About the DIF
What is the DIF?
The Digital Innovation Festival - or DIF - showcases and celebrates excellence across the Victorian digital and tech ecosystem.
The DIF brings together and promotes a range of digital innovation and technology events across the State. We invite international and interstate visitors to discover digital Victoria and Melbourne, Australia?s top ?tech city? offering the infrastructure, business environment, talent pool and lifestyle.
Festival goals
Celebration
DIF provides a platform to celebrate technology and the ?Victorian Difference?. It connects local businesses, entrepreneurs, researchers, students, community groups and government across the State, highlighting the difference they make through digital innovation. It confirms Victoria's position as the innovation and technology centre for Australia.
Inclusion & Growth
DIF deliberately reaches out to individuals and businesses in all sectors across regional and metro Victoria to stimulate positive and productive engagement with technology.
Advanced Capability
DIF encourages interaction between research and business and startup communities, it values thought leadership and looks to the future as it supports the local development of, and interest in, broad and advanced technology capability.
International Engagement
DIF actively engages international tech communities and creates an environment that attracts international events and investment and trade visitors.
Core values
Collaboration Do more in partnership than we can do individually
Diversity Ecosystem thrives on diversity of gender and ideas
Innovation New ideas, processes or products lead to positive change and effect productivity or lifestyle
Creativity Capability of conceiving something original or new through a solutions focused lens
How can I make the DIF?
The Digital Innovation Festival ? or DIF ? is seeking out excellence across the digital community and tech sector to host events that reflect the difference digital innovation delivers for business and society.
The DIF harnesses knowledge to create change for business, society and individuals. It is about contributing, collaborating, connecting and celebrating ? making the DIF.
Contribute
Innovation thrives on diversity of ideas and people so everyone is invited to contribute. The DIF is an open call to our tech community across the state.
Organisations to host events and speakers to share their passion for all things digital. Venues range from coworking spaces to corporate HQs - everywhere digital innovation happens.
Collaborate
Creating compelling experiences around what digital innovation means is the challenge. The DIF program is co-created as we can do more in partnership than individually.
Events are the main vehicle to deliver content, share expertise, debate the latest trends or to learn new skills in a hands-on workshop ? whatever skill level area of interest, or stage of your journey.
Connect
The DIF provides a platform to connect with new ideas and different people in unique places. Innovation is often the result of chance connections that lead to change and improve productivity or lifestyle.
The DIF provides ample opportunity to mix it up. Everyone's DIF experience will be different, so why not try something new.
Celebrate
The DIF celebrates the success and ?yeah-nahs? that comes with innovation. At the pinnacle are the iAwards that shines a light on Australia's innovators.
Melbourne?s vibrant Meetup scene has events every night with tech leaders, startups and entrepreneurs pitching. The DIF celebrates this boldness and brilliance - the 'Victorian difference'.
The DIF is for everyone
The DIF is inclusive, whether you are a digital innovation novice or someone considered an expert in their field, it embraces a collaborative learning and contributory mindset across the entire community. The outcome being the growth of the digital economy, creation of jobs and the acceleration of future industries across our major sectors.
| PEOPLE | EVENTS | NETWORKS | IDEAS |
|---|---|---|---|
|
Leaders |
Showcase |
Associations |
AI and ethics |
How can I get involved?
The DIF provides an opportunity for people to be involved in a variety of ways.
Registering your interest is your opportunity to contribute and shape this year?s festival program. We are interested in potential event hosts, speaker, partners, sponsors or volunteers. Subscribe for DIF Updates and we'll keep you informed as the program develops.
The DIF Register is an information gathering process that will help the festival organisers connect people and foster collaboration across the ecosystem.
Event Host - You already have an event planned or you want to host an event we invite you to register to be included in the calendar.
Event co-host - You are not quite sure you want to lead an event but would like to collaborate with another organisation as partners.
Speaker - You are keen to share your experience and knowledge and present at a DIF event as a speaker, panellist or MC.
Sponsor - Your organisation is interested in sponsoring the festival or events, through either in-kind or financial support.
Venue - Your organisation has access to a venue you would like to offer to potential event hosts to run their activities. Example venues include coworking spaces, boardrooms, auditoriums and libraries in the CBD, metropolitan Melbourne or regional Victoria.
Volunteer - You are keen to be involved in the actual running of the festival or key events and are able to volunteer your time and expertise. Students are encouraged to be involved.
Audience - You just want to know what?s on the calendar and about any special offers to attend events as an audience member.
Please note that the Department views this form as an opportunity for parties within the digital innovation sector to contribute information based on their knowledge and experience. DEDJTR encourages participation, acknowledging that participation is completely voluntary. You may choose to answer all or some of the questions.
Inside the DIF
Learn about Victoria?s tech entrepreneurs making a difference and the events that make up the DIF.
Magnify World brings international VR / AR expo to Melbourne for DIF 2018
This year and the next will be ?landmark years? for the adoption of augmented reality and virtual reality technology, according to Matt Coleman, the head of innovation for the Magnify World AR and VR expo. Magnify World is coming to Melbourne 24-25 August for DIF.
Melbourne?s #DIF Makes Sure No One is Left Behind
Victoria?s digi-tech innovation events forge industry collaborations and investment, as well as a common drive to make sure no one is left behind in this next gen, digi-revolution...
What's your DIF story?
Do you have an inspirational story to tell? Are you an innovative entrepreneur, a technological genius or a digital natives who lives/works/plays in Victoria? We want to know what's your DIF story...
Binary Shifted
Sometimes a chance meeting can create new connections and lead to big things. In mid-2017, a group of Gippslanders found themselves starting Gippsland?s first startup conference and working together to bring the statewide Digital Innovation Festival to our region...
Events Program
The DIF event program seeks to engage and inspire all elements of the innovation ecosystem. The DIF events program covers the following themes to allow you to navigate the program and create your own DIF experience.
Connect with DIF
If you have any questions on how to get involved in the Festival please contact the DIF team to discuss.
We promote the festival and event partners via a variety of social media and encourage the community to engage online via the below channels. Others will be added.
#DIFvic is the Festival hashtag
DIF tweets under the following Victoria Government accounts
https://twitter.com/businessvic
Website: dif.vic.gov.au