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As the co-founder and group CEO of Right Angle, it’s Barrie Barton’s job to be a forward- thinker. After all, his world-renowned urban innovation company helps landowners and custodians understand how their places and people are changing so they can start planning for the future.
This May, Barrie will be one of the keynote speakers at The Summit, which is part of the WYNnovation Festival. There, he’ll deliver what’s sure to be an insight-packed exploration of the power of human connection in the technology era.
SmartCompany sat down with Barrie to find out what business owners and entrepreneurs can expect from The Summit, and why the festival is a must-attend event for those seeking inspiration, innovation, and new ideas.
The WYNnovation Festival kicks off with the Masterclass on Tuesday 14 May and ends with the grand finale pitch competition on Friday 17 May. The Summit, where Barrie will appear along with Antoinette Lattouf, Nartarsha Johan Lilly Bamblett and Mykel Dixon, takes place on Thursday 16 May.
It’s an exciting line-up of speakers and events, and promises to change the way attendees think about business and community, while firing them up with new energy, enthusiasm, and drive.
This year, the festival’s key themes are human connection, collaboration, and inclusivity. Barrie, who is speaking right after lunch, plans to explore the pros and cons of using technology to foster and facilitate interpersonal relationships.
“Right Angle works in a fast-moving technological industry, which is property development, but I’ve always had a kind of cautious approach to technology,” he says. “I’ve seen it yield so many incredible benefits, but I’ve also seen us unwittingly stumble into these really unfortunate decisions—and you see very socially, economically and culturally desolate places that have been created that way because of the overuse of technology.
“So I think we need to tread very carefully at the moment, harnessing what’s good about technology, but being aware of what’s bad about it, and using it to improve human connection.”
Regardless of what industry they’re in, Barrie says people who attend The Summit can expect to hear some interesting ideas on the role of business in modern society.
“Business is about much more than the income it gains—it’s about how we feel about ourselves and our communities as much as it’s about commerce,” he says. “And I hope that people will get some interesting perspectives on the role of business and community, the role of technology in community, and the importance of maintaining human connection.”
On top of these insights, Barrie says he intends to provide “tangible tactics that people can apply within their businesses to make sure they make the most out of their both to benefit the business and also to help their employees grow and develop.”
He’s also really looking forward to the incidental inspiration and knowledge-swapping potential that will naturally arise from 300+ local business representatives gathering under one roof.
“The composition of business in Wyndham is really diverse because it has a large geographic footprint,” he says. “There’s everything from logistics and industrial businesses all the way into small-scale hospitality and social impact and not-for-profit organisations.”
“Bringing all those people together in its own right is going to be interesting and that’s the kind of collaboration that’s actually really useful in business, I think.”
“It’s certainly been my experience in 18 years that the things I’ve found most helpful have come from outside the industry we work in. So that intersection of different knowledge, expertise and skill is going to be really important.”
The 2024 WYNnovation Festival will inspire positive change. Barrie says.
“Places need to be shaped, and once you shape a place, the place begins to shape the people that live in it,” he says. “I think Wyndham City Council are doing that with this event, and that it’s on a trajectory to be an even more powerful partner in enterprise and place creation, because it’s taking a proactive posture.
“We’re all going to get together and we’re going to trade insights and opportunities and make connections and learn things. And I think that’s really going to help positively shape and define the future of the community by fostering innovation and connection.”
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Wyndham is one of Australia’s fastest growing municipalities – its population is expected to reach 500,000 by 2040. Strategically located midway between the Melbourne CBD and the City of Greater Geelong, Wyndham City is a business and investment destination representing unparalleled opportunity with the scale of its growth and the diverse qualification and skillset of its community. The city is home to more than 32,000 ABN registered businesses, and one of seven national employment and innovation clusters, the Werribee NEIC including East Werribee. Wyndham City Council is hard at work designing precincts, building the infrastructure, developing the policies and delivering the programs that will ensure the City is prepared for the future.
