Hunter iF Innovators Lunch | Oct
The Hunter already has the industry. Can it have the rest?
The Hunter was the first region in Australia to choose where it would compete. It still has the mills, the port, the energy system, and the research. Roy Green and John H. Howard argue that none of that turns AI into productivity unless the region also builds the skills, management, and shared facilities to use it. The industry is here, the question is whether the rest will follow.
John Howard and Roy Green’s UTS report, Turning AI into Productivity, draws on 110 innovation ecosystems across 35 countries alongside field visits throughout Europe and the Nordics. The finding is blunt: technology is available everywhere, but the necessary complements are not. Industrial AI lifts output only when combined with operational data, skills, management capability, translation institutes, testbeds, and real industrial demand.
That is a critical question for the Hunter. A decade ago, this region adopted Australia’s first Smart Specialisation Strategy. It retains the port, heavy industry, energy transition assets, university, and research institutes. What it does not yet have, on the report’s own reading of Australian precincts, is a sufficiently thick translation layer, procurement pathways, or systems integration to carry pilots into production.
The lunch is designed as a working conversation: What would it take for the Hunter to be a place where industrial AI lands across steel, energy, manufacturing, health, and aerospace, and what would a coalition of the willing need to build first?
John Howard
Roy Green
Our Friday gatherings aren’t just another business lunch. It’s the official home to meet the region's innovators, movers, and shakers.
Event Schedule
11:45 AM – Doors Open & Registration
12:00 PM – Light Lunch & Pre-Event Connecting (GF & V)
12:30 PM – Official Welcome & Fireside Chat Spotlights
1:30 PM – Q&A & Connections
2:00 PM – Event Concludes
Event Details
Date: Friday, 30 October 2026
Location: I2N Hub Honeysuckle, Level 2, 16B Honeysuckle Drive, Newcastle NSW 2300
Format: Lecture-style seating
Dress Code: Business / Smart Casual
Space is limited to approximately 100 guests, so please register early to secure your seat!
The 2026 Innovators Lunch Series experience is shaping up to be the best kind of chaos—the kind where new ideas and partnerships happen over sandwiches.
Why you need to be there:
Get inspired: Forget the emails for two hours. Come feel the energy of what’s happening in the Hunter right now.
See your mates: Come catch up with the usual suspects.
New in town? If you are new to Newcastle's tech or innovation scene, this is the single fastest way to plug in. Our goal is for you to make 100 new friends, collaborators, or connections in two hours.
Yes, we have incredible speakers from talking about new tech, old tech, impressive projects and small ideas. But mostly? We’re just excited to get everyone in the same room to connect, share and grow together.
Don't be the one hearing about the vibe on Monday morning. Grab a ticket, come grab some lunch, and let's make 2026 the best year ever!
Need a tax invoice for your ticket?