TOWNSVILLE will host some of biggest names in the international entrepreneurial field at the first ever North Queensland Entrepreneurs Conference next month.
The lineup features 12 entrepreneurial speakers, who range from startups from the rural innovation centre in Charters Towers to millionaire and billionaire entrepreneurs.
The all-day event will be held on 8 November.
The line-up includes Hungry Jacks owner and majority shareholder of Dominos, Jack Cowin, and Megan Burton, a serial tech entrepreneur, organic farmer and community bank shareholder, from Atlanta.
Melbourne-based Mumpreneur Catherine Cervasio, founder of Aromababy selling products in Australia, New Zealand and Asia, will also speak, along with marketing and technology entrepreneurs, agricultural app builders and venture capitalists.
The conference is the first all-day event for startups and business owners and host not-for-profit, The World Incubator, hopes it inspires individuals to think differently to see their ideas take off.
“I grew up in Charters Towers and for a short time in Townsville, and I never knew that I could be an entrepreneur,” said Mellissah Smith, founder of international marketing firm, Marketing Eye.
“There was no-one telling me that this was an option. I fell into entrepreneurship and have never looked back.
“The mistakes I have made along the way because I didn’t know all the answers or no-one taught me what to do would make most people give it away, however, it is these lessons and my inherent positive attitude that always kept me moving forward.
“It really has put me in the position where now I can now give back to others through bringing inspiring speakers to Townsville to share their experiences.”
This conference will not only give people insights into what made the speakers successful, but it will also share their failures and how they were overcome.
Ms Smith said the startups from Charters Towers were classic examples of people who had ideas, but hadn’t quite taken the steps to take those ideas to a level of commercialisation.
“One particular startup, a rural farmer, has just built an app that we believe will be an international success overnight,” Ms Smith said.
“This app will save lives and is a no-brainer for everyone to download.”
Another incubator startup is collaborating with new and old technologies into one platform to help farmers and property owners manage their entire properties from one device.
“With unemployment on the rise, it is important that people look at their options and entrepreneurship may just be one of them,” Ms Smith said.
