Brisbane has just hosted its second Myriad festival, where 2500 participants joined over 100 speakers from Australia and beyond to hear stories of ideation, success, and technology.
I had the privilege of sharing the Icon story with delegates on Friday, and arrived to find the Royal Convention Centre buzzing with people and energy. Unfortunately I’d been nursing an ulcerated vocal chord issue which meant I had to save what little voice I had for my presentation, so hadn’t been able to attend the broader event and take full advantage of the learnings and insights on offer from the many world class speakers in attendance. What I did see though convinced me that this was a significant event for Brisbane and Queensland.
There were students from many different universities in attendance, and after a conversation post my presentation with the Bond Uni delegation I couldn’t help but reflect on what an incredible learning opportunity the event was creating. The chance to hear such a diverse range of real life stories in such a concentrated time window delivered students invaluable lessons as they prepare to forge their own paths in life and business.
The feedback about the event from the international speakers I had the chance to chat with was great, and they were really impressed with the energy and engagement the event delivered. Events like this are crucial to highlight the opportunities that exist in Brisbane, and to attract and retain world class investment and talent to the city and state.
Stuart and I, along with the other founders of the Icon Cancer Care and ROC businesses within Icon Group, are all too aware that Queensland has the talent and the resources to build globally relevant significant businesses – we’ve lived that story for the past 20 years since making the decision to relocate our then fledgling pharmacy to base here in 1998.
In the past two weeks alone Icon Group has hosted delegations from Vietnam and Brazil, who have travelled to look at some of the world leading initiatives in cancer care that have been developed right here in Brisbane. Events like Myriad help the next generation of Queensland entrepreneurs create the businesses that will go on to play their role on the world stage, and the organisers are to be congratulated for the opportunities they have created and the introductions they have facilitated.
Enjoying dinner and the views at Stokehouse Q with our Vietnamese guests