When we are kids we call it magic. We believe that if we want it strong enough, something in the ether is going to coagulate and become real.

We are all grown up now. Instead of magic, we use words like innovation, creativity, genius. But it’s the same thing. We want to do something much greater than the sum of the individual pieces that we have on hand.

It is the eternal engine of most entrepreneurs and all inventors.

In recent weeks, we’ve seen people risk their day-to-day work on an idea that has been richly rewarded: $ 1.7 billion paid by a European investor for Melbourne-based Message Media; $ 2 billion paid by an American company for A Cloud Guru; Altium, another software company that feels confident enough to reject a $ 5.05 billion acquisition of Autodesk.

You could say these are fluids and maybe they are. But generally, it is not magic. There is a formula at work, made up of ingredients that, if properly selected and weighed, can give excellent results.

As philosophy students will tell you, even creativity can be taught.

At Printed City, our next event on Thursday, June 17th, we are turning the spotlight to find out what formula of creative invention we need to save this planet and prevent it from falling into the hot hole we are heading towards. .

We’re bringing together a handful of people who could unlock the sticky sticking points by finding this beautiful shape we call the circular economy.

We start with a panel of seven experts who represent inventors, risk takers, financiers, government agencies and end users.

But we need more. So the audience here has a big role. We call this type of event surround sound because the sound (or flash of intelligence) can come from anywhere in an activated crowd as its members interact and challenge both the panel of experts on stage and each other. with the others.

To create the right conditions, we need people to relax, network, soak up refreshments, be curious. In this case, our BVN event hosts and partners organize a great show with a team who organize a guided tour of BVN’s robotics, 3D printing and air diffusion innovation SR2 exhibition and from Sydney University of Technology which is in prototype mode and ready to scale. And who started this whole idea.

Also on display will be Professor Veena Sahajwalla’s range of green ceramics, which is now pretty much a household name after appearing on the ABC. Australian history.

Talking to the panelists over the past few weeks for the pre-event briefing has been a great inspiration – so many people in this industry are already seriously thinking about these questions.

Check out our interview last week with Ninotscka Titchkosky BVN co-CEO and UTS School of Architecture associate professor Tim Schork to find out how SR2 was born.

From Toby Long, Managing Director, Residential NSW for Mirvac, we’ll hear about his company’s ingrained interest in quality. and innovation. When Mirvac built the Sydney Olympic Village, he says, he practically led the world in sustainability.

It’s a legacy he wants to see continue with the work the company is currently doing to incorporate Sahajwalla’s recycled products into their apartments. There is also a venture capital fund that is working on other innovative ideas.

Long says the company’s learnings will benefit others

From Jehoen Son of Lendlease, Head of Development NSW, we can expect a nuanced understanding of what this real estate giant thinks when undertaking large urban renewal projects in terms of interest in synergies and creation. innovation zones with a strong focus on sustainability.

This is important because of its size and its ability to influence entire cities. Its development pipeline is worth more than $ 110 billion in 17 “gateway” cities around the world, with the ambition to be the world’s largest urban developer.

In Barangaroo, for example, Son says that public spaces are designed to stimulate and reinforce general commitments to environmental and social sustainability by providing ample opportunities to reinforce the thread of ideas. This ranges from physical elements such as creative retailers that might have been brought in from outlying areas where rents are cheaper and experimentation can thrive, to spaces that encourage engagement with others, such as restaurants, cafes. and parks and where the “conversation” can continue.

Put it all together

How to pull together all the disparate elements that will make the ideal “formula” is a colossal job. And there’s no better person to shape it than Lisa McLean, Managing Director of NSW Circular, a government agency created in recent times to add essentials to the formula we need. McLean’s eclectic background, including media relations for the government and the City of London director with the Clinton Foundation, is therefore perfect for the job.

One of the programs it has put in place is a series of working groups – including finance – to address the main components of the circular economy.

Finance now is important. Perhaps the most important. Where is it.

We are now going to interview the next panelist of the event, James Tayler, ESG manager of Ellerston Capital.

See you in the night!