Coutts said almost 150 spots had already been filled.
Scholarships are available for up to 30 coaches, he said.
The Otago Community Trust is offering 25 scholarships for coaches from rural Otago. These scholarships will cover the $200 cost for the conference.
''It's a fantastic opportunity that they've given to the rural coaches of Otago to attend this conference,'' Coutts said.
''And the University of Otago are giving up five scholarships worth $400 to South Island-based coaches to attend the conference as well. That will cover the registration fee then a bit to go to travel costs and any other costs incurred.''
The conference is open to all levels of coaches from any background or sport.
''From your under-6 Rippa Rugby team up to people who are wanting to make a career out of it, so it's targeted for coaches across a broad spectrum of sports, abilities and what their aspirations are.
''We've got some really good speakers who will touch on their story and journey and connect it back to the theme of the conference.''
Speakers confirmed include Rio 2016 New Zealand chef de mission Rob Waddell, All Whites coach Anthony Hudson and athletics coach Raylene Bates.
''We're going to shoulder-tap a few more speakers over the next few weeks,'' Coutts said.
Coaches can register for the conference and apply for the scholarships through the conference's website, www.connectingcoaches.org.nz, through their regional or national sports organisation or by contacting Coutts through the website.
This year's theme is ''striving for excellence''.
It was an opportunity, especially for South Island-based coaches who were unable to attend the conference last year in the North Island and, in particular, for Otago coaches to receive some coaching development and to improve their skills, Coutts said.
