Regional Innovation & Startups Conference
27-28 August 2018
Lardner Park VIC 3821
Binary Shift is one of Australia’s top conferences focused specifically on regional innovation, technology and startups.
Founded in Gippsland in 2017, our conference is run by the regions, for the regions. Binary Shift is returning in 2018 with a full day of keynote presentations and panels to be held at Lardner Park on Monday 27th of August, followed by a gala dinner at award-winning paddock-to-plate winery restaurant Hogget Kitchen, and a morning of hands-on workshops run by Infoxchange and Google in Warragul the following day.
- Be inspired by stories of how regional entrepreneurs are founding startups, going global, and using technology and innovation to grow their business.
- Learn from industry experts about virtual reality, drones and getting funding for your business.
- Network with tech and startup professionals from around Victoria and beyond!
Binary Shift 2018 is over!
Why innovation, technology and startups?
A startup is a business that sells globally, is technology-enabled, and uses innovation to compete at a global scale. Startups were responsible for almost all the net job growth in Australia over 2003-2014 according to the Australian Financial Review 2016. Deloitte also found that businesses with high levels of technology engagement were 14 times more likely to be innovating, 7 times more likely to be exporting, and 8 times more likely to be creating jobs.
Growing regional tech, innovation and startup communities is vital to creating regional jobs. Binary Shift was created to showcase regional entrepreneurs, help build community around innovation and technology in regional areas, and connect regional business owners to national and global thought leaders in innovation and entrepreneurship. If you’re a regional business owner, tech professional, or community leader, Binary Shift is for you.
Binary Shift is for:
Small business
Learn how to grow your business with startup thinking, innovation and technology. Network with other local business owners and tech experts, and find ways to maximise your business potential using technology.
Tech professionals
Connect with industry experts on topics such as virtual reality, drones and AI, and learn how businesses are using technology and innovation to solve real world problems.
Entrepreneurs
Be inspired by stories of other regional founders and meet other leading entrepreneurs from across Australia and beyond.
Government
Learn how to activate startup communities in your region and get to know the startups that already exist in your local area.
Program
Day 1: Keynotes and Panels
Be inspired by stories of how regional entrepreneurs are founding startups, going global, and using technology and innovation to grow their business. Learn from industry experts about virtual reality, drones and getting funding for your business. Network with tech and startup professionals from around Victoria and beyond! Before attending the conference please read and review the Code of Conduct.
9:00 Welcome - MC Anthony Mayer
9:10 Conference opening - Harriet Shing, MP
9:30: Keynote: The Covocate Story: Inclusive HR and Creating Social Impact
Speaker: Leslie Delaforce, CEO, Covocate.
10:00: Panel: Art Meets Technology
Speakers: Marco Ryan, Founder, Marc-o-Matic; PollyannaR, Founder, The BIG Picture Space Inc; Dixon Patten, Creative Director, Bayila Creative. Marco’s augmented reality art will be on display during the conference.
10:30: Morning Tea
11:00: Panel: Digital Inclusion and the Impact of Technology on Society
Speakers: David Spriggs, CEO of Infoxchange and Chair of the Australian Digital Inclusion Alliance; Prof. Jo Barraket, Director, Centre for Social Impact, University of Swinburne; A. Prof Nicola Johnson, Deputy Head - School of Education, Federation University; Loretta Willaton, Area General Manager - Melbourne and Eastern Victoria, Telstra.
11:30: Panel: Creating Regional Jobs Through Local Procurement
Speakers:Senior Program Officer, Economic Development and Investment, Latrobe Valley Authority; James Baird, CEO & Cofounder, Localised; Chris Newman, Director, ArcBlue Asia Pacific.
12:00: Panel: Drones - what they can do and how you can get involved
Speakers: Phillip Matheson, Associate Chief Technologist - Digital Strategy & Innovation, DXC Technology; Jesse Sago, RPAS Pilot and Instructor, Victorian UAS Training. Drone flight demonstrations to follow, weather permitting.
12:30: Lunch
1:30: Keynote: Empowering 700 Rural Women to Create Microbusinesses
Speaker: Rebel Black, CEO & founder, THE Rural Woman
2:00: Panel: AgTech - How Technology is Transforming Agriculture
Speakers: Eleanor Toulmin, CEO of MimicTec; Julia Waite, Community Operations Manager, SproutX; Dr Sarah Preston, Lecturer - Veterinary Science, Federation University; Lindsay Anderson, Dairy Farmer. Demonstrations of FarmVR by the Meat & Livestock Association will follow during the break.
2:30: Afternoon Tea
3:15: Panel: Getting Funding for Your Business
Speakers: Jessie Ballantyne, Founder, The Grants Hub; Rob Hutchinson, Bank Manager, Drouin & District Community Bank; Susan Oliver, Founder & Chair, Scale Investors.
3:45: Panel: Technology Education and the Future of Work in Gippsland
Speakers: Jessica Perrin, Social Innovation & Digital Inclusion Manager, Infoxchange; Dr Suryani Lim, Lecturer - Information Technology, Federation University; Dr Monica Green, Senior Lecturer - School of Education, Federation University; Jacqueline Wilson, Gippsland Tech School.
4:15: Keynote: Government Relations 101 For Startups
Speaker: Bec Martin, Technologist, Tinkerer, Jill-of-all-trades and Chief Strategy Officer for Hire.
4:45: Closing - MC Anthony Mayer
5:00-6:30: wine tasting mixer at Our Cellar Door, next door to Hogget Kitchen
6:30-9:00: Gala Dinner with keynote speaker: Sarah Moran, Founder & CEO, Girl Geek Academy
Gala dinner will be held at local paddock-to-plate restaurant Hogget Kitchen.
Day 2: Workshops by Infoxchange & Google
On day two of Binary Shift, we will be hosting a morning of workshops delivered by Infoxchange and Google at no extra cost. You’ll have the opportunity to learn from a Google expert about search engine optimisation, analytics, and more, and Infoxchange will deliver the Digital Springboard courses ‘Get started with code’ and ‘Answering questions with data’. Digital Springboard is a program by Infoxchange and Google to help people learn the digital skills they need to thrive in work and life. Available across the country, courses are delivered face-to-face and are designed to build digital confidence and open up new employment and career opportunities.
9:00-10:15 - Get started with code
You’re probably familiar with the concept of coding, but have you given it a try yourself? This fun, interactive workshop will teach you the basics of coding using a guided, hands-on coding activity. Learn about a few different programming languages including CSS, JavaScript and HTML, and build your confidence in simple coding.
10:30am-11:45am - Answering questions with data
Learn how to effectively collect and make sense of online data about your business to help you drive business growth. Find out how to develop a framework for your business’ data collection and establish goals and objectives to measure the success of your business. Learn how to make the most of key digital marketing channels, what data from these channels can reveal about your customer’s behaviour, and how it can help you to attract and connect with customers online.
12pm-1pm - Google’s Digital Garage program - Boosting your business online with Google
This free training is designed for those who own or manage a small to medium sized business and particularly relevant to people who wish to learn free ways to help get your business found online. We will cover the practical steps you can take to help put your business on Google Maps & Search and be found online by new customers. We'll also share insights about how the growth of mobile devices is shaping consumer behaviour and what businesses need to do to respond to these changes.
Speakers
Ready to book?
Book your Binary Shift tickets now! Bring a friend to get 50% off the second ticket, or take advantage of our generous discounts for groups. Tickets are selling fast, so grab yours now!
Venue
Binary Shift 2018 will be held at Lardner Park, Gippsland - a beautiful 300-acre property with extensive outdoor parking and a large conference venue. Located just over an hour's drive from the Melbourne CBD via the Monash Freeway (6 minutes off the freeway), and a 12 minute drive from Warragul and Drouin train stations, Lardner Park is very accessible to local and regional traffic in Gippsland as well as being easy to get to from Melbourne.
If you are arriving by train, please let us know when you book your ticket and we will organise mini buses to and from Warragul train station.
The gala dinner on the evening of the 27th of August will be held at Hogget Kitchen, one of the top 100 restaurants in Victoria, located 6 minutes' drive from the centre of Warragul. If you need transportation to and from Warragul for the conference dinner, please let us know when you book your ticket.
If you are staying in Warragul the night before the conference, please join us for an informal welcome dinner on Sunday 26th of August at the Courthouse Restaurant, Warragul. Let us know when you book your ticket whether you plan to attend.
If you are interested in being a sponsor, please contact us!
Contact
Need to get in contact with the Binary Shift committee? Use our contact form, and we will respond to your question as soon as possible.
You can also contact us:
PO Box 1412
Warragul VIC 3820
If you have a concern about someone's behaviour at the conference, or wish to make a report about improper conduct, please review the Code of Conduct and Report an Incident as necessary.