Building a FinTech Festival...

Had you told me a year ago, in the midst of producing the first Collab/Collide Summit for FinTech Australia, that we would now be about to launch Australia's first FinTech Festival, I would have said you were crazy...

But here we are!

The Early Bird Price ends TODAY, Fri 29 Sept, so head to website and book now!

Thanks to the fast growth of the fintech industry in Australia, the support of FinTech Australia, amazing organising partners (Next Money, York Butter Factory, FinTech Victoria and Stone & Chalk) and the presenting partner, the Victorian Government, we have put together 7 days of events for Intersekt that culminate in the 2nd annual 2-day Collab/Collide Summit!

In order to build an amazing Summit this year I thought about why people decide to attend conferences. It usually comes down to two things: The agenda and the networking opportunities. (Unless it's somewhere exciting, then who cares about agendas.)

The Intersekt FinTech Festival has had a light version of the Collab/Collide agenda up on the website for some time. I'm very pleased to share, as of today, the light version has been beefed up and is really impressive (if I don’t say so myself). If you've been waiting to see some more details on sessions or speaker details before registering, head on over to the Intersekt site and peruse the session list now.

We'll continue to add even more speakers and sessions to to the current program. Just think of it as adding more goodness!

This year, there will multiple days of events plus several different tracks and subject matters at Collab/Collide customised to the ever-widening swath of attendees, including (but not limited to):

• Keynote Addresses: Inspirational speeches that'll light a fire under your butt. From legends of FinTech including Ron Suber, David Birch, Megan Caywood, Clara Durodie, Anthony Thomson and Stephen Ji.
• Ideas & Experiences: Higher level, forward-thinking content about all areas of FinTech that is defining the direction, shape, and pace of change across almost every financial services subsector and sales trends.
• Hacks, Tips & Tricks: Practical, tactical capability and technical sessions that'll leave you with something actionable to take home with you. Even how to build your own digital bank!
• Next Money + Visa Pitchfest: FinTech startups are invited to pitch and promote their business and be in the running to win a spot to pitch in Hong Kong in Feb!
• FinTech Trailblazer Sessions: Short but powerful talks from exciting people leading the way in Australian FinTech that will both challenge and educate
• VIP Events: Executives talk strategy and share how their roles have evolved in the fintech ecosystem and network with our international speakers.
• Showcase Circuit: Corporate leaders and Intersekt partners explore strategies to grow and scale established and incumbent businesses
• NAB Hackathon: NAB is hosting an incredible data sharing SME focused hackathon. The winning team will receive $5,000 and the runner up will win $2,000! (Note: There is an additional cost for this. You can learn more here.)

The Early Bird Price ends TODAY, Fri 29 Sept, so head to website and book now!

You can pick and mix stream sessions that are best for you or if you're attending with colleagues, consider splitting up for a few sessions so you can soak in different sessions and compare notes later. Or just hang out by the Expo and Cafes and ask other people what they learned. Expense the the whole event and call it networking!

We hope to see you in Melbourne for the Collab/Collide Summit, Thurs 2 Nov-Fri 3 Nov or make a week of it and attend everything from Fri 27 Oct-Fri 3 Nov. You'll know you're at the right place when you see the bright red + blue signs. You can't miss it!

(P.S. Have no idea what Intersekt is? Click here to learn all about the event. Or, if you prefer the tl;dr version: It's Australia’s first FinTech Festival, hosted in Melbourne by the Victorian Government, FinTech Australia, Next Money, York Butter Factory, FinTech Victoria and Stone and Chalk, with lots of intelligent speakers and attendees from all over the world. You should come.)

The nitty gritty…

Collab/Collide Summit is taking place on Thurs 2-Fri 3 Nov at MCEC.

Australia’s first FInTech Festival - INTERSEKT - 27 Oct to 3 Nov in Melbourne.

Intersekt FinTech Festival, presented by The Victorian Government, culminates in the two-day Collab/Collide Summit Thurs Nov 2 - Fri Nov 3, where the biggest fintech issues in Australia and abroad will be discussed by a range of eminent domestic and international speakers.

The week of fintech events also includes; Visa Pitchfest, NAB Hackathon, Startup Vic Reverse Pitch, Masterclasses plus numerous Networking opportunities.

What Intersekt can do for you

The aim of Intersekt is to provide content and context for fintech in Australia and to fully explore and understand the nuances of the fintech debate that is hitting its highest cadence right now.

The Early Bird Price ends TODAY, Fri 29 Sept, so head to website and book now!