Myriad fires up with Powerhouse of innovation

Queensland’s Myriad innovation festival fires up today (Wednesday) with 2000 entrepreneurs and investors from Longreach to Silicon Valley converging on Brisbane’s Powerhouse.

Ahead of the three-day festival starting tonight, Treasurer and Minister for Trade and Investment, Curtis Pitt, said Myriad was the culmination of a year’s planning following the highly successful 2016 Advance Queensland Innovation and Investment Summit.

“Myriad is another significant step in the State Government’s drive to encourage innovation and investment, generate new businesses and industries, and to create new jobs,” Mr Pitt said.

“We are investing $405 million through our whole-of-government Advance Queensland initiative to help inspire Queenslanders to turn their big ideas into reality.”

Minister for Innovation, Science and the Digital Economy Leeanne Enoch said Myriad was a platform for home grown talent to connect with the world’s best innovators and investors and take their bright ideas to a global market.

“The Palaszczuk Government has supported 123 regional innovators to attend Myriad, and take advantage of this unique opportunity,” Ms Enoch said.

“Tonight, a fusion of lighting installations, drones, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture and music come together as a backdrop to showcase Queensland’s innovation ecosystem.

“Queensland’s own talented innovators will be on stage at Myriad including Carbon Creative’s Wayne Denning, 2016 Telstra Queensland Business Women’s Entrepreneur Award winner Patrice Brown and Luke Anear, Townsville-based CEO of Safety Culture.

“Even the opening celebration was a chance to show off Queensland talent, with bitpop group 7bit Hero and DJ Black Amex providing entertainment, and Advance Queensland Community Digital Champions Andrew Gibbs and Mic Black providing spectacular lighting projections in and around the Brisbane Powerhouse,” she said.

Murray Galbraith, Co-founder and CEO of Myriad, said the opening night was the perfect way to capitalise on Queensland’s vibrant ingenuity.

“In Australia, we are leading the way in innovation and have much to share with Queenslanders, our interstate guests and international visitors. We have set out to unlock the infinite cultural and economic value across the Asia-Pacific,” he said. 

“Given Queensland’s strong innovation agenda, this is the perfect home to embark on this journey.

“Myriad isn’t just about the next two days, it’s more about the connections made and where these will take people, and this is the exciting part,” he said.

The event is being delivered by Myriad Technology Conferences in partnership with Advance Queensland.

Myriad continues over the next two days at the Brisbane Powerhouse. More information is available at www.advance.qld.gov.au

ENDS

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