The Wait is Almost Over:
DIF2023 Festival opens next week! 

Just one week to go until Victoria’s flagship tech festival returns, igniting curiosity and sparking connections among our innovation community. 

From 23 August to 6 September, you can enjoy an exciting mix of in-person, live-streamed and on-demand events.  

Explore Victoria’s thriving digital innovation and tech sector, with over 200 sessions across a range of topics, including online business, future jobs,  emerging technology and digital inclusion. You're also invited to attend events at our DIF Hubs at Cremorne Digital Hub, the ACS in Docklands and at Melbourne Connect in Carlton. 

Love to learn? Join us for our twice-daily DIF Live sessions –  Lunch’n’Learn and the DIF Download – to hear from innovators, thought leaders and creators throughout the festival.  

Dive into the festival with the Opening Day’s AISA Cyber Debate and Women in Emerging Tech conference – lucky there’s a livestream option too! Celebrate, learn and shape the region’s digital future at the Digital Summit in Bendigo, showcasing regional innovation in the Loddon Mallee. 

Entrepreneurs and emerging tech are in focus with the Churchill Club Tech Trends Debate, Pearcey Oration by quantum legend Professor Michelle Simmons and presentation of the Victorian Pearcey Entrepreneur of the Year award. 

Love solving complex problems? Immerse yourself in a Cyber Security Escape Room Experience down at the Cremorne Digital Hub. Or put your VR goggles on for Public Play and discover the opportunities of digital gaming in public libraries. 

If you’d like to claim that you saw the birth of a unicorn, check out the Startup Network’s Founder Connect, which is hosting a special DIF-edition session exploring emerging technology. Or join the next generation showcasing their STEM skills at the Robocup Junior Victorian State Finals. 

Victoria’s xtech strengths are also in the spotlight. The second week is all about fintech with the CBD abuzz with Intersekt/23, Startup Pitch Night and Stone & Chalk Ecosystem events. For those interested in HealthTech, there is Scaling Medtech and MedTech: Melbourne’s Growing Sector, where AI’s impact on healthcare is explored. 

If you enjoy being in a hub of activity, head down to Melbourne Connect Innovation Week – a huge program of 40+ events showcasing Australia's latest innovation discoveries, from AI to biomedical breakthroughs. 

Drop into one of our DIF Hubs but be sure to book your seat - see the program here >>

Image: Startup Victoria Young Founders Pitch Night in DIF2022 held at The Commons Cremorne. Check out their FinTech Pitch Night in DIF2023 hosted with FinTech Australia, held at Zellar in the CBD.