Digital dreams on show
Geelong opens door to cyber innovation
GEELONG businesses are being urged to showcase how they are using technology to ramp up the city’s presence at the statewide Digital Innovation Festival.
There is also opportunity for the city to host a significant event with the backing of State Government funding to $15K.
A government roadshow was presented to a Technology Geelong meetup on Friday, with the early feedback on ideas for the Digital Innovation Festival welcomed by the facilitator from the Department of Economic Development, Jobs, Transport and Resources.
“There’s a lot of good ideas, bubbling ideas already and we need to follow that up in the next month,” the department’s ICT-Tech manager Margot Ingoldby said.
She called for Geelong locals to “hitch a ride” on the event and think about teaming up with educational institutions, the council or local SMEs to host an event.
“All the ingredients are here,” Ms Ingoldby said.
“There’s very strong education and very strong connectivity around many businesses which have technology at their core.
“We know there is a strong entrepreneurial presence here.”
The Digital Innovation Festival, which runs statewide from August 24 to September 7, aims to foster the economic resilience of the state by showcasing the capability and expertise in the technology sector but event hosts could come from any sector such as arts, retail, tourism or education.
Technology Geelong chief executive Stephanie Beitzel said the groups’s next monthly meetup would take up the challenge of brainstorming ideas for the festival.
“We can really put Geelong on the map as a disrupter,” she said.
The Geelong library has already scheduled a series of events for the festival which is aiming to double last year’s statewide attendance of 10,000.
More details on the festival are available at www.vic.gov.au.