NSW AI Bonanza to launch Sydney festival and awards

NSW AI Bonanza will launch in Sydney with a three-day artificial intelligence festival and a new NSW AI Awards program, expanding organiser Matt Kirby's AI festival series into New South Wales.

The festival will bring together startups, technology companies, developers, creatives, investors and business leaders across three city venues. The program includes keynotes, live demonstrations, showcases, workshops and networking sessions focused on technical and creative uses of artificial intelligence.

Kirby, founder of the Australian AI Festival, Qld AI Festival, Australian XR Festival and Qld XR Festival, said the Sydney edition followed demand seen at earlier events in Melbourne and Queensland.

"We had a great time creating and delivering Australian AI Festival in Melbourne last year and Qld AI Festival earlier this year. It showed us how hungry the market is for events that bring the AI community together," said Matt Kirby, Founder and Festival Director, NSW AI Bonanza.

"Sydney was the obvious next destination. There is an enormous concentration of startups, investors, technology companies, creative businesses and AI talent here, so we wanted to create something that was genuinely Sydney-focused but had an international reach."

Awards focus

A central part of the program is the NSW AI Awards, which will recognise technical and creative applications of artificial intelligence. The awards are open to startups, scaleups, established companies, individuals and international entrants.

Kirby said the awards are designed to help companies showcase their work to a broader audience, rather than simply collect a prize.

"The awards are an important part of the festival because they give companies an opportunity to show what they are actually building," he said.

"With Australian AI Festival, we saw award winners receive international attention as a direct result of being involved in the event. It's a goal to achieve that again."

The event comes as Australia's artificial intelligence sector attracts growing interest from founders, investors and established businesses seeking commercial uses for the technology. The Sydney gathering is designed to bring startups and larger companies together with creative practitioners and technical specialists.

For startups, that means a chance to present products and meet potential customers and partners. For larger technology businesses, it offers a public setting to discuss new work and engage directly with the broader artificial intelligence community.

Speaker mix

The speaker line-up includes representatives from Google, while organisers have also highlighted founders applying artificial intelligence outside traditional technical backgrounds. Among them is Anne-Maree Dowd, who built the Succession Pro platform to support farming and family-owned businesses with succession planning.

Kirby said the program was shaped around practical stories audiences could relate to, whether they attended one day or the full event.

"I have zero attention span, so I know how important it is for people to relate to the speakers, whether they are attending one day or all three. They all come with their own real-world stories."

He also pointed to Alex Ferguson from RequestRocket as a speaker addressing both the promise and risks of artificial intelligence in commercial use.

"When you listen to Alex, you hear real-world stories that make you sit up and take notice, paired with incredible advice. What makes it impactful is the years of experience behind what is being said. Someone has been through this so you don't have to."

Venue choice

The organiser has also sought to distinguish the Sydney event through its choice of venues, moving away from conventional conference centres. The festival will be held across Aster Rooftop, Bondi Icebergs and 25hours Hotel Sydney - The Olympia.

Kirby said the surroundings should match the subject matter under discussion.

"There is nothing worse than going to a tech event about the future when the event space screams 1971, so we've chosen beautiful venues with beautiful fit-outs and often stunning views," he said.

"It feels like a fresh event every day, which draws on a new outlook and new inspiration."

"With AI, an idea gets momentum very quickly, so it's important that the surroundings reflect what is being discussed."

The event's structure reflects a broader trend in the Australian technology sector, where organisers are trying to build communities around artificial intelligence that cut across software development, business operations and creative work. By combining awards, workshops and demonstrations, NSW AI Bonanza is positioning itself as a meeting point for companies building tools, businesses applying them and investors watching for commercial traction.