AgriTech New Zealand

Global Signals with Melissa Clark-Reynolds in Auckland
2022-06-09 09:00 - 16:30 (Pacific/Auckland)
Callaghan Innovation is delighted to invite you to join an in-person Global Signals workshop in Auckland on Thursday 9 June 2022.
Global Signals inform the future of food, agriculture and technology developments. Signals are small, specific, or localised innovations that have the potential to grow. While they aren’t predictions of the future, they may identify trends before they unfold.
During this workshop, Melissa Clark-Reynolds will provide attendees with practical tools allowing them to:

identify global signals relevant for their industry
understand the link between strategy and foresight
identify unwanted futures and how they arise
present and choose alternate and compelling futures

This workshop is for AgriFoodTech companies that want to be competitive on the world stage and is part of Callaghan Innovation’s deliverables for the Agritech Industry Transformation Plan. You can read more about the transformation plan here.

Hort Connections
2022-06-06 - 2022-06-08
Why attend Hort Connections 2022?

Professional Development: Hear from world-class experts on a range of topics including transformative research, global innovations, consumption trends and export development.
Networking: Interact with the largest cohort of industry stakeholders in the horticulture sector.
Recognition: Celebrate the outstanding achievements of horticulture’s National Awards for Excellence 2022.
Trade Show: Grow your connections and supply contacts at the largest trade show in Australian and New Zealand horticulture, with exhibitors from more than 200 industry-leading companies showcasing the latest products and services.

6 – 8 June 2022

Discover South Africa's burgeoning tech sector
2022-06-02 09:00 - 10:30
South Africa offers considerable market opportunities for New Zealand companies

Its tech sector is valued at US$6 billion
The city of Cape Town is a global hub for tech, with a strong culture of innovation, attractive talent pool and government incentives. It is deemed to be a gateway into Africa more broadly
Cape Town has been ranked first in Africa by the Financial Times for economic potential, start-up status and business friendliness. It has 450 tech firms
Pre-COVID-19 progress in tech innovation continues to offer opportunities. Most funding is focused on e-commerce, fintech and clean energy, but healthtech and edtech are emerging sectors with potential for NZ business, as is aviation.

Why attend?

The objective of this event is to provide New Zealand tech companies with high quality, sector-specific business information on the South African tech sector to accelerate their journey to market. The webinar will achieve this by providing a greater understanding of the market’s potential, opportunities and pathways to entry to increase businesses’ chances of success.
It will help new and existing New Zealand businesses to address their pain points, mitigate risk in decision-making, shorten the path to breaking even and increase their profitability.

Key discussion topics:

Tech opportunities in South Africa
Regulatory overview and setting up in the country
Market trends, opportunities, perspectives, entry strategy considerations and actionable insights
NZ business success stories

AgTech Adoption in the California Market
2022-06-02 09:00 - 10:00
The adoption of new technology and products among specialty crops and dairy farms in the United States has been slower than expected even as investments in the AgTech space has seen historic gains.

Farmers are being inundated with technology promising better yields, better data and better farms. There are many examples of companies offering a partial solution that doesn’t fulfil the value proposition promised or a product that hasn’t meet the needs of the customer.

With the necessity to build trust with the customer and the limited availability of time for a farmer to validate your claims, how can a company “cross the chasm” for their technology to enter mainstream in US agriculture?

Why attend?

Join Allan Fetters of AGceleration Advisory Service to learn about:

Reasons for slow adoption on the farm
Examples of companies that have increased adoption of their product in the agriculture space
Pitfalls to avoid when developing and commercializing AgTech
Testing and validation expectations for customers

Speakers

Allan Fetters Principal Consultant | AGceleration Advisory Service

The Emerging Carbon Economy
2022-06-01 - 2022-06-02
What are the opportunities and pitfalls for farmers in the
emerging carbon economy and what can we expect
from regulated and unregulated markets?
This is the key theme that will be explored during the session The Emerging Carbon Economy at the Digital Agrifood Summit 2022 on 1-2 June.
Skye Glenday, chief executive of Climate Friendly, an organisation supporting rural, regional and remote Australians to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and regenerate the landscape through carbon farming, will deliver the keynote presentation.
Following that, Skye will join a panel of expert speakers to explore the ideas and themes in further detail. The panel consists of:

Naomi Wilson, Head of Environment and Sustainability, AACo
Dr Rob Waterworth, Co-Founder & CEO, Mullion Group, FLINTpro
Guy Webb, Co-Founder & Managing Director, SoilCQuest

Moderated by:

Dr Madeline Mitchell, Science Lead, Carbon & Natural Capital, Food Agility

The Future of Farming is here. See it for yourself in Wagga Wagga. Reserve your spot today by following the link below
TOUR THE GLOBAL DIGITAL FARM
With live AgTech demonstrations, including robotic tractors, automated spreaders, sensors and advanced data-driven apps, the Digital Agrifood Summit is where you will see the future of farming in action.
You can book your spot on the tour after purchasing your Digital Agrifood Summit ticket. Spaces are limited, and bookings are filling up, so get in quick to avoid disappointment.
See full agenda

FIRA Open Day 2022
2022-05-13 18:00 - 2022-05-14 08:00
FIRA OPEN DAY 2022 is the opportunity to share knowledge, innovations and experiences with agricultural robotics experts from around the world.
It is also an event dedicated to collaboration and business. By registering, you will find the right information, the good partner, the good suppliers and develop your own project in agricultural robotics. It is also the place to build a worldwide community for promoting and developing the agricultural robotics sector.
Why register for FIRA OPEN DAY 2022?

Free access
Access to the complete virtual event platform and its services
Access to all WORLD FIRA 2021 on demand and FIRA OPEN DAY 2022 content in live
Access to the various thematic workshops
Enjoy networking services to find collaborations and business opportunities

If you have any Enquiries / Questions: contact@fira-agtech.com

Remote sensing – more than meets the eye webinar series
2022-05-03 10:30 - 2022-05-04 15:30
A webinar series exploring new technologies that support future action for our environment.
Manaaki Whenua lead the research and development of remote sensing of the terrestrial environment in New Zealand. Working in this space since the 1970’s, it is no surprise that our research teams are at the forefront of developing and implementing cutting edge technologies and methods to monitor and better understand the environment.
We are excited to bring you a mini-series of four webinars over two days to showcase some of the recent developments in remote sensing technologies and how these are applied to answer questions for policy-makers, councils and landowners.
Register to attend the sessions using the individual links below.
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Remote sensing 101

Tuesday 3 May, 10:30am
Presented by David Pairman.

This talk will set the scene for the Manaaki Whenua short seminar series by introducing the basic remote sensing concepts. Remote sensing is no longer just a research area providing stunning images of the earth’s surface. Nowadays it is routinely used to identify, map, or otherwise quantify information about our changing world. This talk will cover the basic concepts of remote sensing, looking at

the various technologies used to create images, their characteristic and roles
platforms used to carry remote sensing instrumentation
analysis techniques and approaches to extracting information

Register

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Mapping winter forage crops from time series satellite imagery: supporting decision makers and policy planners

Tuesday 3 May, 2pm
Presented by Stella Belliss.
A brief history of our winter forage mapping projects and methodology improvements, description of our current methodology steps, and some results from recent work.
Register

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Reaching into the past: deep learning and historic aerial imagery

Wednesday 4 May, 10:30am
Presented by Brent Martin.
Deep learning has revolutionised the field of computer vision, enabling imagery to be analysed quickly and efficiently to extract valuable data. At Manaaki Whenua we are increasingly using deep learning to extract features from aerial and satellite imagery for generating map layers such as land cover and tree crowns. As increasing amounts of historic aerial imagery are digitised, it becomes practical to use deep learning to extract features for snapshots in time, allowing changes to be detected and trends to be analysed.
Whilst deep learning is a highly effective approach, it is not a magic “black box”, and every new domain brings unique challenges. In one such study, we have used deep learning to extract building footprints from historic aerial images taken in the 1940s and 1980s. Whilst there is excellent imagery and building footprint information for recent years, the historic (black and white) aerial imagery is of much poorer quality, and there is no “ground truth” to train from. In this talk we show how deep learning’s ability to train on imperfect data was harnessed to overcome these limitations and achieve good results.
Register

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Geospatial landslide modelling for targeted erosion control

Wednesday 4 May, 2pm
Presented by Raphael Spiekermann and Hugh Smith.
Shallow landslides are triggered in large numbers in New Zealand’s pastoral hill country due to steep slopes, weak sedimentary rocks, and relatively frequent high magnitude rainfall events. Landslide erosion generates sediment that impacts freshwater and coastal receiving environments. Establishment of trees on slopes is therefore an important method of erosion control, since trees can greatly increase slope stability. Knowing where landslides are likely to occur in the future allows erosion control to be targeted more cost-effectively.
Raphael Spiekermann and Hugh Smith have employed machine learning algorithms using large inventories of shallow landslide scars and data on environmental factors influencing landslide occurrence to predict spatial patterns in landslide susceptibility. A range of data were used to cater for both region-wide modelling as well as farm-scale assessments that use LiDAR products to account for the influence of individual trees in silvopastoral environments. Moreover, landslide connectivity models were developed to quantify the probability of landslide-generated sediment reaching streams. We will present on how these models can be used to prioritize erosion mitigation at a range of spatial scales to reduce soil loss and delivery of fine sediment to stream networks.
Register

2022 UK – NZ Agritech Exchange Webinar Series
2022-04-26 08:00 - 2022-06-07 17:00
AgriTechNZ and Callaghan Innovation invite you to the UK – NZ Agritech Exchange Webinar Series hosted by the UK Department of International Trade
Connect with like-minded individuals and companies in the agritech sector to learn about market opportunities, share company offerings, and discuss emerging topics.
2022 will be a landmark year for the UK-New Zealand relationship given recent signing of the UK-New Zealand Free Trade Agreement. This series is another step to ensure ongoing collaboration and partnership across the sector, and across borders.
The four-part series will feature the UK Agritech Centres of Agricultural Innovation:

Agrimetrics – 26 April 2022, 7pm (NZT)
Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL) – 10 May 2022, 7pm (NZT)
Agri-EPI Centre – 24 May 2022, 7pm (NZT)
Crop Health and Protection (CHAP) – 7 June 2022, 7.30am (NZT)

We hope that you will be able to join us for this insightful webinar series.
The series will feature prominent UK and NZ speakers covering the following topics:

Data governance and interoperability (with Agrimetrics)
Sustainability and net-zero farming (with CIEL)
Addressing agritech challenges on a global platform (with Agri-EPI)
Leading approaches to crop health and protection (with CHAP).

The series will be hosted on a platform that enables direct delegate contact and opportunity posting / searching. So, register early and make the most of this opportunity to develop your UK contacts and presence.
You can find the full program on the official UK – NZ Agritech Exchange website and choose which webinar(s) will be most relevant to you.

World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit
2022-03-22 08:00 - 2022-03-23 17:00
Investing in Agriculture for Climate Impact & Resilience
Now in its 10th year, the World Agri-Tech Innovation Summit has become the annual meeting place for the global agtech ecosystem. Growers, agribusiness leaders, technology pioneers and investors come together to exchange insights, be inspired, and identify future partners.
Whether in-person or online, all delegates will be able to meet and collaborate on the same platform, opening up the summit to a bigger global network than ever before.
Key Themes for 2022:

Closing the Financing Gap to Achieve the SDGs
The Power and Limits of CRISPR in Ag, Food & Human Health
AI and Predictive Analytics for Climate Adaptation
What Going Public Means for Agri-Food Entrepreneurs
Scaling A Protein Transition by 2050
Tackling Labor Shortage with Robotics & Automation
Setting the Pace for Innovation in High Value Fruits & Vegetables
Creating a Path to Market for Start-Ups to Flourish
Regenerative Ag, Soil Health & Scaling Nature-Positive Solutions
Carbon Programs That Reward Farmers for Ecological Services
Commercializing Crop Protection Alternatives
Sustainable Sourcing and Supply Chain Transparency
Precision Solutions to Address Nitrogen Use Efficiency & Drought

View speakers here

Geospatial data in agriculture – update and next steps
2022-03-15 14:00 - 15:30
Spatial information underpins almost everything we do in agriculture. Come along to an interactive online event to learn more.

Spatial information underpins almost everything we do in agriculture. For every piece of big data that has a when and a what, there is also a where.
Challenges in the New Zealand and Australian contexts include:

defining what is an operating farm
how should land reserved for biodiversity, wetlands, riparian zones, and forestry be represented in a farming system; and
how could common information about spatial activities be shared across all the software tools a farmer might use.

In 2021, a group of New Zealand and Australian agricultural and agritech organisations started defining a “common specification” for spatial data in agriculture. Not reinventing the wheel, this work extends open geospatial consortium specifications and aligns with international standards. That work is now ready to start its next phase.
Could your business make use of the common specification already developed? Do you have ideas or needs that should be included in the next phase of work? And how can farmers and technologists start making use of common information about farms?
Aligned with AgriTech New Zealand, and the AgriTech Industry Transformation Plan.
Supported by:

New Zealand - Ireland Agritech Summit 2022
2022-03-15 08:00 - 09:45
New Zealand – Ireland Agritech Summit 2022

Explore new opportunities for cooperation and building strategic innovation partnerships.
Join the conversation and hear the voice of the farmer, the voice of agritech businesses and the voice of the planet.
Explore the common ground between Irish and New Zealand agritech ecosystems for the purpose of seeding collaboration and strategic innovation partnerships.
In an increasingly important era of climate crisis, agritech represents the future of both our primary industries and our global impact on food production systems around the world.
Join AgriTech New Zealand and AgTech Ireland online at this engaging, knowledge sharing Summit. What can Ireland and New Zealand learn from each other? Agritech researchers, innovators and investors will share their experiences and insights.
New Zealand and Ireland are both island nations with an export focus, cultures of innovation and deep affinity with the land. Each country is a natural market for the other’s technology and both countries have an aspiration to have a wide global impact. There is already a history of connection across our primary sectors and, since we face many of the same challenges, there is real potential to accelerate our agritech businesses through collaboration.
In both countries, strengthening agritech ecosystems are creating new opportunities for growth alongside improved primary production. Join the conversation and hear the voice of the farmer, the voice of agritech businesses and the voice of the planet.

Supported by:

Event info:
Format:

8:00am – 8:20 am – Opening and Welcome to the summit

Kenneth Irons – Chair, AgriTechNZ
Hon Damien O’Connor – Minister for Agriculture and Trade, Ministry for Primary Industries
Padraig Hennessy – Chair AgTech Ireland, CEO Terra Nutritech
Charlie McConalogue TD, Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Fianna Fail
Brendan O’Connell – Chief Executive, AgriTechNZ

8:25 am – 9:15am – Panel 1 – Voice of the farmer
In this session we will hear from farmers in New Zealand and Ireland who have been learning from each other through various exchanges. The challenge on-farm and role of technologies will be considered across both regions.

Mark Neal – Associate Strategy and Investment Leader, Dairy NZ
Colin Glass – Chief Executive, Dairy Holdings Limited
Phillip Murphy – Farmer, Software Engineer
Paidi Kelly – Farmer
Peter Morgan – Farmer

8:25 am – 9:15am – Panel 2 – Voice of agritech business
In this session we will hear from agritech businesses and investors in New Zealand and Ireland who are trading in the other market. The sessions will explore the opportunities and challenges in operating across these two similar but different countries.

James Maloney – Senior Regional Development Executive, Enterprise Ireland
Ian Carson – General Manager, Emydex Technology
Dave Dodds – CEO, Figured Ltd
Donal Ryan – Venture Partner, Finistere Ventures Ireland
Dean Tilyard – Venture Partner, Finistere Ventures New Zealand

8:25 am – 9:15am – Panel 3 – Voice of planet
In this session we will hear from research and industry organisations who are addressing issues of climate impact and sustainability that are shared by both countries and impact the future of livestock farming globally.

Dr John Roche – Chief Science Advisor, New Zealand Ministry for Primary Industry
Tommy Boland – Associate Dean for Research, Innovation and Impact & Prof of Ruminant Nutrition, School of Agriculture and Food Science UCD
Enda Buckley – Director Of Sustainability, Carbery Group
Prof Sinéad Waters – Principal Research Scientist, Animal and Bioscience Dept, Teagasc. Co-chair of the Livestock Research Group of the GRA
Charlotte Rutherford – Director, On Farm Excellence – Fonterra

9:20 am – 9:35am – Closing remarks

Brendan O’Connell – Chief Executive, AgriTechNZ
Dan O’Brien – Vice Chair, AgTech Ireland
Ambassador of New Zealand to Ireland, HE Brad Burgess
Ambassador of Ireland to New Zealand, HE Peter Ryan

Time: 8:00 – 9:45am (NZT) / March 14 – 19:00 – 20:45pm (UTC)

Primary Industries New Zealand Awards
2022-03-10 08:00 - 2022-07-06 17:00
Celebrating the success of New Zealand Primary Industries and its supporters
6 July 2022, Cordis, Auckland
Join us at this occasion to shine a spotlight on the important role the primary sector plays in the economy and honour the most successful and innovative primary industry producers and supporters.
Awards Now Open
ENTER NOW

Award Categories

Outstanding Contribution to NZ’s Primary Industries
Primary Industry Emerging Leader Award
Primary Industries Producer Award
Primary Industry Innovation & Collaboration Project Award
Primary Industries Science & Research Award
Primary Industries Team Award
Guardianship and Conservation Award (Kaitiakitanga Award)
Primary Industries Champion Award

CATEGORY DETAILS

The Award’s objectives are to:

Increase awareness of the important role that the primary sector plays in the economy
Identify and reward the most successful and innovative primary sector operators
Promote New Zealand’s primary sector role models, to stimulate greater involvement and interest in the primary sector from graduates, investors, politicians and the media.
The Primary Industries NZ Summit Awards are open to individuals, teams and companies from any producer groups working within the primary sector or in support of the primary sector.

Why Apply?
The Primary Industries NZ Summit Awards brings together supportive and active participants in New Zealand’s primary sector businesses, suppliers and government agencies.
Along with national recognition as a Primary Industries leader and success story, our winners receive:

Editorial exposure via the Federated Farmers media channels, including ‘The Country’ website.
Networking opportunities with other export and business leaders at the Awards Dinner
An award to keep and a customized ‘award winner’ crest for website and online promotional use.

Eligibility
The Primary Industries New Zealand Awards are open to individuals, teams and companies from any producer groups working within the primary sector or in support of the primary sector. Award entrants must work for a New Zealand based organisation or primary industry sector. Team entries must also have at least one New Zealand based team member.

Awards Timeline:

Entries open: 28 February 2022
Entry & Submission deadline: 12 April 2022
Finalists Announced: 30 May 2022
Primary Industries Awards & Gala Dinner: 6 July 2022

The Inaugural Aotearoa New Zealand Cultured Meat and Seafood Symposium
2022-02-23 09:30 - 17:00
The first dedicated cultured meat and seafood event hosted in Aotearoa New Zealand.
Over the past decade the field of cultured meat and seafood has greatly accelerated around the world. The price of cultured meat has dropped dramatically from the initial €280K demo cost of Mark Post’s hamburger to $50 for JUST Eats Chicken Nuggets. In 2020, Singapore was the first country to approve a cultured meat product for human consumption and reports multiple products in the regulatory pipeline. These signs suggest that product commercialisation could occur within the next decade. The social acceptance, uptake and production of these products will vary internationally.
This event aims to begin a conversation around the role of this technology in the current and future context of the Aotearoa New Zealand food production system, and formally bring together parties who have an interest in the topic.
To facilitate discussions the event will host an array of topics ranging from the scientific and technical aspects of the technology to the regulation and investment trends. The event is inclusive to all backgrounds and open to anyone interested in this topic, from scientists, thought leaders, industry stakeholders, farmers and investors.

Distributor and Channel Partner Engagement in the US Agriculture Market
2022-02-16 10:00 - 11:00
Distributor and channel partnerships play a key role in growing your business in the United States agriculture market but identifying the right partner and crafting a business model that serves both sides of the partnership can be challenging.
Why attend?

Join Aaron Magenheim and Johanna Ballesteros of AgTech Insight to learn about:
• The importance of distributor and channel partnerships
• How to align yourself with collaborators
• Ideas for incentivizing channel partners and their employees
• Expectations around support and pricing models
• Examples of successful and failed partnerships

Israel & NZ: embracing agri-technologies through partnership
2022-02-15 18:00 - 2022-02-16 20:00
New Zealand Israel 2022 – Agritech summit
Opportunities for Cooperation – Building Strategic Partnerships in Agritech Innovation
Agritech innovators from New Zealand and Israel are coming together to share their insights and innovations in an online business summit.
Innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum. It requires exposure to new and unique ways of thinking. Both Israel and NZ are renowned for their inventiveness and tenacity when it comes to developing solutions for food production systems. Yet each agritech ecosystem is grounded in their own unique knowledge frameworks. Agritech innovators in both countries have a lot to learn from each other; the potential to find common ground in supporting rising global market demand is huge.
Join Agritech New Zealand and Israeli agritech stakeholders for this exclusive international connect event. The event will showcase technologies, applications, test cases from both countries for mutual benefit.
View speakers here
Agenda:
DAY ONE: Tuesday 15 February
Opening and Welcoming:
6.00pm – 6.05pm: Opening Remarks by Moderator Mr. Shai Zarivatch, Israel Trade Commissioner to Australia and New Zealand
6.05pm – 6.10pm: Welcoming Remarks by Hon Damien O’Connor, Minister for Agriculture and Trade
6.10pm – 6.15pm: Welcoming Remarks by Israeli Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development HE. Oded Forer
6.15pm – 6.20pm: Welcoming Remarks by H.E. Ran Yaakoby, Ambassador of Israel to New Zealand
Keynote Speakers:
6.20pm – 6.35pm: Ms. Na’aama Kaufman-Fass, Director General, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of Israel
6.35pm – 6.50pm: Kenneth Irons, Chair of AgriTech New Zealand

Professional Panel Session 1
6.50pm – 7.40pm: From the Lab to the farm – How advanced scientific (seed) Nutrient technologies can be integrated in commercial farms and managed by farmers operating on a large scale
Israeli Candidate companies

Edete Precision Technologies
AgriTask
SupPlant

NZ Candidate companies

Zeakal

Professional Panel Session 2
6.50pm – 7.40pm: The Future of Farming with AI: How technology increases productivity to meet surging global demand and enable advanced supply chain management
Israeli Candidate companies

Akologic
Eshet Eilon
AgrIOT

NZ Candidate companies

WayBeyond

Professional Panel Session 3
6.50pm – 7.40pm: Robotics and Drone Agriculture: Use of machine-based technology for autonomous farming, harvesting, during times of labor shortages due to Covid-19
Israeli Candidate companies

Blue-White Robotics
Tevel

NZ Candidate companies

Smartmachine

Agenda:
DAY TWO: Wednesday 16 February
Opening and Welcoming: 6.00pm – 6.05pm: Opening Remarks by Moderator, Mr. Shai Zarivatch, Israel Trade Commissioner to Australia and New Zealand

Professional Panel Session 4:
6.05pm – 6.50pm: ‘The challenges of Global Warming and implications for the future of livestock farming
Israeli Candidate companies

AfiMilk
SCR Dairy
FarmSee

NZ Candidate companies

Waikato Milking Systems
Halter

Professional Panel Session 5:
6.50pm – 7.40pm: Digital Agriculture: Game Changer in Agriculture, Connecting the Unconnected – Utilizing precise measurement technologies to optimize growth and efficiently manage the farm
Israeli Candidate companies

N-Drip
CropX
N-Drip
Netafim

NZ Candidate companies

Pastoral Robotics

Halter

7.40pm – 8.00pm: Days Conclusion and Summary
Closing Remarks: Shai and Kenneth

Partnered with:

Event Information:
Date:

Tuesday & Wednesday 15-16 February – (online Panel discussions and sessions)
Thursday 17 February – (Online – pre-booked Business meetings)

Time: NZT: 6pm – 8pm / AEST: 4pm-6pm / Israel: 7am – 9am
Event Type: Zoom events online – register to receive your ticket

MedCan Summit 2022
2022-02-10 08:00 - 2022-02-11 17:30
Connecting medicine, science, industry and technology for a new frontier of care.
Join us at MedCan 2022, New Zealand’s medicinal cannabis summit. Building on the success of the inaugural 2020 event, MedCan 2022 plays a significant role in the aggregation of knowledge in this sunrise industry.
This event brings a solid foundation of scientific understanding for the advancement of medical cannabis industry, and health professionals. Areas covered will include seed to sale, clinical trials, prescribing, patient case studies, as well as the social, cultural and economic benefits to New Zealand. Designed to create more in-depth conversations to further progress our medicinal cannabis industry.
“The invaluable insights gained at Medcan 2022 will help local companies accelerate their path to market. Education, innovation and collaboration are key to the success of New Zealand’s newest and most exciting industry,” says Dr Zahra Champion Executive Director, BioTechNZ.
Pricing:

Earlybird pricing is available until 17 December
Industry Summit (2 days) $750 +gst
Healthcare Professionals Forum (1 Day) $300 +gst
Virtual- Industry Summit (2 days) $525 +gst
Virtual – Healthcare Professionals Forum (1 Day) $210 +gst

Visit MedCan Summit for the full programme.
Sponsorship, exhibition and networking packages are available, please contact nikki.wylder@techalliance.nz to discuss the available options.

Foundation Sponsor:

Presented by:

AgriTech NZ's Global AgriFutures Series
2021-12-07 14:30 - 16:00
Perspectives from Different Innovation Experts

How can early stage innovators and global industry influencers better innovate?
We ask the experts.
Join our third Global AgriFutures insights and networking event; Perspectives from Different Innovation Experts on Tuesday, 7 December.
Innovation is driving us to grow more food, feed more people, reduce waste, improve talent capability and protect the environment. How do large corporations create impactful change and how does it differ from a startup’s approach? More importantly, how can each perspective be used in collaboration with others?
In this highly interactive networking session, we invite innovation experts to share their stories. We ask how early stage innovators and global industry influencers can better collaborate. Meet our special guests from the Yara International team, Pilot 44 (Johnny Hammond, Managing Partner) and Sprout Agritech (Gil Meron, CEO)
Together, they will discuss:

Barriers and drivers of change
Key considerations for transformation
Tips to commercialise or internationalise

Plus, choose to join one of our social breakouts to discuss:

Corporate innovation approaches with Pilot44
Learnings and reasons to collaborate with Yara International
Innovation pitfalls and lessons from a global start-up champion with Sprout Agritech

Spaces are strictly limited to ensure an excellent opportunity to create new connections and facilitate valuable discussions. Interested in attending? Don’t miss out, secure your place now.

Note: This event will be recorded and shared after the event.

Proudly sponsored by:

Guest Partners:

World Fira 2021
2021-12-07 08:00 - 2021-12-09 17:00
The World Ag Robotics Forum
WORLD FIRA is the opportunity to share knowledge, innovations and experiences with agricultural robotics experts from around the world. It is also an event dedicated to collaboration and business. By participating, you will find the right information, the good partner, the good suppliers and develop your own project in agricultural robotics. It is also the place to build a worldwide community for promoting and developing the agricultural robotics sector.

For more information including the full programme and speakers: click here

Agritech Connect Tour Online
2021-11-30 13:00 - 14:30
Join us online for the latest on the state of the agritech industry.
If there’s only one more webinar you attend this year, make it this one! There’s no denying 2021 has been a challenging year, but we want to share the highlights, plus:

Discover the new pilot programmes that our partners, Callaghan Innovation and New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE) have co-created.

Be the first to see a brand new online resource that can help your business grow.

A progress update on the Agritech Industry Transformation Plan (ITP).

The latest industry news and innovations.

Discussion on topics that shape our sector including global connections, industry collaborations and technology adoption.

The Agritech Connect Tour is proudly brought to you in partnership with the Ministry for Business, Innovation and Employment (MBIE) and Callaghan Innovation and New Zealand Trade Enterprise (NZTE)

Supported by:

Why being part of an ecosystem is key to growth!
2021-10-27 13:30 - 15:00
Global agritech innovation trends – why being part of an ecosystem is key to growth!
Regardless of size, most companies experience growth constraints. In today’s rapidly changing world, an effective way to find answers and to scale more quickly is through connections. We know companies grow better when supported through global ecosystems. Whether you’re a startup or a large corporation, being part of external networks can give you that accelerated boost.
Join the second event in our Global Agritech Futures Series and meet special guests from Plug and Play’s international teams – Sanjar Taromi (Global AgTech Lead), John Mann (AgTech Ventures), Paulo Eduardo Padula (Latin America), Patricia Nordstrom (Corporate Partnerships, APAC) and Sherif Saadawi (Corporate Innovation).

Gain insights into the key global agritech innovation trends, and find ways to leverage ecosystem opportunities. Connect, discuss and learn more.
Global Agritech Futures Series:
New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), Callaghan Innovation and AgriTechNZ have partnered to bring you the Global Agritech Futures Series. These sessions are designed to bring together thought leaders, innovation experts and industry leaders to explore new trends, opportunities, challenges and ways to solve them. Each month, AgriTechNZ and the New Zealand Government invites international guests to spark a topic for discussion. These highly interactive sessions will enable participants to authentically engage on a broad range of issues while forging new relationships with international connections.
Proudly sponsored by:

Introducing our guests:
The Plug and Play global AgTech team will team share their insights into the challenges faced by their corporate and startup partners, and how innovators have navigated a way forward.

How Collaboration Unlocks a Sustainable Future
2021-10-12 13:00 - 14:30
Global Agritech Futures Series: How Collaboration Unlocks a Sustainable Future
Join the first in our new Global Agritech Futures Series and meet special guests from different regions and domains of Bayer Crop Science. Why? Because inspiring new possibilities begin with developing new relationships.
Bayer Crop Science believes that every crop, field and farmer has their own needs, challenges and goals. From seed genetics to digital technologies and services, grants and mentorships to research collaborations and venture creation – the Bayer Crop Science ‘universe’ is as broad as it is deep.

Meet our special guests:

Bayer’s Julianna Xu – APAC R&D open innovation and strategic partnerships
Hongyan Jin – technology prospecting
Phil Taylor – global open innovation approaches
Janice Edwards – strategic partnerships
Kohei Sakata – digital transformation
Shaun He – digital venture building
Chris Qi
Michael Schklowski – digital business development
Jiha Kim veg seed production research
Chris Staff – digital farming
Dev Chahil seed production innovation
Anna Bickel projects and processes

Bayer Crop Science’s leading research capabilities enable the delivery of tailored solutions to farmers more quickly than before, all while preserving the environment and contributing to sustainable development. This invitation-only networking session aims to create authentic connections.

New Zealand Trade and Enterprise (NZTE), Callaghan Innovation and AgriTechNZ have partnered to bring you the Global Agritech Futures Series. These sessions are designed to bring together thought leaders, innovation experts and industry leaders to explore new trends, opportunities, challenges and ways to solve them. Each month, AgriTechNZ and the New Zealand Government invites international guests to spark a topic for discussion. These highly interactive sessions will enable participants to authentically engage on a broad range of issues while forging new relationships with international connections.

This event is by invitation only, if you are interested in attending, please contact us

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Live Webinar: How to be a part of Japan's $2.6b Agritech industry
2021-08-19 13:00 - 14:00
Ready to scale and embark on your global ambitions? Here’s a concrete test bed opportunity presented by Farmage Co. Ltd, one of the largest Agritech distributors in Japan.Japan is New Zealand’s fourth largest trading partner, with a trade value of NZD $7.3B.
In this webinar, Nick Fowkes, Customer Manager from NZTE will share New Zealand success stories in the Japanese market, the importance of local distributor partnerships and how to be best positioned for market entry. Kenji Takada, Executive Managing Director of Farmage Co. Ltd will share more on how your business can participate in the test bed.
Speakers:
Nick Fowkes, Customer Manager, NZTE
Kenji Takada, Executive Managing Director, Farmage Co., Ltd. (Japan)
Moderator:
Brendan O’Connell, CEO, Agritech NZ
No registration required, please click the register button to download the calendar invite which contains the Zoom webinar link to join.

The Horticulture Conference 2021: Resilience and Recovery
2021-08-05 09:00 - 2021-08-06 17:00
The horticulture industry has just endured one of its toughest seasons and it looks like these trying conditions will continue for some time yet.
Challenges abound: not enough labour due to Covid and the borders being closed; the impact of a cold spring, then hail and flooding during the start of harvest; the poor availability and higher cost of freight to export markets; and ongoing lockdowns, creating uncertainty in New Zealand’s biggest domestic market, Auckland.
Then there are growing demands around compliance: new central government requirements around freshwater, climate change and health and safety; and ongoing regional and local government plan changes.
This taxing and uncertain environment requires growers from across the industry to be resilient. To try and focus on what the recovery will look like, and be ready for when it comes.
The Horticulture Conference 2021: Resilience and Recovery will focus on the future, in a Covid world that has changed and will continue to change. Our diverse range of speakers will stimulate discussion, and offer insights and perspectives from New Zealand and overseas, industry and government.
We have reduced the length of the conference in keeping with current sentiments. What we offer you is quality over quantity, value for money and your investment of time. We will also be ready to move to an entirely online conference, should domestic conditions change.
Sign up today. I am very pleased by how our 2021 conference has come together, and am confident that all growers and other industry participants will benefit from the presentations and time together.
Through partnership with government, our industry’s resilience will see horticulture recover stronger than ever.
Mike Chapman, previous Chief Executive, Horticulture New Zealand _______________________________________________________________________________________________________

Check out the exciting link of speakers here
Check out the programme here

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Cellular Agriculture
2021-08-04 15:30 - 18:30
This is a Tech Alliance event

Free for BioTechNZ and AgriTechNZ members
$35 for non-members
This is a physical in-person event only

Biotechnology securing the future of food and agriculture
On this planet, we can’t feed our children’s children with the food systems we’re currently using. In the next 25 years, all the additional food our growing population requires will come from improvements to our current food systems but we will reach capacity limits. The world needs new options and governments, investors and innovators around the world are working on those options now.
In New Zealand, we can grow more of what we’ve got by continuing to improve our current systems, reducing waste and addressing environmental impacts. This doesn’t mean things won’t change, but we’re great at developing the technologies that enable sustainable production. We can also amplify our impact by sharing our ability to translate technology for the benefit of the food systems around the world. Our agritech developments are good for the world.
That is still insufficient to feed future populations. We need to do all of that and then some. Around the world innovators are developing the technologies that will drive new food systems. These need to be developed NOW if they are to provide in the future. New Zealand’s innovators have a key role to play because there are real problems to solve and our innovators have the skills and experience needed.
BioTechNZ and AgriTechNZ are joining to start a discussion on the technologies that will create these needed options. Join us to hear about the role of cellular agriculture and gene editing.
The term ‘cellular agriculture’ is a global trend, and the technology is in its early stages of development. There are no products available within Aotearoa New Zealand. We’ll explore the opportunity for New Zealand. We’ll discuss the complexity of creating teams to innovate in this space and the opportunity in using biotechnologies such as gene editing to create these needed options for global food security.
To feed the world, it doesn’t have to be factory v’s pasture or farm v’s lab…we need all the skills we’ve got and to protect all that we’re given.

Join us to hear from a number of speakers:
Dr Olivia Oglivie is a Fellow at The University of Canterbury, where she works on cellular agriculture, focusing on cell-based meat. Olivia completed her PhD at The University of Auckland where her thesis was placed in the top 5% for academic performance. She is actively involved in early-stage investment, working as an Iraoho-Analyst with Matū Fund and Momentum Return on Science Investment Committees. She is a judge for the XPRIZE Feed The Next Billion Competition.
Amos Palfreymanstarted his career working for Fonterra as part of its US joint venture DairiConcepts. He then worked in business development for the Israel Trade Commission, building technology partnerships between New Zealand and Israel, and subsequently FoodHQ where he co-founded the Emerging Proteins NZ network and was responsible for managing FoodHQ’s international partnerships. Amos is currently Partnerships Manager at Sprout Agritech.
Dr. Greg Bryan is a co-founder and the CTO of ZeaKal where he drives and aligns ZeaKal’s R&D and corporate strategy goals. After working with Dupont in the development of resistance to fungal pathogens in rice and wheat, Greg joined AgResearch Ltd., as a Principal Investigator building the plant and fungal biotechnology capabilities from the ground up. Greg alongside Dr. Nick Roberts (CSO), produced the body of research for improving the nutritional quality and growth rates of temperate forages that would eventually lead to the creation of PhotoSeed. Greg has led and supported the raising of nearly $100M of government and industry investment in plant and fungal biotechnology and is a recipient of numerous research and commercialization awards.

Event Details:

Date: Wednesday 4th August 2021
Time: 3:30pm -6:30pm
Cost: Members – Free ($35 non-members)
Location: This event is physical only – The Factory, 21 Dairy Farm Road, Palmerston North

Thanks to The Factory, FoodHQ and Sprout Agritech for sponsoring this event

Space for Planet Earth - Leveraging Space Tech for Climate Change
2021-08-02 17:00 - 19:00
This event is not run by an association in the Tech Alliance, but may be of interest to some members.

Come join us as we kick-off the opening of the “Space for Planet Earth Challenge” at the Turanga Christchurch Library. Also live-streamed.

Learn how students and startups can apply for the challenge.
Get involved as mentors, collaborators, and supporters.
Understand the current state of environmental issues in the region – from coral health to reduction of atmospheric carbon.
Learn about satellite data addressing climate change.

The event includes keynote addresses from Honorable Lianne Dalziel, Mayor of Christchurch and from stakeholders and specialists from Planet, the U.S. Embassy, Center for Climate and Security,Xerra Earth Observation Institute and the Allen Coral Atlas.
For more information about the Challenge, go to spaceforearth.org.

AgriTechNZ & IoT Alliance - Connectivity and connected devices on farm
2021-07-27 16:30 - 18:30
This is Tech Alliance Event

Free for members
$25 for non-members
This event will be physical only

Please join AgriTechNZ and the New Zealand IoT Alliance to explore the current state and future potential for connected agritech solutions in our primary industries.
The growing focus on the environmental impact of farming has led to an increased use of technologies to optimise fertiliser, power and water use. This is a tough time for our farmers and the adoption of new tools to help is not helped when one of the biggest challenges remains connectivity across large areas of Aotearoa’s productive land. How can improvements to rural connectivity be accelerated? We ask the people out there doing it!
AgriTechNZ and the IoT Alliance are hosting a panel of speakers to share their experiences, projects and aspirations for the future of IoT in agritech. We will discuss large scale IoT and sensor deployment projects, plus proof-of-concept trials. New infrastructure initiatives and the evolving role of satellite connectivity will also be discussed.

Quickfire presenters and panelists:

Eitan Dan – General Manager at CropX New Zealand Ltd
Eitan has garnered vast executive managerial experience leading successful largescale projects in areas of IOT, Smart Cities and Homeland security. Eitan holds Master and Bachelor Degrees in Commercial Law from Tel Aviv and Berkeley Universities, an MBA from Polytechnic University NY, and a B.Sc. in Computer Programming.

Jimmy McCreery – MVT Implementation Manager at Fonterra
Jimmy has been project manager on the Milk Vat Monitoring since 2018. He has been managed the rollout with all key stakeholders, the three partners installing on farm (DTS, Halo Systems, Levno), internal teams within Fonterra and fronting engagement with farmers. Prior to this, Jimmy has held a range of roles within the National Transport & Logistics team at Fonterra, all focusing on the optimization and execution of collecting farmers milk right across NZ.

John McDermott – NZ IOT Alliance Founder at BoatSecure and Consulting to IoT Entrepreneurs

Louise Bradford – Head of Regulatory, Government and Carrier Relations at Connected Farms
Louise Bradford is Connected Farms’ regulatory and government specialist with over 20 years’ experience in the communications and media sectors, with a strong focus on regulatory framework development, development of regulatory and data strategies and implementation of technical compliance programs across radiocommunications spectrum, telecommunications and the internet.. Louise has deep experience in designing regulatory regimes for new and emerging digital technologies and an in-depth working knowledge of the operation of communications industries and markets. Through Connected Farms, Louise is part of a team that has proven experience in delivering connectivity solutions to farms throughout rural Australia and New Zealand – experience gained in many years of communications deployments for emergency services and commercial wireless /mobile companies. Louise sees great value in industry working closely with government and regulators to ensure policy decisions are supported by evidence of the practical experiences farmers are having with connectivity (or lack thereof) out on their land whilst they are running their farm operation. Louise’s involvement in agriculture started at an early age, having grown up on her family’s beef cattle farm in Northern NSW.

Michael Lightfoot – Solution Consultant at IOT Spark New Zealand
Michael has 27 years of experience working in the Information Communication and Technology space and 10 years working at Spark in a Solution Specialist and Business Development Manager roles. His current role as Solution Consultant – IoT is specialising in Cellular and LoRa services and leveraging related cloud technologies to deliver business solutions that maximise efficiency and productivity for our customers.

Mike Smith, Chairman at WISPA NZ

Event Details:

Time: 4.30pm – 6:30pm
Location: Engineering Core E7 Lecture Theatre, University of Canterbury, 63 Creyke Road, Christchurch
Location of venue – click here
Cost: Free for members & Students ($25 for non-members)

Special thanks for sponsoring this event

Would you like to know more about hosting an event or sharing your story? Please contact us on events@techalliance.nz

All about Organic Farming (for Japanese businesses)
2021-07-09 15:30 - 17:00
This is an event run in partnership with NZTE

This webinar will cover an introduction to the New Zealand outdoor pasture-based livestock industry, brief history of the some major changes in the dairy and beef cattle industries over the last 30 years, and the types of dairy and beef cattle farm systems found in New Zealand and thoughts on organic milk and beef production.
Speaker:
Dr Alec Mackay, Principal Scientist, AgResearch
Dr. Alec Mackay is based on the Grasslands campus in Palmerston North. He has a B Agric Sci (Hons) and a PhD in Soil Science from Massey University and is a Fellow, Life Member and Past President of the New Zealand Society of Soil Science. He was recently awarded the Ray Brougham Trophy by the New Zealand Grasslands Trust for outstanding national contributions to pastoral farming industries. His research includes the influence of pasture agriculture practices on legume-based pastures, soil fertility, organic matter, pore function and biology as it influences soil processes and the provision of a wide range of services. He is also involved in refinements to land evaluation and development of next generation farm systems modelling and planning tools. He works closely with industry and landowners.

To join the webinar:
Click here

Attracting agritech investments: How to make your mark in Japan
2021-07-08 13:00 - 15:00
This event is run in partnership with NZTE

This webinar will feature a case study from Yamaha Motors on reasons for investing in New Zealand companies and what attracts similar Japanese companies, including the future of agri-tech companies in New Zealand. In addition, we will share with you tips on how to best use our platform, promote your products and solutions to the Japanese market.

Speakers:
Jim Aota, CEO, Yamaha Motor Ventures & Laboratory Silicon Valley
Fayaz Budhwani, Manager, Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu LLC

To Join the webinar:
Click here

Primary Industries New Zealand Summit & Awards
2021-07-06 08:30 - 2021-07-07 17:00
This event is not run by an association in the Tech Alliance, but may be of interest to some members.

The Primary Industries New Zealand Summit is now less than a month away.
Featuring a wealth of inspiring speakers and industry leaders, the Summit tackles the big issues the whole of the primary sector is grappling with, as it strives to transition to the future. Particularly workforce issues, freshwater and of course, climate change.
With the Climate Change Commission’s final report just released, we are fortunate to be featuring a presentation from Professor Nicola Shadbolt, Commissioner, Climate Change Commission & Chair, Plant and Food Research & Professor of Farm & AgriBusiness Management at Massey University. Whether you agree with the Commission’s recommendations or not, the Summit provides a fantastic opportunity to come together with others from across the sector to develop a workable roadmap to growing a sustainable, productive future for the industry.

PANEL Workforce capacity and capability in the primary sector

Nigel Philpott, Chief Executive, Primary ITO

Dr Michelle Glogau, Chief Executive, Primary Industry Capability Alliance

Cheyne Gillooly, Director Investment, Skills & Performance, Ministry of Primary Industries

Dr Armin Werner, Group Manager-Precision Agriculture, Lincoln Agritech

Alan Pollard, Chief Executive, New Zealand Apples & Pears

PANEL Working together to improve the quality of NZ’s Freshwater

Nadeine Dommisse, Deputy Secretary Environment Sustainable Land Use Delivery, Ministry for the Environment

Tim Davie, Director Science, Environment Canterbury

David Burger, Strategy and Investment Leader Responsible Dairy, Dairy NZ

Whether you’re a producer, supplier, scientist, industry representative or policy maker researcher, you need to be there.

Agritech SAT Summit
2021-06-30 08:00 - 17:00
This event is not run by an association in the Tech Alliance, but may be of interest to some members.

SAT Summits are industry led events dedicated to increasing the depth of the conversation and understanding of the agritech eco-system and its potential. This particular SAT Summit focuses on SEED and is a deep dive into the Agritech sector from a funding, support and start-up perspective. The conversation goes beyond the overviews to get us thinking and dives into issues (in many cases for the first time on such a platform) like agricultural problems that need an agritech solution, what to do with an idea, research and development, funding, the investor landscape, strategic partnerships, acquisition, data owenership and much more…
The summit agenda is structured to include esteemed keynote speakers, international best practice, industry leader case studies and discussion panels allowing for LIVE Q&A in specific topic areas. Furthermore, the agenda uses virtual event technology to explore different sectors within the industry in greater detail….areas.
This unique event will also highlight some of the great innovators and shine a spotlight on some of the highest potential start-ups in the space.

Topics will include:

The 4th Revolution in Agriculture Global Opportunities
VCs and Funding
Investment Opportunities
Start-Ups
Scaling & Growing
Data, Legal & GDPR
Hubs, Research and Initiatives
Product Rollout
Strategic Partnering & Collaboration
R&D Best Practice
Traditional Industry Adapting
Acquisition

Speakers:
Lorcan Allen Business Editor, Business post
Hadar Sutovsky – Vice President External Innovation, ICL Group, Israel
Peter Wren-Hilton – Managing Director, Wharf 42, New Zealand
Theo Kanellos – Director Business Development and Allliances, Zoetis International
Cathal Fitzgerald – Senior Investment Director Food and Agriculture, Ireland Strategic Investment Fund
Brendan O’Connell – Chief Executive, AgriTechNZ
Ger Heffernan – Principal, Heffernan Financial Advisory.
James Maloney – Enterprise Ireland
Danny O’Brien – Managing Director EMEA, SVG Ventures | THRIVE
Nicky Deasy – Managing Partner, Yield Lab Europe
Donal Ryan Investment Director, Finistere Ventures
Dr. Michael Gifford Head of Commercialisation, NIAB, UK
Edmond Harty – Former Entrepreneur of the Year & Adjunct Full Professor, UCD
Dr. Terry Smith – President, Dairy Strategies, USA
Mike Salter – Innovation Scout/R&D Facilitator, AB Agri, UK
Karen Hildebrand PHD – Head, WW Solutions Architecture, Agriculture, Amazon Web Services
Mareese Keane – Co-Founder, Opengate Partners, USA
Donal Ryan – Managing Partner, Finistere Ventures

Those that should attend include:

Agri-Tech Companies
Technology Specialists
Cloud, Bandwidth & SaaS Providers
Venture Capitalists and Investors
AgriBusiness Partners
Food & Drink Companies
Regulatory & Government Agencies
Banks, Finance & investment Institutions
Consultancy & Advisory Firms
Legal Firms
Academia
International Trade Associations
Industry Service Suppliers

To adapt to the current environment and the growing demand for delegates to enjoy the conference experience in an online manner, SAT Summit will come to you as a virtual event.
While our delegates will join in from the comfort of their homes and offices across Ireland and around the world, the event itself will be broadcast live from our dedicated studio in Dublin. Many of our speakers and panellists will appear live on stage, while our international keynotes and participants will be video-conferenced in to join the conversation.
Delegates will have the opportunity to step into the unique virtual summit environment, which includes access to the main virtual conference stage for the full day, live speaker & panel Q&A sessions, a virtual exhibition hall, copies of presentations & content post-event, as well as the opportunity to network, connect and chat with fellow online attendees, speakers and partners in real time.
Virtual attendance will be easily facilitated by our specially customised conferencing platform and dedicated AV team.
Benefits of virtual attendance include:

Access to Virtual Main Stage for all keynotes, presentations and debates
Deeper dives into topics with multiple streaming tracks
Video content of the latest industry innovation
Breakout and roundtable sessions
Opportunities to meet 100’s of attendees virtually, and set up meetings and conversations
Online virtual exhibition hall
Meet the industry using our matchmaking and profiling facilities
Copy of attendee list post-event
Copy of all presentations post-event
