IT’S ALL ABOUT KNOWLEDGE FROM OTHERS – COLLABORATING AND COMMUNICATING.
IDEAS THAT CAN’T BE GOOGLED.
Pause Fest is an annual tech conference held in Melbourne from February 5-7 2020. The content is all about technology, graphic design, the future of technology and the future for us.
There is so much knowledge coming from speakers who have been in the trenches working on these new technologies. The wisdom they have and are willing to share with everyone is truly invaluable – these are things that a simple web search won’t yield for you.

KEYNOTES
From local heroes to global dominators, together on a few stages in half-hour blocks – these people will treat you to a journey through their eyes.
PANELS
At the Pause Fest tech conference, hear from leaders as they discuss, and debate, on the trending topics and conversations from the industry. This is your opportunity to join, absorb, and ask questions of these very knowledgeable people.
MISTAKES AND FAILURES
We all failed at something. Read that again. We all failed at something. Understand and learn from the leaders as they share all the highs and lows from their experiences. We are all human – don’t think for a second that everyone doesn’t fail at some point in time. Sometimes trends move quicker than companies can adjust – sometimes we believe we have come up with the best new flashy thing, and it just doesn’t seem to take off as you’d anticipated. You are not alone, not in the slightest. Remember fidget spinners? They came and went as quickly as the Melbourne weather changes, but in its 15 minutes of fame, it caused a shortage in ball bearings as the world had never seen. The next big thing can cause a huge ripple.
FIRESIDE
There is nothing better than having a front-row seat when two titans collide in one epic journey. Be there to hear it. These speakers will have it all for you.
WALKING TALKS
As long as you can walk and talk, these are the perfect opportunity for you to not only discuss the subject but meet the people involved. Honest answers to real questions – the only chance you will have is if you are there.
CASE STUDIES
Sometimes the best way to learn is through challenges, insights and perspectives. The pure and honest wisdom available on this platform is just incredible.
WORKSHOPS
Hands-on and interactive workshops are the best way to pick up a skill or two. Places are limited to 30 participants, and the workshops run for about 1-2 hours. These places will fill up fast, so get in quickly to avoid disappointment. Tickets are available now, so get in soon before prices rise!
See below for a full list of speakers:
Wayne | Allan | Technical Product Manager | Realestate.com.au |
Galit | Ariel | Founder and immersive space explorer | wondARlands |
Arturo | Arrarte | Head of Growth – Asia Pacific | Slack |
Katy | Barfield | CEO | Yume |
Paul | Bassat | Co-Founder and Partner | Square Peg |
Susie | Bayes | Head of Partnerships and Philanthropy | Guardian Australia |
Michael | Biercuk | CEO & Founder | Q-CTRL |
Kayla | Brizo | Lead Product Manager | Sony Music Ent. |
Nicky | Bryson | Director of Strategy & Insight, PwC & Founder | The Trenches |
Seb | Chan | Chief Experience Officer | ACMI |
Stephenie | Cheng | Product Manager | Netflix |
Kaley | Chu | Author | 100 Lunches |
Trent | Clews-De Castella | CEO | PHORIA |
Bryony | Cole | CEO | The Future of Sex |
Steven | Cornwell | Global Director, Grand Experience | ERA-co |
Nigel | Dalton | Co-Founder | BandGarage |
Athan | Didaskalou | Co-Founder | July |
Didier | Elzinga | Founder and CEO | Culture Amp |
Hugh | Forrest | Chief Programming Officer | SXSW (Live Video) |
Paul | Francis | Global Head of Sport Science | Adidas |
Kate | Freebairn | UX Director | Google Nest |
Rich | Fulcher | UX Director | Google, Material Design |
John | Graham-Cumming | CTO | Cloudflare |
Brian | Green | Character TD | Walt Disney Animation Studios |
Dr Angus | Hervey | Co-Founder & Political Economist | Future Crunch |
Jason | Juma-Ross | Tech Strategy | |
Sungku | Kang | Director of Research and Development | GiantStep |
Manuel | Lawrence | Pedestrian Planner | Arup |
Tammy | Martin | Co-Founder | BandGarage |
Nathan | Musson | Founder | eMoo Media |
Tom | Ogletree | Senior Director of Social Impact and External Affairs | General Assembly |
Miles | Orkin | Chief of Staff | Google Cloud – Apps UX |
Sarah | Owen | Senior Editor | Insight, WGSN |
Dom | Price | Work Futurist | Atlassian |
Dom | Pym | Co-Founder | Up Banking |
Mike | Rigby | VP and Executive Creative Director | R/GA |
Jessica | Ruhfus | Founder | Collabosaurus |
Tim | Ruse | Co-Founder and CEO | Zero Latency |
Mike | Safyan | VP of Launch | Planet Labs Inc. |
Cormac | Sheehan | Founder | Green Planet |
David | Sheldon-Hicks | Cofounder & ECD | Territory Studio |
David | Shing | Digital Prophet | |
Aurelien | Simon | Executive Producer, Emerging Technology | The Mill |
Alastair | Simpson | Head of Design; Platform, Growth, Trello & Confluence | Atlassian |
Barbara | Soalheiro | Founder | MESA |
James | Spenceley | Chairman | Airtasker |
Lucy | Thomas | CEO | PROJECT ROCKIT |
Haraldur | Thorleifsson | CEO & Founder | UENO |
Lisa | Watts | CEO | The Conversation |
Jason | White | Co-Founder & CCO | Leviathan |
Ashleigh | Wilson | QLF Student Services & Community Manager | Coder Academy |
Stephanie | Winkler | Head of Insights | APAC, VICE |
LaDonna | Witmer Willems | Associate Editorial Director | Dropbox Brand Studio |