Sydney event set to explore sustainability and smart tech

WORKTECH Sydney 2024 will be the first major external conference to be held at ILUMINA, a new state-of-the-art meeting and event venue in Martin Place which opens this autumn.

Taking place on 13 September 2024 and chaired by long-time WORKTECH collaborator Dr Kirsten Brown, the conference will comprise of a full day of inspiring keynote presentations, expert panel discussions and peer-to-peer conversations, ending with a ‘Workplace Mixer’ on the 10^th Floor terrace of the venue.

The scene in Sydney is perfectly poised to explore the future of work. As discussed in WORKTECH Academy’s first Trend Report of 2024, which looked at six major cities on the frontline of the future of work, Sydney has been struggling to regain momentum following the pandemic, but the increasing footfall afor cultural experiences points towards a brighter workplace future.

Our research found that overwhelmingly, Sydney is looking to mixed-use assets to provide answers to the problem of empty office space. Increased amenities and coworking facilities are forming a core part of an emerging workplace offer. At the WORKTECH Sydney conference, experts are set to explore these trends, delving deeper into Sydney’s interest in mixed experience developments and sustainability initiatives.

Sydney sessions to look out for

The conference will be expertly chaired by Dr Kirsten Brown, an experienced workplace strategist and wellbeing consultant with a PhD in health in the workplace.

On the theme of sustainability, a talk by Alex Jory, Technology Consultant at Vega Global Australia, will reimagine sustainable technology, exploring its impact on ESG (Environmental, Social and Governance) goals. He is set to explore how selecting the right systems can reduce unnecessary waste, ensure ease of use, and increase the lifespan of technology investments. In considering strategies to achieve improved user experience and reduced support requirements, the session will delve into technology investments that are made with good intent but are poorly executed.

The theme of technology will continue in a talk that focuses on the impact of wellness-oriented technology on workplace and team outcomes. Flying in from China, co-founder and COO at 9AM Inc, Elaine Huang, is an entrepreneur renowned for her innovative approach to creating intelligent workspaces that prioritise wellness and efficiency through AIoT technology.

Artificial Intelligence of Things

What is AIoT? Artificial Intelligence of Things (AIoT) is the combination of artificial intelligence technologies and the internet of things infrastructure. Its goal is to create more efficient IoT operations, improve human-machine interactions and enhance data management and analytics. Elaine’s session at WORKTECH Sydney will use the latest research, global case studies and expert insights to explore whether wellness-oriented initiatives and tools truly enhance team productivity.

The conference will also hear from Daniel Rowe of Sennheiser as he explores how his company’s innovations empower modern workspaces and pave the ways for future innovative ways of working in his session: ‘Cutting the Cord: Unleashing the potential in an untethered workplace’. In a session entitled ‘Brewing a sustainable workplace’, Chelsea Tahau of BrewHub will look at the impact of food and drink offers in the workplace.

Placemaking at Melbourne

The WORKTECH Sydney 2024 conference follows the WORKTECH Melbourne event held earlier this year at ANZ Docklands on 26 March. The Melbourne meet-up not only prefigured some of Sydney’s conference themes but also looked at placemaking as well as the art of designing and managing public spaces, which have become increasingly important in shaping the future of work.

The Melbourne conference highlighted the importance of creating vibrant, inclusive and sustainable work environments that contribute to the overall wellbeing of employees and the community. It kicked off with a hybrid session with Marnix Mali, Director of Real Estate and Workspace at Booking.com, who joined live from Amsterdam.

Mali delved into Booking.com’s ambitious goal of creating a healthy, happy and productive workspace for its 11,000 global colleagues. Through data-driven approaches and real-time experiments, Booking.com has crafted a workplace that enhances human connections and fosters a vibrant culture.

Rubik’s Cube of work

The conference then shifted its focus to the impact of technology on the future of work. Arjun Kaicker from Zaha Hadid Architects discussed the role of AI in workplace design – which raised many questions from audience members, who challenged some of the solutions generated and their biases. While Elly Dalziel from Mirvac launched a new report produced in collaboration with WORKTECH Academy, exploring AI’s future impact on work, Sally Campbell, principal at BVN, gave a history lesson on the corporate campus, contextualising the setting and opportunities for the future.

Professor Eduard Hovy from Melbourne Connect explored innovative approaches to workplace design and fostering innovation hubs, and Dr Agustin Chevez rounded things off by discussing the changing nature of work locations post-pandemic – using his ‘Rubik’s Cube of work’ to urge us to rethink our approach to solving it.

Find out more about WORKTECH Sydney 2024  here.