Twenty years on, IT forum going strong
IT FORUM Gold Coast celebrated its 20th anniversary this week – the longest-running industry organisation on the Gold Coast.
ITFGC marked the milestone with an event at Metricon Stadium’s chairman’s lounge where the head of technology for next year’s Com- monwealth Games Mathew Peterson was guest speaker.
Co-founder Greg Wiltshire, who started the association with lawyer Geoff Provest (not to be confused with the Member for Tweed of the same name), said in 1997 the Gold Coast was lacking a forum for people interested in learning about the industry. “We invited not just IT professionals but also people interested in IT,” he said.
“It started as networking events but pretty rapidly became more than that. We got the support of Bond University and Griffith University and Gold Coast City Council.”
The forum’s key role is to advocate on behalf of the industry, foster discussion of key issues, encourage collaboration between companies, and work to attract new technology businesses to the Gold Coast.
Former deputy chair Frank Yarsley said the sector had grown in leaps and bounds in the past two decades with large firms including IBM and Foxtel establishing operations on the Gold Coast.
Chair Dr Dion Klein said this year’s committee features representatives from three higher education establishments for the first time.