• Charles Sturt to take part in Victoria’s Digital Innovation Festival for the first time
• Charles Sturt will co-host several partnership events during the festival
• Partnership events include a careers event for school students, workshops on the wine industry, an agribusiness summit and regional agribusiness tours

Charles Sturt University (Charles Sturt) will co-host several partnership events during the 2019 Digital Innovation Festival Victoria (DIFvic).

DIFvic is on from Friday 23 August to Friday 6 September and this is the first year Charles Sturt in Wangaratta will take part in the festival.

The festival aims to facilitate success and growth in Victoria by promoting digital technology innovation to communities and businesses.

Centre manager of the Charles Sturt Wangaratta Regional Study Centre Ms Ilena Young said the University has played a role in bringing DIFvic to Wangaratta and is pleased to be co-hosting several events during the festival.

“DIFvic is a great opportunity for the Wangaratta community to learn more about how digital technologies are used in a variety of different sectors, including how digital technologies can facilitate growth and provide solutions for people in Wangaratta,” Ms Young said.

“The University has partnered with a number of different organisations to co-create several events in Wangaratta for the festival.”

Charles Sturt is sponsoring four DIFvic events in Wangaratta during the second week of the festival.

The first event, The Big Day In IT Careers Conference, is on Wednesday 4 September from 10am to 1.30pm at the Wangaratta Performing Arts Centre and is co-hosted by Charles Sturt, DIFvic and The ACS Foundation.

The event will provide students in Years 9 to 12 with the chance to learn about the technology courses Charles Sturt offers, how the University integrates digital technologies into its courses and how to apply to study at the University.

During the event students will participate in a variety of information sessions on the different careers available in information technology and hear from technology experts from a range of companies.

The second event during DIFvic, Growing the Wine Industry, will be held at the Charles Sturt Wangaratta Regional Study Centre on Thursday 5 September from 9.30am to 3.30pm.  

The active workshop will explore how technology can shape the wine industry of the future in north-east Victoria.

The 2019 Victorian Agribusiness Summit will be held at the Charles Sturt Wangaratta Regional Study Centre on Friday 6 September 2019 from 8.30am to 5pm.

The summit includes presentations from a variety of agribusiness experts over the following four sessions: ‘Clever Agriculture – Smart Food’, ‘Ag Tech for a Sustainable Future’, ‘Navigating Innovative Food Markets’, and ‘The Power of Digital to Unlock Value Add Opportunities’.

A detailed program of the summit is available for download on the Victorian Agribusiness Summit website.

Charles Sturt’s Strategic Adviser of Regional Development the Hon. Fiona Nash will lead a presentation at the summit on what digital opportunities mean for the Wangaratta region.

On Saturday 7 September 2019 two tours exploring agribusiness in north-east Victoria will run, starting at 9am and ending at 4pm.

During the first tour attendees will visit a variety of farm businesses that have added value to their products, enabling paths to local and premium markets.

The second tour explores the latest agricultural technology being used and its practical applications to improve enterprise productivity and sustainability on farms.

Tickets for the summit and the tours are available for purchase online or by contacting Ms Young on 0427 283 101.Tickets for the summit are $121 for adults and $66 for students and include morning tea and lunch, and tickets for the tours are $88 per person and include lunch.

Tickets for the Growing the Wine Industry event are available for purchase on the Eventbrite website and are $30 per person and include lunch and morning tea.