Hunter Central Coast Innovation Festival

People are the Key to Innovation

Interesting ideas, new technologies, and clever work practices are all just that - without people.

People are the key. People take ideas and turn them into innovations.This has been a recurring theme throughout the 2011 Hunter Central Coast Innovation Festival (HCCIF).

From kids playing rock music, to electronic bins, smart ways to keep in shape, new designs for berths at ports, and social media breakthroughs, the HCCIF has this year, more than ever before, showcased real innovation and real people across the Hunter and Central Coast.

The Festival’s opening event featured kids from Rosie’s School of Rock’s new 'Au:Sum Program', which encourages children with autism to excel through music.It showcased four Year 9 students from Merewether High School who won the Future Homes 2010 competition and designed a sustainable house, which was built in the playground by Future Homes competition manager and Central Coast builder, Craig Riddle.There are also amazing projects being quietly achieved by the team at Newcastle Innovation and the high level technology of Ausgrid’s Smart Grid Smart City Trial.

A plethora of events then began across a busy two week period.42 events across the Hunter and Central Coast included the Buy Local Festival with a Twist – an event uniting over 200 exhibitor sites showcasing Central Coast business, government and service organisations to encourage residents to “buy local” contributing to business growth and therefore job opportunities on the Central Coast.

The Hunter Founders Forum’s - Hunter and (inaugural) Central Coast Breakfasts, where companies working on innovative ideas are matched with investors. The Digital Showcase as the name suggests, showcased innovations in the digital and social media sphere.HVRF and CCRF’s Hunter and Central Coast Regional Economic Updates launched region specific innovation research.

Year 4 children from Hunter and Central Coast schools participated in Engineers Australia’s Straw Tower Building Competition.

Newcastle Innovation showcased the new Newcastle Institute for Energy and Resources, whilst HMRI presented a public lecture on smart ways to improve the health of families. Together Today hosted a workshop on the Hunter’s strategy to tackle the global challenge of climate change.

Create and Innovate

Finally a tour of the Port of Newcastle highlighted new developments there.

Seminars, workshops and presentations were also hosted by AusIndustry, Hunter Business Chamber, Hunter Business Centre, Port Stephens Council, Tom Farrell Institute, Wyong Council, Central Coast NSW Business Chamber and RDA Central Coast.

The Central Coast Innovation Summit, the launch of Central Coast Manufacturing Connect and the University of Newcastle’s Ourimbah Campus' 'Towards a Smarter Central Coast were hugely popular events that highlighted the scope of innovative people and businesses that exist on the Central Coast.

“With collaboration comes with innovation” is a theme being promoted amongst Central Coast manufacturers and embraced Central Coast wide companies working together and sharing ideas to encourage wide ranging opportunities for everybody.

The closing event, held on the Central Coast, reinforced the aforementioned idea, as well as the need to embrace our regions’ youth in innovation, which was showcased brilliantly by I-Factor - a competition introduced to the HCCIF this year, where Central Coast school students were invited to produce a multi-media presentation promoting the Central Coast as a business and lifestyle destination.

The Hunter Central Coast Innovation Festival is about encouraging new ideas and creating new ways of doing things. It is about motivating people to take a risk on a new idea and showcasing people that have done that and made a difference.

The 2011 Festival has reached more people than ever before and will continue to be a platform for innovation and creativity to be highlighted across the Hunter and Central Coast into the future.

For more information contact Kate O’Mara on 02 4908 7300.