The popular Festival of Ambitious Ideas is on again, celebrating Canberra’s innovators, game-changers and status quo challengers.

As we approach the end of 2018, we will be celebrating some of the individuals and organisations working on innovative projects from a range of different sectors - technology, social enterprises, young entrepreneurs, creative industries, government and academia.

The Festival of Ambitious Ideas follows the ignite format where our speakers only have 5 minutes each to present their ideas and ‘ignite’ the audience. In a little over an hour, guests are treated to a range of different ideas and perspectives. The event is designed to be fast-paced, informal and fun.

Festival of Ambitious Ideas is proudly sponsored by the Canberra Airport.                                                                     

Interesting People Doing Interesting Things 2018 Speakers:

Robert Coorey, Geospatial Intelligence

Scott Leggo, Scott Leggo Gallery

Debra Rickwood, University of Canberra

Nick Tyrrell, GoBoat Canberra

Sharon Tuffin, Karralika Programs

Tiffany King, Pharmacy Guild of Australia

Andrew Snell, Rollercoaster Digital

Amelia Bidgood, Eat Canberra

Ankur Sharma, The Australian National University

Michele Grimston, CraftACT: Craft and Design Centre

Walkiria Perez, Entry29

Terry Campese, Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council

Lea Maddocks, Acumen Aquatics & Vivaria

Dr Sarah Pearson, Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade

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Festival of Ambitious Ideas showcases some of the innovative businesses and initiatives in Canberra across a variety of sectors.

The theme for this event will be ‘Female Innovators’. We will be celebrating some of the female CEOs, founders, inventors and innovators working on interesting projects in the ACT region.

The Festival of Ambitious Ideas follows the Ignite format where our speakers have only 5 minutes each to present their ideas and ‘ignite’ the audience. In a little over an hour, guests are treated to a range of different ideas and perspectives.

The event is designed to be fast-paced, informal and fun with opportunities to network and explore topics further after the presentations.

Festival of Ambitious Ideas is proudly sponsored by the Canberra Airport.

Female Innovators 2018 Speakers:

Dr Debbie Saunders, Wildlife Drones

Sylvia Tulloch, GRIFFIN Accelerator (Chair)

Mel Jamieson & Suzy Piani, Sold On Styling

Kristine Price, Holiday Happenings

Tracy Ryan, Tracy Ryan Photography

Katharina Senger, Little Hands OT

Shefali Sehgal, University of Canberra

Faith Kerehona, Street Artist

Siobhan Mullins, Separate Together

Ingrid McCarthy, ASTRO 3D

Leila Haddad, Tharwa Valley Forge

Lou Moxom & Belinda Whitney, Moxom and Whitney

Victoria Pearce, Endangered Heritage

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Festival of Ambitious Ideas showcases some of the innovative businesses and initiatives in Canberra across a variety of sectors.

The theme for this Festival was ‘The Art in Everyday’. Our speakers from a range of industries and sectors challenged the audience to see the art in everyday life; from multimedia and video production, architecture and city planning, industrial design, food, lifestyle, photography and art. Our speakers talked about the influence of the aesthetic and the practical when it comes to their businesses and projects.

Festival of Ambitious Ideas is proudly sponsored by the Canberra Airport.

The Art in Everyday 2018 Speakers:

Dorte Ekelund, SMEC

Tim Reardon, The Canberra Distillery

Nick Johnson, Nimic Productions

Kim Allison, Graze Expectations

Tom Skeehan, Skeehan

Karlien Bentley, Denman Prospect

Candice Addicoat, SCENE

Dan Maginnity (byrd), Muralist & Visual Artist

Jennifer Baird, Trove Canberra

Neil Hobbs, Harris Hobbs Landscapes

Hilary Wardhaugh, Hilary Wardhaugh Photography

Greg Hewitson, 42 Lines letterpress

Chris Neal, Eclipse Lighting and Sound

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To kick off 2018 our theme for the first Festival of Ambitious Ideas for the year was ‘Home Grown’ and showcased a range of organisations and projects that have built on the uniqueness of Canberra - its landscape, people, industries and personality to create innovative businesses, events and programs. Our twelve speakers talked about their inspirations; challenges they have faced along the way and future opportunities they see for Canberra.

Festival of Ambitious Ideas is proudly sponsored by the Canberra Airport.

Home Grown 2018 Speakers:

Dane Liepins, Corin Forest

Philippe Odouard, XTEK

John De Margheriti, Academy of Interactive Entertainment

Frank Cassidy, PSNews

Antonio Mozqueira, Climate Change Policy - ACT Government

Jenny Edwards, Light House Architecture & Science

Roger Ta, Canberra by the Glass

Yumi Morrissey, Zilpah tart

Dion Oxley, Quizling

Marisa Martin & David Tynan, Suitcase Dollhouse

Sunny Forsyth, Abundant Water

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Festival of Ambitious Ideas celebrates Canberra’s innovators, game-changers and status quo challengers. As we approached the end of 2017, we celebrated some of the individuals and organisations working on innovative projects from a range of different sectors - technology, social enterprises, young entrepreneurs, creative industries, government and academia.

Festival of Ambitious Ideas is proudly sponsored by the Canberra Airport.

Interesting People Doing Interesting Things 2017 Speakers:

Elizabeth Scott, Canberra Academy of Dramatic Art (CADA)

Prof. Gordon Waddington, University of Canberra

Mark Gaykema, Rosemark Water Tanks

Anne Masters, Gallery of Small Things

Dr Leif Hanlen, Data61

Clyde Rathbone, Karma

Korske Ara, World Photo Day

Dr Sue Williamson, UNSW Canberra at ADFA

Sean Fenemore, Savage Yeti

Dr Catherine Jaktman, Jaktman Gallery

Dr Joseph Winter, Australian Institute of Sport (AIS)

Lisa LaMaitre, Canberra Wise Women

Steve Rohan-Jones, Big Picture Events

Read more ...

Festival of Ambitious Ideas showcases some of the innovative businesses and initiatives in Canberra across a variety of sectors. The theme for this event was ‘Female Innovators’, and celebrated some of the female CEOs, founders, inventors and innovators working on interesting projects in the ACT region.

Festival of Ambitious Ideas is proudly sponsored by the Canberra Airport.

 Female Innovators 2017 Speakers:

Dr Naomi Mathers, ANU Research School of Astronomy & Astrophysics

Caterina Giorgi, For Purpose Australia

Hala Batainah, Microsoft Australia

Lorinda Wyatt, Zoo Group

Dr Joy McCann, Senior Researcher & Historian

Professor Sudha Rao, EpiAxis Therapeutics

Lana Mitchell, The Nest at Gundaroo

Sheryle Moon, Spinify

Monica Penders, ScreenACT

Priya Katti & Nastaran Nemati, Seeing Machines

Erica Hediger, The Creative Element

Alison Plevey, Australian Dance Party

Read more ...

Festival of Ambitious Ideas showcases some of the innovative businesses and initiatives in Canberra across a variety of sectors. The theme for this event was ‘Lessons from the Future’, where our speakers explored a range of future trends and discussed the importance of looking to the future to inspire our actions today.

Festival of Ambitious Ideas is proudly sponsored by the Canberra Airport.

 Lessons from the Future 2017 Speakers:

Michael McGoogan, The RiotACT

Nick McDonald-Crowley, Capital Estate Developments

Marianne Gould, MyHealthTest

Olympia Yarger, Goterra

Beth Berry, Life Pharmacy Group

Lesley Harris, Capital Giving

Dr Damith Herath, University of Canberra

Mae van Rensburg, Brand New Mindset

Morteza Saberi, UNSW Canberra

Charne Esterhuizen, MAAK

Dr Vini Gautam, Australian National University

John De Margheriti, Academy of Interactive Entertainment (AIE)

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In wealthier countries such as Australia, 50% of our current Year 11's who were born in 2000 will get to celebrate their 100th birthday. This has implications for everything from healthcare to urban design, education and economics. The Age of Longevity is not simply about solving problems related to aged care, but also about how we prepare our young people for the future.

At this Festival of Ambitious Ideas our speakers from a range of industries and sectors explored some of the challenges, opportunities and innovations associated with living longer.

Festival of Ambitious Ideas is proudly sponsored by the Canberra Airport.

The 100 Year Life 2017 Speakers:

Anna Pino, Lighthouse Business Innovation Centre

Patrick Reid, StewartBrown

Andrew Buttsworth, Westpac

Andrew Scotford, CITSA

Lynette Murray, ActonAdviceGroup

Gregor Mews, Urban Synergies Group

David Rose, Vincents Chartered Accountants

Jared Wilkins, Questacon

Ron Forrester, OPF Consulting

Jennifer Thompson, Engaging Solutions

Phillip Jones, Two Degrees Group

Tim Blackman, HeartFood

Diana Ryan, Pialligo Estate

Read more ...

In celebration of the year that was 2016, this Festival of Ambitious Ideas brought together some of the individuals and organisations who have been working on innovative projects across a range of different sectors - technology, social enterprises, young entrepreneurs, creative industries, government and academia.

Festival of Ambitious Ideas is proudly sponsored by the Canberra Airport.

Interesting People Doing Interesting Things 2016 Speakers:

Anna Pino, Lighthouse Business Innovation Centre

Michael Tear, WildBear Entertainment

Peter Mckie, iSimulate

Miles Jakeman, Citadel Group

Bree Winchester, The Canberra Times

David Edwards, automed

Dr Dennis McNevin, University of Canberra

Andrew Marriott, The Film Distillery

Phil Preston, Red Robot Industries

Julie Nichols, The Local Larder

Mark Cartwright, Royal Australian Mint

Andrew Snell, Rollercoaster Digital

Zak Sequoia, Crowd Carnivore

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Most of today's innovative social solutions cut across the traditional boundaries separating nonprofits, government, and for-profit businesses. Our twelve speakers will be looking at ideas and projects that have required innovation, creativity and an entrepreneurial spirit to do things differently.

Festival of Ambitious Ideas is proudly sponsored by the Canberra Airport.

Festival of Ambitious Ideas: Social Innovation 2016 Speakers

Georgina Byron, Snow Foundation

Craig Fitzgerald, Aspen Medical

Cathleen Jackson, Niamh Martin & Deakin Jewell, Radford College

Deborah Evans, Tjillari Justice

Melanie Saballa, ACT Government - ACT Microcredit Loan Program

Noreen Vu, OrangeSky Laundry

James Gutteridge, Teach for Australia

Michael Bones, Future Super

Frances Crimmins, YWCA Canberra

Ian Ross & Lee Harrison, Homeshare

Richard Etherington, Kokonut Pacific

Nathan Steggel, Windlab

Matt Tripet, The Fly Program

Read more ...