On the Day
Wednesday 1st May, 2024
The Forum is on Wednesday 1 st May, 2024. Registration opens at 8.00am (along with your complimentary fresh barista coffee and a muffin – be sure to be early to make sure you get your coffee). Introductions begin at 8.45am in the main hall.
Northam Town Hall
The Forum is being held at the Northam Town Hall, 83 Wellington St E, Northam WA 6401. Ample parking is available off Duke Street behind the hall. The coffee van will be located out the front of the hall on Wellington Street, and a voucher for your complimentary coffee will be inside your lanyard pouch.
The CBH Wheatbelt Futures Forum is a value-packed one day event that brings Wheatbelt businesses, local government, and government representatives together to focus on 2024 – 2025 business opportunities. The event is industry focused, with brief 15-minute presentations from delegates representing a range of Wheatbelt industries, networking throughout the day, and a panel discussion with state and federal government representatives on policy and business opportunities in the region. We aim for attendees to walk away with an informed plan on how they can operate their business in the current economic climate and take advantage of the opportunities that may present themselves in the 2024-25 financial year.
Registrations
Registrations and coffee will commence from 8.00am at the front of the Lesser Hall – look for the signs. We ask that you register first, where you will receive your welcome pack and lanyard which includes your coffee voucher for a professional barista coffee from the van parked in front of the Town Hall. The coffee van will also be available at the morning tea break is you miss the opportunity to receive one before the first session starts.
Enter the Exhibition Space
Once you're registered, enter the Lesser Hall into the Exhibition Space where you can help yourself to a locally made fresh muffin while you browse the exhibitors and wait for colleagues to arrive.
Into Session One
All presentation and panel sessions will be held in the main hall conference area, accessed from the Exhibition Space. The first session starts promptly at 8.45am with an Acknowledgement of Country, introduction to the Forum and housekeeping for the day. We will then move into 15-minute presentations from: CBH Group; Telstra and NBN Co; Western Power; the Association of Mining and Exploration Companies; and CCIWA. At the conclusion of these presentations, there is a 30-minute window for Q&As from forum attendees to the session speakers. All questions will be submitted through Slido and attendees will have a QR code that they scan to access the app and submit their question. Kitty Prodonovich, our MC, will moderate and ask the questions to the appropriate person.
Morning Tea
We will move into a morning tea break at 10.45am for 30 minutes in the Lesser Hall exhibition area where there will be an area set up at the front with food and beverages. The coffee van will be available at the front to purchase barista coffee – or if you haven’t used the voucher for your complimentary coffee (found in your lanyard), you may use it at morning tea. Our morning tea includes a selection of warm and cold treats to take you into Session Two smiling...
Into Session Two
At 11.10am we will move back into the Town Hall Conference Area and begin session two at 11.15am. In this session we will hear 15-minute presentations from: North Eastern Wheatbelt Travel Association; Urbis; State Workforce Planning, Department of Training and Workforce Development; Department of Home Affairs; and Office of Defence Industry Support. At the completion of these presentations, we will again allow a 30-minute timeslot for Q&As in the same format as the previous session.
Lunch
We will move into lunch at the conclusion of this session at 1.00pm for one hour in the Lesser Hall exhibition space. A gourmet lunch will be served buffet style assisted by our chefs and includes a delectible array of warm dishes of goat, chicken, beef, barramundi and vegetarian dishes, salad, and an italian dessert. A spread to remember!
Session Three & Parliamentary Panel
At 2.05pm, we will hear from the speakers from the Wheatbelt Development Commission and the Small Business Development Corporation, who will then join the Parliamentary Panel for the final Q&A session. This year we will be using Slido for attendees to submit their questions on their phones. The audience will have the opportunity to vote on submitted questions to bump them up the list. Kitty Prodonovich, our MC, will then refer the questions to the panel for discussion.
Conclusion & Sundowner
At the conclusion of the Parliamentary Panel, our gracious MC Kitty Prodonovich will wrap up the Forum at 4pm. The Rec Hotel Northam have generously provided their venue for participants to gather to further network if they wish. There is a welcome drink on arrival and the voucher for this is in your lanyard.
Our Exhibitors
Be sure to take the opportunity during the breaks to have a chat with our exhibitors in that space. More information can be found on these exhibitors in our Business section on this website.