Big wave surfer Mark Visser, known for conquering walls of water in the dark, is headlining a festival on the Sunshine Coast for business people keen to take the plunge.
The region’s flagship entrepreneur festival, FWD>>>FEST 25, is back from May 7–9, bringing together entrepreneurs, industry leaders, investors, policymakers, creatives and corporates.
Sunshine Coast Mayor Rosanna Natoli said the event would be held across three days at Bokarina’s Venue 114, Maroochydore’s Altitude 9 and Mooloolaba’s Pier 33.
Mayor Natoli said the festival would appeal to everyone from first-time founders to seasoned business owners.
“Typically, events of this calibre are hosted in capital cities, but thanks to our thriving technology and innovation ecosystem, the Sunshine Coast is the perfect venue for FWD>>>FEST 25,” she said.
Mayor Natoli said in fitting in with this year’s festival theme of Riding the Wave, Mr Visser, renown for being the first person to surf Hawaii’s most dangerous wave, Jaws, at night, would be a keynote speaker.
Mr Visser, who is also an author and high-performance mindset coach to elite athletes and business leaders, said he was eager to share his strategies on embracing uncertainty and overcoming challenges.
“Entrepreneurship demands more than just ideas. It requires the courage to embrace uncertainty and the mindset to turn obstacles into opportunities,” he said.
“At FWD>>>FEST 25, I’ll share the strategies I’ve used to face extreme challenges head-on, helping innovators unlock focus, resilience and the mental strength needed to thrive in business and beyond.”
Festival Chair Craig Josic said the festival had grown into a nationally-recognised regional innovation event.
“The festival is now a national event thanks to the support of a thriving local ecosystem and forward-thinking government and industry partners,” Mr Josic said.
“FWD>>>FEST is about action, not just ideas. It’s where the innovation ecosystem comes together presenting collaborative opportunities that can change the trajectory of your venture.”
Other Festival highlights include:
- Keynote from Circle Leadership founder Dave Clare on how to make a real difference, not just be the best in the world, but the best for the world.
- Lunch and Learn with Daniel Flynn, co-founder of Thankyou. Daniel will share his insights on building a sustainable social enterprise and challenging conventional business models.
- The Innovation Showcase, spotlighting groundbreaking startups and emerging technologies from across the region and beyond.
- A live Procurement Pitch Session, where businesses pitch directly to enterprise and government buyers.
- Curated sessions, expert-led panels and interactive masterclasses on topics such as capital raising, artificial intelligence, sustainability and business expansion.
- Networking activations designed to foster meaningful connections among founders, funders and collaborators.
- Opportunities to meet corporates, investors, government, creatives and community enablers.
