Priority One is excited to be bringing you the DayBreak Festival of Innovation, a reimagination of the Groundswell Festival, on 7^th and 8^th of March.

This is a major undertaking, with over 30 organisations from around the region collaborating in its design and delivery. In this article we are taking a little time to explain what DayBreak is, why we see this as something important from the perspective of our regional economy, and why you should get involved.

Participants in the DTX, Groundswell 2017

So, why a Festival of Innovation?

The DayBreak Festival represents a major strategic initiative for Priority One and is part of our innovation work programme.

“A key feature driving highly innovative cities and regions is the flow of knowledge that happens through people connecting, moving and building relationships and networks” says Shane Stuart, Innovation Manager for Priority One, “and so we have a focus on finding ways for these kinds of flows, in a manner that works for our region.”

DayBreak is one of a portfolio of Priority One initiatives aimed at enhancing the Western Bay’s regional innovation ecosystem, with a distinctive goal of bringing together a broad range of perspectives and interests in innovation.

Out of the Box Breakfast, Groundswell 2019 (at Tauranga Art Gallery)

How will DayBreak work?

This first iteration of DayBreak will consist of three events including a two-day innovation summit on March 7^th and 8^th 2024, an evening celebration and a range of community events based in and around Tauranga’s CBD.

The design of DayBreak’s programme reflects the goal of creating new opportunities for people to learn and connect. “Our theme for this event is the practice of innovation as a unifying interest” says Shane. “That is, learning from each other about how to do new stuff that delivers benefits, across many different types of organisations and projects.”

There are sessions featuring science, tech, marketing and communications, Mātauranga, facilitation, project management, investment, creative arts and more. Participants can choose to focus on an area of interest or extend into different skills and sectors, potentially learning something new to incorporate into their work.

“We’ve worked hard to reduce the barriers for people and organisations” says Melissa Conrad, GM Communications for Priority One “Our tickets are incredible value, and are transferable, so if time is an issue, then you can share a ticket between two or more people.”

DayBreak is also supporting a number of related events outside the two-day Summit. This is the Community Programme, and it includes six free or minimal charge sessions for general audiences including AI, Marine Science, Robotics, Entrepreneurship, and Design Thinking.

Why should you get involved?

The DayBreak value proposition is simple: offering you and your team amazing value, high quality professional development and networking, right here in Tauranga. If you’re looking to improve your effectiveness in doing new things or grow your connections with other people and organisations around the region, you won’t find a better opportunity.

This is also your chance to participate in creating the future for an innovation festival in our region. DayBreak 2024 is a prototype; yes we want it to be awesome for everyone who comes along, but it’s also a live experiment where we will be engaging people in what this festival could be in the future.

We’d particularly like to acknowledge our funders and sponsors who have made DayBreak – Festival of Innovation possible:

• Tauranga City Council, TechStep, Tauranga Western Bay Community Events Fund
• Aurecon, Craigs, LawVu, Sharpe Tuhope, Trimax, Zespri.

DayBreak 2024: it’s a new dawn, a fresh start and we’d love to see you there! For more information about what’s on offer, check out the DayBreak programme. And grab your tickets now before they sell out!