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8th TCI Oceania Conference

4-6 May 2022, Cairns, Qld

Spanning three days, the 2022 TCI Oceania Conference, ‘Clustering for Scale – Sharing Best Practice’, will provide a forum for a range of Australian cluster case studies. The conference will have a practical focus, relating the learnings of these case studies to scaleable opportunities for participants.

The eighth gathering of members of TCI’s Oceania Chapter will be held in Cairns, in tropical Far North Queensland.

Attendees will have the opportunity to join a day trip to the outer Great Barrier Reef to learn about the clusters and the innovation ecosystems of Tropical North Queensland; and to visit local clusters across an array of industries, including the Far North Queensland (FNQ) Food Incubator.

According to CRC partner Food Innovation Australia Ltd (FIAL), ‘This will be a highly interactive learning opportunity as participants uncover how clusters help to achieve scale and global competitiveness’.

“Our exciting line-up of speakers from Denmark, New Zealand and Australia will share how to build cluster capability and capacity for scale and competitiveness… [and] explore the magic of how many working together can achieve success,” says FIAL Managing Director Dr Mirjana Prica, who chairs TCI’s Oceania Chapter.

“Join us in Cairns to hear how the power of collaboration can create economies of scale across knowledge, resources, motivation and relationships.”

The event is supported by the Commonwealth Food and Agribusiness Growth Centre (FIAL), and by the Industry Growth Centres of Nera and Mets Ignited.

Conference agenda

Day 1 will be an ‘adventure’ on the reef, sharing case studies and learnings, followed by a welcome cocktail function, held poolside at the conference venue, Novotel Cairns Oasis Resort, from 6pm.

Day 2 is a full day’s conference with keynote presentations and focused panel discussions, including leading cluster practitioners from across Australia and the world.

Day 3’s facilitated workshop, ‘Amplifying Cluster Impact by Design’, is led by design thinking expert Dr Sam Bucolo, Executive Chair of the Australian Design Council, who’ll show how design-led thinking can be used to achieve cluster growth. It takes place from 9.30-11.30am.

View the full event program and speaker line-up.

What is TCI Network?

Founded in 1998, The Competitiveness Institute (TCI) Network is the leading global network for people and organisations working in clusters and innovation ecosystems worldwide. It creates global connections, inspires clusters and improves policy learning. TCI Network is a non-profit, non-governmental organisation open to members from all continents. The CRC is a member of TCI Network.

What are clusters?

According to Harvard School of Business professor and thought leader Michael E Porter, whose work on specialist industry clusters and their role in securing the competitive advantage of nations was the inspiration for the cluster movement: “A cluster is a geographical proximate group of interconnected companies and associated institutions in a particular field, linked by commonalities and externalities.”

Cluster theory is based on the notion that specialised industry clusters possess certain characteristics, and that these contribute to greater innovation, growth and competitiveness in the firms and regions involved.

More information and registration

For general inquiries about TCI Oceania Conference 2022 or for further information about speakers, sponsors and tickets, contact info@fial.com.au or +61 447 217 096. For more information about the TCI 2022 Oceania Conference, visit the event website.

Tickets to the event can be purchased from Eventbrite here.