Latrobe Innovation Festival to showcase the region’s best The inaugural ‘Latrobe Innovation Festival’ in conjunction with the Australian Innovation Festival, will be conducted in the first two weeks of May. By Latrobe City - 31st March 2003 - Back to News The inaugural ‘Latrobe Innovation Festival’ in conjunction with the Australian Innovation Festival, will be conducted in the first two weeks of May, as part of the implementation of the Latrobe Valley Marketing Communication Strategy, recently launched by the Honourable John Brumby, Minister for State and Regional Development and Minister for Innovation.
The festival will showcase examples of innovation in business, community, the arts and tourism, demonstrating the value of research, development and partnerships that benefit the community.
It is planned that the Latrobe Innovation Festival will be run on an annual basis for three years with an option to extend it further.
The Latrobe Valley will be the first Victorian Region to officially link with the National Festival which has over 240 participating events. Funding for the festival is being supplied through the Latrobe Valley Ministerial Taskforce Marketing Advisory Panel.
Richard Hancock, Chairperson of the Marketing Advisory Panel and Latrobe City CEO, said that the Latrobe Innovation Festival will be a celebration of Innovation within the region. "We are working together with a range of groups to celebrate innovation in Latrobe. Our aim in the first year is to showcase up to 15 events occurring within Latrobe during the first fortnight in May," Mr Hancock said.
"We see this as a further opportunity to really challenge and dispel some of the unfair perceptions of the Latrobe Valley. We have an excellent range of events and forums running throughout the two weeks. It provides a clear demonstration that Latrobe is a very innovative region. The Australian Innovation Festival is a terrific opportunity for Latrobe to showcase itself in a national event," he said.
Latrobe Innovation Festival events already registered include: The Federation Health Gippsland Business Awards, Arts Innovation Week, Latrobe Business Arts Forum, Creative Gippsland – Cultural Tourism Forums, Football for people with disabilities, Good Access Good Business, Phillip Island & Gippsland Discovery Tourism Awards, Small Business ‘one on one’ Graduation, Innovation in Community Safety Promotion Forum, Sailability Gippsland Open Day, and the Italian Desk Launch.
The Marketing Advisory Panel and Latrobe City are finalising event registrations from other organisations and stakeholders within the region. If members of the broader community are interested in participating in the festival they are welcome to contact Chris Buckingham on 0417 159 733.
Source: www.gippsland.com Published by: news@gippsland.com

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