GPG Circular Economy Showcase and Q&A | RMIT Activator

Celebrate Circular Innovation Within Regional Victoria!

Get ready for an evening of big ideas, bold solutions, and inspiring stories! RMIT Activator and GPG are bringing together some of the region’s most exciting circular economy entrepreneurs — and you’re invited to meet them.

Join us to hear how five visionary founders are turning waste into wonder, connecting communities, and creating real impact across Victoria. Plus, get a sneak peek at what’s next for regional innovation and enjoy relaxed networking over refreshments.

• Reimaginarium (Bannockburn) - Ryan turns discarded guitars into one-of-a-kind Bluetooth speakers, where rock-and-roll meets zero-waste design.

• Virtual CC (Castlemaine) - Paul had built a digital platform that connects over-55s in regional towns with meaningful, flexible work.

• Chamari (Warrnambool)- Former chef Charmari bringing a taste of Sri Lanka to local produce with hand-crafted sauces and chutneys.

• Wyld Work (Port Arlington) - Rebecca delivers therapeutic horticulture workshops that nurture community connection and ecological wellbeing.

• Farm to Ferment (Melbourne/Regional VIC) - Patrick revives ancient food traditions through immersive fermenting workshops that fight food waste and build resilience.

Sneak Peek: What’s Next for Regional Innovation

Be the first to hear what’s next! We’ll also be unveiling our next Accelerator program theme, focused on regional tourism, creativity, and events — and we’ve invited industry leaders to spark the conversation:

• Katrina Nitschke – Deputy CEO/Chief Museums Officer, Sovereign Hills Museums Association

  Katrina is a cultural/tourism sector executive with more than 20 years leadership experience, including previous roles at the South Australian Museum and the Botanic Gardens of South Australia. Since 2019, she has led the Content and Engagement department at Sovereign Hill Museums Association, a place connecting people to stories of our past to help shape a better future.

• Joel Chadwick – Executive Manager Visitor Economy, Tourism Midwest Victoria + Chair of Australian Regional Tourism Ltd
  Joel is a visitor economy specialist with Tourism Midwest Victoria which supports visitation to the City of Ballarat, and the shires of Pyrenees, Moorabool, Golden Plains (south of Ballarat to Rokewood) and Hepburn (Creswick and Clunes). He is also Chair of Australian Regional Tourism Ltd (ART) - the peak body that represents regional tourism practitioners, functioning as a hub for collaboration, cooperation, ideas generation, knowledge sharing, networking and more.

• Sita Sargeant – Founder and CEO of She Shapes History

  Founder and CEO of She Shapes History, a social enterprise on a mission to build more respect and recognition for women’s contributions, historically and today, by making women’s history easy to engage with, remember, and share. Sita wants us to talk about women’s achievements with the same reverence and regularity that we talk about men’s. She Shapes History is doing this by meeting people where they’re at — through walking tours, events, social media, strategic partnerships, a podcast (coming soon!), and a book.

• Bernhard Tschirren – Co-founded Rome2Rio
  Bernhard is a tech pioneer with a passion for smart, sustainable tourism. He is an experienced software developer. He spent five years as an senior engineer at Microsoft working on Visual Studio, helping build the tools we use every day. Prior to that he spent seven years at TriniTeq, helping it grow from small startup into a global company.

Why Attend?

• Discover practical circular-economy solutions being built in your backyard.

• Meet like-minded entrepreneurs, investors, and community leaders.

• Be first to hear about the Tourism, Creativity & Events Accelerator program launching soon.

Book your tickets today and step into the future of sustainable innovation.

Please note that this is an in-person event and will not be streamed online.