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Innovation Festival gathers momentum across Gippsland

Preparations for the second Innovation Festival are gathering momentum as organisers compile a growing list of events and activities that will be featured in the National Program published in the Australian Newspaper in May.

By Latrobe Shire Council - 25th March 2004 - Back to News

Organisers are planning to attract over 50 events to the festival and have confirmed participation from organisations in every municipality in Gippsland.

The Gippsland and Latrobe Innovation Festival will be launched by the Federal Minister for Industry, Tourism and Resources, The Hon Ian Macfarlane MP, at Safetech in Moe on Tuesday 4 May and will run until Monday 24 May.

Latrobe City’s Chief Executive Officer and Chairperson of the Latrobe Valley Ministerial Taskforce Marketing Advisory Panel, Richard Hancock, said the theme of this year’s festival was ‘Making Good Ideas Happen’.

"One of the key drivers is making innovation accessible to the whole community. Events in this year’s festival will cover innovation in areas such as the arts, community development, business, technology, agriculture, sport, environment and regional development," Mr Hancock explained.

"We are delighted with the response from across Gippsland. This may well be the first time the whole of Gippsland has been involved in a locally run festival. If this is the case it is completely appropriate that the catalyst for the region to come together is the ‘celebration of Innovation’.

Funding for the festival is being supplied through the Latrobe Valley Ministerial Taskforce Marketing Advisory Panel, LatrobeFirst, AusIndustry, Baw Baw Shire, South Gippsland Shire and Latrobe City, and will involve a wide range of stakeholders from across Gippsland including other Gippsland shires and organisations such as DIIRD, GACC, Monash University, and the Federation Health Gippsland Business Awards.

Mr Hancock said the Innovation Festival was a further opportunity to really promote the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland as a progressive and innovative community to the rest of Australia.

"We have an excellent range of events and forums running throughout the three weeks. It gives clear demonstration that the Latrobe Valley and Gippsland is an innovative region. After a terrific inaugural festival in 2003 we are delighted to be working with the rest of Gippsland to build a regional festival that will have significant profile on a state and national level," Mr Hancock said.

Source: www.gippsland.com

Published by: news@gippsland.com

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