It is 30 years since Jim Ellis first imagined INCITE to showcase and celebrate technology innovation in WA. Since then, INCITE has extended its reach and impact, providing pathways to national and international awards to spread the word of WA Tech success far and wide.
Last year, the 29th Lateral INCITE Awards rapidly pivoted online to deliver our annual Awards to showcase & celebrate WA Tech sector innovation.
Given the world we now work & live in, the INCITE Awards Committee has made the decision to continue this trend and host the 2021 INCITE Awards online in early July 2021.
When designing this year’s special event, we asked previous INCITE nominees and winners for feedback on the value that INCITE offers and how we might improve this year’s event.
Here’s a snapshot of what they said;
| Our nominees said that they… | And so we intend to.. |
| Liked access to investors especially international investors as we saw in 2020’s online awards- they want to see more | Increase investor engagement, locally, interstate, internationally |
| Liked the recognition locally and the pathway to national and international awards, especially marketing mentions | Maintain & strengthen engagement with the National iAwards (AIIA) for cross-marketingIncrease our marketing effort and use the power of our extended ecosystem |
| Liked being able to acknowledge & celebrate the hard work of their teams in developing their innovative product, service, project or research | Encourage team celebrations during the digital event. Create digital ‘spotlights’ on team members |
| Valued the coaching to pitch the value proposition of their nomination to a judging panel of experienced and respected individuals in WA’s technology sector | Increase coaching and support offered to nominees and finalists via a team of experienced Ambassadors |
| Finalists valued receiving digital video production which they continue to use today to promote their products & services | Increase focus on digital content including videos and interviews and enable digital interaction in a digital conference style event. |
| Liked celebrating together with support of our Minister and State Government agencies | Covid-permitting we will celebrate in person, albeit, in a smaller group |
| Liked networking with sponsors and other attendees- some new relationships resulted in employment opportunities- wanted more time to network | Move away from a formal dinner to a cocktail style event to facilitate more networking. |
The vision for the 30th INCITE Awards 2021 is:
To host a digital celebration that reaches across Australia and around the world to showcase WA’s Tech sector, in collaboration with partners across public, private & social sectors.
Our goals are to;
- Showcase WA Tech industry in collaboration with key partners and investors
- Enable Award pathways nationally and internationally
- Connect WA’s Tech Community to a local, national & global audience of investors
- Create a digital interactive experience with impact
- Celebrate 30 years of INCITE awards and our amazing volunteers
Key features of the 30th INCITE Awards event program
- We have designed an online Digital Conference to allow each finalist to present their nominations and provide direct interaction with conference participants such as investors, vendors and potential future customers.
- We are extending our audience reach beyond WA’s borders across Australia and out to a global audience, who are interested in WA’s Tech sector.
- The Digital conference will include pre-recorded video pitches and interviews that nominees take with them afterward. We will also host panel chats with our Ambassadors and sponsors about the future of technology for WA.
- If Covid restrictions permit, we will celebrate in person and in style at an Awards ceremony, albeit on a smaller scale and likely with a cocktail style event to maximise networking opportunities. The decision about the in-person event will be taken closer to the time.
- This year sees an increased focus on leveraging the strength of our collective networks via a team of high profile Ambassadors
- We are also seeing more collaboration with Partners including WAITTA Alliance members. More to follow as we develop the Partnerships program.
About the team
This year’s 30th anniversary event is designed as a Digital Program delivered by a team that is diverse in skills, ethnicity, gender, geography and age, to represent the diversity of WA’s tech sector.
You can meet the 30th INCITE Awards team here.
We hope this sneak peek will get you as excited about the 30th year milestone that we are all celebrating this year within our WA tech sector and beyond!
Watch this space as the INCITE Awards Committee provide updates and a final event design for the 30th Awards.
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