Victoria’s first Digital Innovation Festival (#DIF) kicks off this week to help cement Victoria’s reputation as the number one tech and startup destination not only in Australia but across the Asia Pacific.
The inaugural festival will run until Friday 9 September hosting more than 50 events in fields such as digital innovation, technology leadership, cyber security, data governance, international partnerships, regional tech precincts, digital workforce skills and diversity.
Minister for Small Business Innovation and Trade Phillip Dalidakis officially kicked off festivities at the ACS Victoria Cyber Security Forum in Melbourne yesterday.
The festival is the first of its kind in Victoria and will celebrate the amazing talent and ideas that give Victoria’s digital tech industry its distinctive edge.
Key calendar events include the National iAwards, the Australia and New Zealand Internet Awards (ANZIAs), the Graeme Clark Oration and the launch of the Australian chapter of Girls in Tech.
Victoria’s digital industry, which generates $34 billion to the economy each year, is forecast to grow to about $50.8 billion by 2020.
The sector is set to grow exponentially in the next decade, with experts predicting jobs in the digital technology sector will grow 70 per cent faster than overall Australian employment levels over a 10-year period.
To find out how you can be a part of the #DIF and connect, visit:
Quotes attributable to Minister for Small Business, Innovation and Trade Philip Dalidakis
“We’re setting Victoria up to become the number one tech and startup destination in the Asia Pacific region – and we’re already home to approximately 8,000 digital tech businesses and more than a third of Australia’s digital tech workforce so we’re well on our way.”
“Digital tech is one of the key drivers of growth and jobs in our state – that’s why the Andrews Labor Government is investing heavily in the sector, supporting our best and brightest talent with our massive tech agenda which includes initiatives such as the Digital Innovation Festival, Cyber Security vision and LaunchVic.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020