Summit delayed to May

PIVOT Summit organisers have pushed back Geelong’s edgy tech conference for six months, just four weeks after announcing the program for this year’s event.

The fourth Pivot Summit, which was to be in early December, has been postponed until May when it will line up alongside the Geelong After Dark festival.

The late move is being driven by an opportunity to secure a major sponsorship deal, a broader market appeal and the chance to create a special collaborative event incorporating performance and the arts.

Tickets to the postponed event will be refunded or reissued with existing ticket holders to also be invited to an offprogram VIP special event.

Pivot Summit CEO Leigh- ton Wells said the postponement of the event, which last year was headlined by Apple founder Steve Wozniak, started to be reconsidered about two weeks ago.

“There is some really exciting opportunities for Pivot Summit to move to May,” Mr Wells said. “We are in some exciting discussions with some major prospective partners that are taking a long time.”

Mr Wells said the summit would now be held on May 3-4, with the event providing opportunities in consumer-focused technology such as eSports, gaming and the arts.

“We are pivoting a bit,” he said. “But we never wanted to be just a business event.”

He said next year’s Pivot Summit would be of a scale that would surprise attendees.

“What we are seeing shape up is something incredibly exciting for people,” he said.