Hunter iF
Advanced Manufacturing Action Summit
THE CONTEXT
The Hunter Innovation Festival is a flagship event in the Hunter Region, which aims to accelerate innovation, develop collaboration, and attract and promote knowledge, resources, and know-how to the Hunter innovation ecosystem.
Leveraging the success of the 2022 Festival, the 2023 edition received great feedback from participants highlighting the need for action following such powerful conversations and connections. In the words of one participant ‘As a Region, we talk a lot, have great ideas, but they don’t seem to go anywhere!’
Hence the idea of an Action Summit was brought to life with the goal of taking learnings and ideas from the Innovation Conference and Roadshow and bringing these to life in the form of tangible pieces of work.
THE BRIEF
Claire was asked to facilitate the Advanced Manufacturing project group which had stakeholders across government, industry and education come together to create a clear direction, plan and tangible next steps for this very important industry sector. Action was the key theme underpinning this requirement - no talk shops, instead looking to clear purpose, what success might look like and how to go about achieving this.
HOW WE APPROACHED THIS WORK
Claire facilitated a session with the regional stakeholders and project lead Heath Raftery at the UON. Whilst there were many strong opinions and threads to be followed, Claire kept bringing people back to what they had in common, what they wanted the Hunter Region to become collectively, and how they might approach this. Themes were explored, opinions were heard and ideas were tabled for the group to connect to or not. Timelines were challenged to ensure a tangible piece of work could be showcased at the following years Conference. It was important to be able to fit this work into already very busy schedules so that people did not lose momentum or commitment.
OUTCOMES
After an involved session, Claire took on board all of the work and summarised this in a clear and succinct document which has been used as a reference point throughout the work.
Claire also facilitated a regroup session to bring people together on what was working, what was not, and how we might stay passionate and keep focusing on the right outcomes and activities, even with the ‘day job’.
This has lead to a change in the rhythms of work, a recharge of peoples efforts and the group are very excited to present progress including impacting youth innovation, connecting with other manufacturing facilities in NSW and identifying opportunities to unpack what future roles in manufacturing might actually look like.
What people thought of our work …..
“It’s been a pleasure to see Claire shine in this domain. The requirements were nebulous, the stakeholders diverse, and the time pressures dynamic! This is where Claire’s expertise really comes into light - she knows how to meet people where they are, set them up for success, and get the conversation moving in a constructive direction. So often in innovation rather than a lack of ideas, you’re faced with overwhelming options and entrenched biases. Claire has a knack for getting people comfortable enough to step outside their safe zone long enough to spot opportunities for progress, and then draw up enough framing to ensure that progress can be maintained. I’m in debt to her skills and it’s an honour to be able to collaborate.”
— Heath Raftery, Engineer and Serial Entrepreneur, Newcastle, NSW
“I have participated in several workshops at which Claire Quigley was facilitator, though none more challenging than the Advanced Manufacturing Action Summit group.
A diverse group of senior leaders from the manufacturing sector, some with conflicting viewpoints on the path forward, and a wicked problem bridging multiple industry sectors, was always going to be a challenge, and Claire managed it with aplomb.
Over the ensuing 9 months, the Advanced Manufacturing Group has built momentum and created impact in the areas of youth participation, career pathways and increased awareness of the opportunities available in the manufacturing sector. Claire has worked closely with Heath Raftery, the Project Lead, to facilitate continued involvement from a diverse group creating genuine and measurable impact in the sector, which is exactly the reason it was created.”