STAFF WRITERS
THE 2024 Latrobe City Business Festival will be celebrated over the next couple of weeks until Thursday, August 29, with a program of workshops and events.
The festival provides the local business community with the opportunity to hear from thought leaders, engage in knowledge sharing, upskilling and valuable networking opportunities. It is a celebration of the important role business plays not only in the local economy, but the broader community.
This year’s festival marks more than 10 years of Latrobe City Council being involved, and promotes the theme of ‘Strengthening Regional Growth Through Connections’.
The festival was launched last week (Tuesday, August 6) with the Rediscover Your Mojo workshop, hosted by Kerryn Vaughan, an international author and podcaster. Kerryn’s award-winning book, Magnificent Kids!, inspired the creation of One Planet Classrooms, a global organisation that delivers clean water solutions to African schools and communities.
Tomorrow (August 15), Latrobe City will welcome The Imperfects, an Australian podcast with more than eight million downloads to the Gippsland Performing Arts Centre for a live show. Hosted by The Resilience Project founder, Hugh van Cuylenburg, his brother Josh van Cuylenburg, and comedian Ryan Shelton, the trio embrace vulnerability and imperfection with laughter and connection.
This is followed up with the C3 – It’s all about Connection event on Friday (August 16), presented by John Calabro, founder of the Traralgon-based brand design agency, The View From Here.
This one-day event brings business leaders and entrepreneurs from Gippsland and Melbourne together to foster connections and drive regional growth.
The day includes multiple networking opportunities and two keynote speeches – the first by Gippsland entrepreneurial success story, Andy McCarthy, founder of Gippsland Solar, the second by a powerful force of positivity, Victor Perton, chief executive and Chief Optimism Officer at The Centre for Optimism.
Latrobe City Mayor, Darren Howe said the festival was an instrumental event for local business people interested in upskilling, growth-building and networking, and would strengthen the incredible business community that exists in Latrobe City.
“There are over 4800 businesses operating in Latrobe City, driving economic growth and supporting our local community,” he said.
“They play a crucial role in the growth, strength, and stability of our region, and they are embedded in our landscape and our culture.
“This festival is about acknowledging our hardworking local business community, and ensuring they continue to thrive, through bringing new opportunities to the region that will have a positive and tangible impact on their lives and aspirations.”
Other program events include an Innovation Breakfast Series, Live Podcast at the Collective Co Space, Business Burnout Session with the Latrobe City Business Chamber, and an AI for Small Business Workshop with Start-up Gippsland.
To find out more or buy tickets to an event, explore the Business Festival page on Visit Latrobe City’s website here: latrobecity.com.au/work/businessfestival
