Celebrating Pause Fest
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After 11 years, Pause Fest is coming to an end...for now.
“Pause Fest 2022 is cancelled, indefinitely.”
~ George Hedon, Founder & CEO
Pause Fest holds a very special place in my heart. Invited along by a friend in 2019, I had never been to an event like this before.
Over the few days I was there, I saw some incredible speakers (NASA anyone?!?), explored innovative ideas and met like minded people who wanted to make a meaningful difference.
In truth, I wouldn’t actually be here at Local Peoples writing this article had it not been for Pause Fest. I stumbled across Matters Journal there, got in touch with the Local Peoples team for a collaboration while I was working at a university, and over time have joined the team as a storyteller.
And I’m not the only person with fond memories like this.
Local Peoples have been long time champions and advocates of Pause Fest. So as the curtain falls on 11 years of innovation and creativity, we’re recapping some of our favourite moments and ponder what the city of Melbourne will lose as a result.
Community
“I’m grateful to have had a fantastic volunteer programming team…generous humans who represent the beating heart of the festival.”
~ George Hedon, Founder & CEO
Without a doubt, the Pause Fest community quickly developed into an engaged and supportive group. In his closing letter, Founder George Hedon mentions a particularly special group within the community, the festival volunteers. Ede Strong – Digital Product Owner here at Local Peoples – was one of them.
“I thought volunteering was a great opportunity to get deeper into the Pause Fest experience. Being a volunteer and wearing the yellow Pause Fest t-shirt allows you to spark up conversation with anyone at the festival – from speakers to other attendees.
“I’m still in contact with some of the other people I volunteered with and even catch up occasionally.”
It was this desire for impact that made the Pause Fest community so unique. A city with an already burgeoning start-up scene – supported immensely by organizations like Start Up Victoria and LaunchVic – Pause Fest further elevated and celebrated innovation in Melbourne.
“Pause Fest created a community that was looking to create an impact within the startup and innovation sector. It had such a powerful impact on how people felt about Australian innovation and creativity. Everyone who went knew it was something really special.”
Collaboration
“Our mission was to catalyse the tech industry and bring diverse intelligence together to fuel the next generation forward.”
~ George Hedon, Founder & CEO
Through a unique partnership with Monash University’s Department of Materials, Science and Engineering – Local Peoples had the opportunity to create an interactive exhibition based around the innovative technologies coming out of the department.
The challenge was to develop something that would attract passers-by as well as communicate complex information. We determined an interactive DJ booth with graphene covered elements would create a fun and ‘ear-catching’ entry into Pause Fest.
Come launch day, the exhibition consisted of five startup enterprises, made possible with the help of Monash MSE. It also housed an interactive audio experience that explored future uses of the new material, graphene.
A celebration of innovation and enterprise; Pausefest allowed us to bring the power of materials engineering to life.
Conversation
“I know that passion and creativity can change the world…”
~ George Hedon, Founder & CEO
Before the lights dimmed in an auditorium; on a walk to an exhibition; to the beanbags scattered around Fed Square – the conversations were what made Pause Fest so unique.
In fact, it was out on Fed Square amidst the hustle and bustle of the festival where I met a brilliant woman named Mary. We got chatting and upon finding out that I worked in content, began picking my brains for her own startup idea. Mary told me how she had been talking to various people throughout the festival about it and how their responses were motivating her to bring it to life.
Together with her business partner, they recently launched Sense of Self (SOS) – a communal bath house – the largest and most unique of its kind in Melbourne. They’ve been going from strength to strength ever since.
In truth, I find it serendipitous that a space celebrating connectedness like SOS was in some way propelled into existence by the energy created at Pause Fest.
And as the festival draws to a close, I wonder just how many ideas were given energy, fuel and life throughout the 11 years of its existence. Not just the startup pitches on stage, but the ideas explored over coffee, a meal, or simply through conversation in line for Google’s guest speaker.
But instead of being downcast about Pause Fest’s rather sudden ending, we can look forward with excitement. Although the festival is no more, the creativity; the innovation; the potential for change still exists.
So to the team at Pause, thanks for everything.
You’ve shown us what our city is truly capable of.
