Pause is Australia’s premier event for the thinkers, makers and doers.
A catalyst for change, a uniter of all industries, and a platform for the future, Pause brings the world’s foremost thought leaders like Airbnb, NASA, Netflix, Hyperloop, Fast Company, Girls in Tech, This American Life, SXSW, Pixar and Lucasfilm together with local heroes, for one unforgettably action-packed event
The technology and innovation festival, now in its eighth year, brings together some of the best and brightest from across the tech world for a multi-day event in the heart of Melbourne.
This year Pause 2018 will be bigger and bolder than ever, with over 150 global leaders on five stages delivering unstoppable inspiration on themes from Virtual Reality to Artificial Intelligence, Digital Culture and the Blockchain. Not to mention a Startup Expo, VIP dinners, a Business Breakfast and a super fun after party each night.
Building on from the previous years creating an event empowering young creators to achieve when it comes to technology and business, they’ve also made some new additions. Across the three days there will be a seamless new flow of speakers, panels and workshops to optimise content consumption, riotous daily debates on stuff that will make or break our future, live performances, comedy, music and hot summer after parties, along with media free ‘Vault Sessions’ for insider sharing and discussions.
As for the luminaries from the creative, business and tech worlds who will be taking to the stage to share their experiences and insight in exclusive keynotes during the Fest, this year includes Lexer founder & CTO Aaron Wallis, Thinkerbell co-founder Adam Ferrier and Pixar Animation Studio’s technical director Brian Green, among others.
A proven platform for success, the Pause Startup Expo is a real acceleration point of fest – whatever the stage of startup journey. Here visitors can take a look at some of the boldest and brightest start-ups in these sectors, and discover the future of creative, tech and business and talk to the entrepreneurs who are lighting the world on fire – and it’s free. Past exhibitors have gone on to achieve incredible things: products have been validated and promoted; investor relationships have been cemented; the seed of an idea has grown into something tangible that has made its way into the public sphere.
This year there is also an exclusive Pause Retreat which includes all-inclusive access to Pause Festival, as well as the immersive weekend with Emmy Award winning creative director, Gwen Gordon, and industry’s savviest insiders from Brian Green from Pixar, Mike Butcher from Tech Crunch, Michael Sui from Airbnb and more. Best of all, it includes gourmet catering, cocktails, transport and three-nights accommodation in the spectacular Otway Ranges. That’s a total of five days of ultimate Pause.
In short, Pause is a place where everything is virtually possible. It’s where you’ll see world firsts launch and graze the sun. In 2017, Dropbox released Paper, RMIT launched Activator, their entrepreneurial venture and AKQA announced they’d acquired DT Agency. Adriana Gascoigne’s 2016 appearance at Pause inspired the launch of Girls in Tech in Melbourne and in 2014, Zero Latency debuted the free-roam multiplayer virtual reality game. And now in 2018, who knows what we are in for.
Along with being surrounded by some of the best and brightest from across the tech world, we’ve all got to start somewhere, and attending an event such as this is the first step of potentially creating something amazing. So change the game, adjust your mindset, become the next Elon Musk – become whatever you want – because they’ve got the panel, workshop, experience or opportunity to make it happen for you.
But that’s really just the beginning of a jam-packed three days. Look up the rest of the planner via www.pausefest.com.au/ for all the details.
When & Where: Federation Square, Melbourne – February 7 – 9.
