Leading Melbourne innovators are deep in planning for an ambitious "festival of business" they hope will draw the best minds from around the world and evolve into an annual event on a scale the city has never before seen.
"So it's saying: 'Right, Melbourne. What are we going to do to make sure we're playing a role in what the world's economy is starting to look like?' You need an event to focus the mind around that," Mr Howcroft said."People know there's going to be an idea, money, a new design, a new technology – a new something – and if you have a date in the diary, then you [an entrepreneur] can actually point yourself in that direction.
Mr Howcroft hoped to secure an executive from the festival to give a virtual presentation at a lead-in event for The Grid in January next year. Like South by Southwest evolved beyond music, Mr Howcroft hoped The Grid could grow in a way that would incorporate more of Melbourne's arts scene. "I want it to be western suburbs, northern suburbs and yes, the south and east, but it's really important that it's seen as an opportunity for anyone with an idea."