Arts House Supper Club: See the change you want to be

Roundtable

Arts House - 521 Queensberry St, North Melbourne VIC 3051
Tuesday 9 February 18:30 - 20:30

Start the year on the front foot and join futurist Dr Kristin Alford in a Supper Club workshop (with extraordinarily good food) where we consult the crystal ball and think ahead. What happens when we pick apart optimism and pessimism? How do we tackle the big issues? In search of those crucial points where change can be prompted, pull up a chair with people from different disciplines and come out with a plan, a friend and a full stomach.....

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After Russell Brand: Making Democracy Work Better for You

Melbourne Conversation

Deakin Edge - Federation Square
Wednesday 17 February 17:30 - 19:30

Globally, democracies are under pressure - and local government is no exception. A crucial factor for citizens is real power and influence over the decisions that effect their lives. State and local governments are implementing new measures to enable more direct and meaningful citizen participation, but it's rare for real power to be given freely...

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Future Economies - Business breakfast

Breakfast workshop

Swanston Hall - Melbourne Town Hall, Swanston Street, Melbourne
Thursday 18 February 07:30 - 09:30

At the biannual Business Breakfasts, you will hear about upcoming opportunities and events, and can participate in open discussions. Open to all retail and hospitality businesses within the City of Melbourne municipality, the biannual Business Breakfasts provide an opportunity to connect and engage with the broader business community and City of Melbourne....

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Food City stakeholder workshop

Stakeholder workshop

Councillors Meeting Room - Melbourne Town Hall
Thursday 25 February 14:00 - 16:00

Melbourne is renowned for the quality of its food - the availability, accessibility and sustainability of healthy food is essential to Melbourne’s liveability. This stakeholder workshop will discuss the importance of a sustainable, resilient food system and will generate ideas for Future Melbourne 2026. We can no longer take our food supply for granted. How will we respond to the serious challenges facing our food system? The way we respond will have profound impact on our quality of life, identity and culture for many years to come....

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Children’s republic of Melbourne

Children's workshop

Art Play - Birrarung Marr, Batman Ave, Melbourne
Sunday 28 February 13:00 - 16:00

What if Melbourne became its own country? The Children’s Republic of Melbourne asks you to formulate your ideal nation, described with national symbols: flags, protest placards, and a constitution. What’s important to you and to your community? What rules would there be?Lend your voice to the new nation, and make it what you would like it to become! ....

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Future Economies Lab 1: Vision Mapping

Future Lab

Portico Room and Balcony, Melbourne Town Hall, 120 Swanston Street, Melbourne
Tuesday 8 March 09:00 - 12:00

What will the future economy of Melbourne look like? Will the sharing economy and other new forms of ownership, production and value exchange take centre stage? Join thought leaders, community and industry stakeholders to discover the resources, strengths and assets we have as a community....

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Melbourne Forum: Shaping Melbourne to 2026

Workshop

Melbourne Town Hall, 120 Swanston Street Melbourne
Tuesday 8 March 18:00 - 21:00

This Melbourne Forum event provides an exciting opportunity for attendees to shape the future of Melbourne’s built environment by participating in a workshop facilitated by City of Melbourne to explore key issues, challenges and opportunities for the coming decade for sustainable building development in Melbourne. The ideas for the future developed in this event will contribute to the refresh of the Future Melbourne plan which is the community’s strategy for a sustainable and prosperous Melbourne to 2026....

This event is now booked out. Join the waiting list here.

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Climate change & our future city - a public conversation

Public Conversation

Carrillo Gantner Theatre, Sidney Myer Asia Centre, University of Melbourne
Wednesday 9 March 18:15 - 19:45

How prepared is our city to respond to climate change? Can we harness local innovation as we explore issues and challenges for our coming decade in Melbourne? How can people and communities actively shape and improve our collective future in the city? To prepare for what lies ahead, the City of Melbourne together with Carlton Connect and the University of Melbourne, are inviting the community to join the Future Melbourne 2026 conversation. Join Future Melbourne Ambassador Kate Auty and Melbourne thought leaders in the arts, science and business community in a public conversation that will explore ideas, challenges and opportunities for our future Melbourne

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Developer Workshop: Building our city for the future

Developer workshop

Portico Room, Melbourne Town Hall, Swanston Street Melbourne
Thursday 10 March 07:30 - 09:30

Presented by Future Melbourne Ambassador Rob McGauran, this developer breakfast briefing will discuss and workshop ideas for Future Melbourne 2026. Members of Melbourne’s urban development sector will be invited to a facilitated workshop to discuss their ideas for the planning, design and development of Melbourne over the coming decade....

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Future Economies Lab 2: Prototyping

Future Lab

Portico Room and Balcony, Melbourne Town Hall, 120 Swanston Street
Tuesday 15 March 09:00 - 12:00

What better way to imagine the future than to prototype it! Join thought leaders, community and industry stakeholders to design prototypes of our emerging future economy in Melbourne. We’re looking for breakthrough ideas so everything is up for grabs including the future of food, making, energy, mobility and space in the city....

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Fembots and Feminism: Who creates digital intelligence?

Panel Discussion

Carlton Connect - 700 Swanston Street Melbourne
Tuesday 15 March 18:30 - 20:00

Machine learning is already a part of our everyday – from spam filters to Siri – and Artificial Intelligence is talked about as the next great leap in the future of human endeavour. But humans are the ones teaching the machines how to think, and humans have a whole heap of baggage. Why are so many virtual assistants female? Why do AI movies almost always....

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Is data shaping our city?

Stakeholder only event

Engineers Australia, Level 31, 600 Bourke Street, Melbourne
Wednesday 16 March 16:30 - 19:00

With the advent of more and more sources of digital data, there is an evident shift in the planning and implementation of our infrastructure needs towards smart city modelling. But what is data not telling us? Are we being pushed or pulled by this abundance of data? What are the implications to our respective professions?...

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Creative Generator

Stakeholder only event

Mezzanine Level, Council House 2 - 240 Little Collins Street Melbourne
Wednesday 16 March 18:00 - 20:00

A workshop to generate creative ideas for Future Melbourne 2026

What does the future hold for the arts in Melbourne? You can shape it now, by contributing your ideas to Future Melbourne 2026, the City of Melbourne’s next community plan.

This is an invite only stakeholder event. If you are interested in attending, please contact us at future@melbourne.vic.gov.au

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Climate change and citizen actions – mitigation and adaptation

Interactive Melbourne Conversation

Deakin Edge, Federation Square
Thursday 17 March 18:00 - 19:30

The Future Melbourne project extends an invitation to you and your friends to attend a lecture by London based climate change expert Mark Watts, head of C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, followed by an interactive panel discussion around new approaches to adaptation and mitigation in a post-Paris COP21 environment...

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The Docks Pop Up Community Consultation

Voice Lab Pop Up

The Docks Library and Community Hub, 107 Victoria Harbour Promenade, Docklands
Friday 18 March 14:00 - 18:00

A one day pop up event at The Docks libraries and community hub to engage groups that may not be aware of the on-going digital campaign and supporting events or who may not be able to reach other events. The pop ups also aim to engage groups that may find participation difficult because of language or access to technology...

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Future Melbourne Digital City Hack 2016

Design hack

The Cube – ACMI, Federation Square, Flinders Street Melbourne
Friday 18 March 17:00 - 18:30

Would you like to help create the vision for Melbourne’s future? Are you interested in how emerging technologies are going to shape the way we work, play, learn and interact with each other? Do you have an idea of how they can aid Melbourne’s digital future? Share your big idea for the future of Melbourne in a fun and interactive way and join the conversation on Future Melbourne 2026...

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Community Cultural Fair – Pop Up Event

Community event

Drill Hall, 26 Therry Street, Melbourne (behind the Multicultural Hub)
Saturday 19 March 11:00 - 14:30

Celebrate Melbourne's Cultural Diversity Week at the Community Cultural Fair, a free family event with live performances, workshops and activities.

This year the fair will showcase a range of performances including tai chi, tango, Samoan, Kachin, Nepalese and Bollywood dances, Brazilian and Burundian drumming. There'll also be stallholders, music, cultural photo booths, jewellery-making workshops, sushi, art and craft, nail art and much more from Melbourne's diverse communities.

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Kensington CommUNITY Fair

Community event

Kensington’s JJ Holland Park precinct
Sunday 20 March 10:00 - 15:00

The annual Kensington CommUNITY Festival promises a huge day of free family fun as Kensington celebrates its diverse community.

The event is held at the JJ Holland Park precinct inclusive of the Bill Vanina Pavilion, Kensington Community Recreation Centre and the Kensington Adventure Playground (The Venny).

This much loved event celebrates community and multiculturalism in Kensington and the wider Melbourne area.

A pop up caravan will be there to gather festival attendees’ big ideas for Melbourne.

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Cultural Diversity Week - Pop Up

Community event

Federation Square
Sunday 20 March 12:00 - 18:00

Cultural Diversity Week brings together Victorians from all walks of life to promote community harmony and is coordinated by the Victorian Multicultural Commission.

Help us refresh the plan for the future of our city.

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Water Futures Forum

Stakeholder event

Melbourne Room, Melbourne Town Hall - 120 Swanston Street Melbourne
Monday 21 March 08:00 - 09:30

We want your ideas!

To prepare for the next decade the City of Melbourne is refreshing Future Melbourne, the strategic plan for our city. Developed in 2008, the Future Melbourne plan has guided all aspects of the city’s development, prosperity and liveability.

What role can water play in supporting Melbourne to be a city people love?

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50 Ideas for a fairer city

Stakeholder event

Majorca Room, City Library. 253 Flinders Lane, Melbourne
Monday 21 March 13:30 - 15:30

The voices of Melbourne’s many diverse communities are essential to the discussion about the city’s future - including those of some of our most vulnerable residents. As Melbourne grows at a rapid and transformative pace, how to we work better to ensure that the Melbourne of the future is one that offers opportunity for all? How do we innovate and work together to make Melbourne not only a great city but a fair city in the future?

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The Boyd Pop Up Community Consultation

Community event

The Boyd Community Hub 207 City Road Southbank
Monday 21 March 13:30 - 17:00

A one day pop up event at Boyd Community Hub to engage groups that may not be aware of the on-going digital campaign and supporting events or who may not be able to reach other events. The pop ups also aim to engage groups that may find participation difficult because of language or access to technology.

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Our Future Melbourne: will it be the city we expect?

Pecha Kucha Style

Design Hub Theatre, Level 3 - Building 100, Corner Victoria and Swanston Streets Carlton
Monday 21 March 17:30 - 19:30

Over the past decade people have come to Melbourne in growing numbers and diversity. They have created new ways of living, learning and doing business.

The coming decade promises to bring even more rapid innovation. The deployment of new technologies will open opportunities, bring disruption and shape new expectations...

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Climate Change & Our Future City – A Breakfast Conversation

Invite only

LAB-14 Carlton Connect Initiative University of Melbourne 700 Swanston Street, Carlton
Tuesday 22 March 07:15 - 09:30

How prepared is our city for a hotter future? What ideas, solutions and opportunities can we imagine around water, transport, energy, biodiversity, food, finance and innovation for our coming decade in Melbourne? How can we actively shape and improve our collective footprint and impact?

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Kathleen Syme Pop Up Community Consultation

Pop Up Event

Kathleen Syme, 251 Faraday Street, Carlton
Wednesday 23 March 10:00 - 14:00

A one day pop up event at the Kathleen Syme Community Hub has been organised to engage groups that may not be aware of the on-going digital campaign and supporting events or who may not be able to reach other events. The pop ups also aim to engage groups that may find participation difficult because of language or access to technology.

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Imagining a Youth Friendly City

Private workshop

Melbourne Town Hall
Tuesday 29 March 17:00 - 19:00

Help us refresh the plan for the future of our city. This youth specific workshop will encourage young people in the City of Melbourne to share their big ideas – what do young people want for Melbourne in 2026?

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Youth Leadership Group

Private workshop

North Melbourne Community Centre, 49 Buncle St, North Melbourne
Wednesday 30 March 16:30 - 17:30

A small group facilitated workshop to capture the big ideas from the Youth Leadership Group run by Cohealth.

Cohealth is one of the largest community health organisations in Australia, servicing a broad area of high-growth communities across Melbourne’s northern, western and inner suburbs...

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Digital disruption roundtable

Digital disruption roundtable

Vice Chancellor’s boardroom at Victoria University, Flinders Street
Thursday 31 March 17:00 - 19:00

Much has been written about the possible huge job losses in occupations previously considered too sophisticated to be threatened by technology, but little attention has been given to the possible implications for the central activity districts of large cities such as Melbourne. The purpose of this roundtable is to provide input into the Future Melbourne 2026 Strategy.

This is a facilitated roundtable discussion that which will bring together technology disrupters and established organisations from across Melbourne to discuss how digital technologies are shaping not only our future jobs, but also our built environment.

Please note this is an invite-only event.

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