So you’re coming to EC17? Here are 17 things to make it awesome.

You’ve locked in your ticket to EC17. You’re making excellent choices.
So it’s going to be two days of absolutely incredible learning on September 27 & 28. But as you know, a good time is a shared responsibility. We put a whole heap of authorship and ownership in the hands of the Collective Genius when it comes to making our events awesome. Here are a few ways you can prep and bring your own incredible to the event, to make sure it’s the best learning experience of your life.
- You choose your own learning adventure.
The exhibitor spaces are also the breakout spaces. Along with workshops hosted by a great range of education start-ups and companies, teachers and leaders like you will also be scheduled into these spaces during the Activate sessions. You can stay in one space, you can hang out in the EC Community space, you can experience workshops in all sorts of areas. The key concept here is that it’s up to you. You won’t see everything, but you can design your own learning adventure.
2. Bring a coat.
Or a cardigan. Seriously. It’s Melbourne for one thing (We have 5 seasons… Summer, Autumn, Winter, Spring and the Surprise. (The Surprise can be a bit of a jerk). And while it’s the most gorgeous space in Melbourne, The Royal Exhibition Building is also super old, and so it’s not up on modern climate control. Trust us, rug up.
3. Come with your ideas and make them better.
This is your space and place to iterate ideas and deepen the impact of exisiting ones. Test your own concepts and tap into the expertise of the room. Amazing talent that you should not waste!
4. Meet new friends. Maybe even a new mentor or boss.
EC17 is renowned for striking some pretty radical and deep collaborations across schools and systems. Asking the right questions and approaching it with an open mind means your curiosity will lead you to the potential of meeting new team members, bringing new resources into your projects, or even starting the design of new ideas. We’ve been told we are one of the best events for introverts to safely and authentically connect too. The mantra here; Be open and curious.
5. Be an expert. You rockstar.
You have been around this education game for long enough to give your professional opinion. Doesn’t matter if it’s your first year or last in the classroom, your experience matters. Each presenter will end their story with a provocation and ask the crowd for input. This might be “what would you do next if you were in my shoes?” Speaker gifts are bags of post it notes with hundreds of ideas collected from the Audience. Your opinion, experience and expertise matters. You and your team will feel like the rockstars that you are.
6. Have heaps of fun.
There are snacks, there are giant jenga sets, there are tinker labs and there’s a bar. All of the stuff you sort of wish could be at every event you go to, you’re likely to find at EC17. Because learning, and living should be fun.
7. Hear stories, share stories.
The longest anyone holds a microphone for is 10 minutes. They are sharing stories, not whitepapers. Take the time across the two days to share your story too. There are spaces all over the building you can turn into your own pop-up stage. Go for it!
8. New and awesome things to try and test and give feedback on.
We’ve partnered with some seriously epic brands and start-ups to bring you the very cutting edge in products, design and ideas. What’s awesome about that is the commitment from each to bring something new and exciting to the EC17 floor which is decked out in the best of learning space furniture by our friends at Norva Nivel. Our flagship ‘Edupreneur’ concept is giving early stage start ups an opportunity to chat with teachers and school leaders. That means, yet again, you’re the expert. You get to build ideas and give feedback, not just consume them. Pretty awesome.
9. Be so Melbourne it hurts.
Laneway lattes, smashed avo on toast, rooftop cocktails… you get the picture. Our friends at City of Melbourne have partnered with Educhange to make sure you have a brilliant few days immersed in the city we love too. Our buddies at Choice Hotels have also come to the party with some pretty epic hotel deals to help you stay right in the thick of the action! Ah Melbourne, It’s a magical place. (And the most liveable, but we won’t brag too much).
10. Be nice and do good.
Hang out with our purpose partners, like Josh from the Just Be Nice Project, or Maddy from Little Dreamers. Find out about their work and impact and see how you can find ways to work together to support your kids.
11. Bring your cheer. Like Summer at a Coldplay concert.
Legend has it that Educhange Director Summer was heard yelling at Chris Martin that the Coldplay concert was the second best event of her life…(EC16 being the best to date at that point.)
We want you to be giving standing ovations before a speaker has even kicked off their story. Cheer when they are done. Tweet and instagram heaps. Take selfies with your new edu-besties. Everyone is a legend at EC17. It’s like a big family gathering. A respect-filled room full of people who love schools, love change and love each other. Get your cheer on. Be proud of your profession.
12. Let the values drive you.
We set rules of play to drive the vibe. They are: Deliver WOW, We Go Together, Build Stuff, Share What Works. Look for ways to live and grow the values across the two days. Perhaps you will host you own pop up session in the EC Community, or spend time out of your comfort zone in the tinker space. If you see someone hanging out solo, invite them to a workshop with you in the spirit of going together.
13. Bring your friends.
These sorts of awesome parties are better off shared. Grab your PLN, bring a tribe. It’s free, so you all are welcome.
14. Bring your keep cup.
We started in 2014 with unlimited free coffee delivered to your table. EC17 kind of got huge, so we are offering your first 2 on us. The coffees are barista made and super cheap too… $3 each. EC kicks in the rest. Oh, and it’s 50% off if you bring your own Keep Cup. Winning!
15. Grab a chair
Things are pretty flexi at EC17, and the whole space is loosely set up to look like a big home. Like one of the Norva Nivel seats in the EC community? Grab it and pop it in front of the main stage. Our home is your home. Make yourself comfortable.
16. Know you’re amongst the best.
There is a reason why Educhange is the fastest growing education event in Australia. It is because we make educators feel amazing. We are there to serve, equip and wow you. We love teachers, we love teaching. And we know you do too. So it’s simple. We throw this party for you. So live out the vibe, get excited by the people and stories in the room, remember to make it personal and have an amazing two days.
17. Get ready for 2018.
We’re all about living in the moment, but if you’re wandering around with ideas on how we can make next year’s event even better, tell us! We design and produce this for you, so it’s important to us that we get it right.
Get loud. Share what you’re excited about across your socials. See you in September. | #Educhange
