HUNTER INNOVATION FESTIVAL RETURNS · 24 NOVEMBER 2026 · NEX NEWCASTLE

HIF26 Partnerships

24 YEARS.

24 November

Partner with the Hunter Innovation Festival to meet the people building the Hunter’s future economy and remain visible in the ecosystem before, during and after the Festival.

Compare partnership options

Discuss a partnership

24Y

years of Festival history

600+

attendees in 2025

47%

director or C-suite

43%

from outside Newcastle

95%

intend to return

A DIFFERENT KIND OF FESTIVAL

CONNECTION FIRST. CONTRIBUTION ALWAYS.

Kara Sullivan Head Honcho Guts Creative

For 24 years, Hunter iF has created neutral ground where industry, government, researchers, founders, investors and community can meet without the hard sell. Our partners do more than place a logo. They help make the room and the possibilities inside it… possible.

Three Principles

Put your people in the room and make it easier for the right attendees to find them.
Stand beside useful ideas, practical conversations and the people doing the work.
Show what you are building and contribute something valuable to the wider ecosystem.

Choose your level

TWO WAYS TO PARTNER.

Choose the level that matches how prominently you want to show up. Both options include a real presence at NEX and a discoverable profile inside the Festival’s Entegy platform.

Best for influence + reach

Festival Partner

$10,000

Be part of the program, the platform and the room.

Prominent recognition across the Festival website, Entegy platform, communications and venue
Premium exhibition or showcase position at NEX
Featured Entegy organisation profile and nominated team members
Meeting and connection opportunities, plus consent-based lead capture
Association with one agreed program moment, activity or theme
One dedicated editorial partner story
Dedicated e-news and social media exposure
Six Festival passes
Approved event photography
Post-Festival delivery and engagement report

Discuss Festival Partnership

Innovation Partner

$3,000

Show what you are building and meet the people who can help move it forward.

Exhibition or showcase space at NEX
Entegy organisation profile with team contacts and links
Consent-based Entegy lead capture
Website logo and partner listing
Shared partner announcement across social media
Recognition in Festival e-news
Two Festival passes plus two exhibitor passes
Approved event photography
Basic post-Festival engagement summary

Choose Innovation Partnership

POWERED BY ENTEGY

YOUR PARTNERSHIP STARTS BEFORE THE DOORS OPEN.

The Festival’s digital platform helps attendees discover your organisation, find your people and continue the right conversations.

Build your organisation profile, introduce your team, share useful links and become discoverable before attendees arrive.
Support meetings, office hours and in-person connection throughout the day. Use the interactive directory, floorplan and lead-capture tools.
Follow up with consented connections and receive an engagement summary that shows what your partnership delivered.

"The Festival is a great opportunity to bring together all different parts of an innovation ecosystem from all over the country into a great place like the Hunter region."

Vu Tran | Founder of BlackSky Industries, OneMRI and Co-Founder Go1
"I'm the founder of By Storm and we are making beauty and makeup accessible for the 700 million women who have been completely locked out of the beauty world."

— Storm Menzies | Founder of By Storm
"The Festival is important just to bring people together from the from manufacturing in the region."

— Oliver Kleyn | Founder Grolia
"This festival is really important as it brings everyone together across the Hunter and actually even broader than that. So it's really important that we're connecting, sharing and learning from each other."

— Caroline Booth | Economic Development @ Cessnock City Council
"I feel that this festival is really important because it brings together like-minded people and we can share ideas and and think towards the future of what we can change."

Jess Hodge | Founder of Resourceful Living