NEM Regional Queensland Wrap Up

It seems like years have passed since NEM was first introduced to Regional Queensland but it was just over 6 months ago. It all started with the NEM ANZ partnership with TravelbyBit and the Town of Agnes Water — 1770 to launch Australia’s first crypto town. Visits by the likes of BBC Travel, CoinSpice.io, The Crypto Lark and everyday crypto travellers has kept NEM at the forefront of global media watching the growth of cryptocurrency adoption in Australia. Today NEM is synonymous with Central Queensland culminating with the Gladstone Region ICT Network and Startup Gladstone joining the NEM ANZ Ecosystem in December 2018.

It has been a busy year for Queensland as we take a look back at some of the major events that have happened which include:

• NEM Ambassador, Gordon Christian, presenting at a number of ‘Introduction to Blockchain’ events including the Gladstone Bizathon hosted by Bank of Queensland, attended by over 6o representatives from across the board of the GRICT Network. Steve Baxter of the Qld Chief Entrepreneurs office also attended.
• The Digital open day in September immersed the eager crowd with a session on Cryptocurrency and business, future money and how to enable your business to be ahead of the game. Throughout the day one of the hot topics was Blockchain and the disruption coming to business.
• CCC Noosa Cryptocoast in November was a big step for regional Queensland which was attended by some of the biggest names in the Australian Blockchain Industry. A serious commitment from Noosa’s business community, Noosa Council and the Startup Community will see significant investment in this space in 2019. NEM will seek to be a part of this.

2019

NEM Regional Queensland Lead, Gordon Christian, says 2019 is looking to be a big year for NEM in the region. Projects being worked on include:

• Introduction of NEM.education powered by Rocketshoes to CQ schools. Gordon says we are seeking the introduction of Blockchain Collective’s Education (bccollective.io) that is supported by NEM to CQU and and RTO in Gladstone. For the DEVs, the full suite of NEM sessions from ‘NEM 101 — Developing your token on NEM and building and integration work with developers’ mosaics will be on offer.
• Hosting a Dev Bootcamp for Queensland in 2019 to help boost the number of developers.
• The GRICT Network membership to the NEM Ecosystem is significant. The GRICT Network is a collaboration of partners including schools, Central Queensland University (CQU), big industry, gas giants, Gladstone Ports, business, local government and ICT providers. The GRICT network establishes ICT connections in the broader community to identify and develop opportunities of digital capacity, capabilities, networking, talent and policy. This close partnership to work together will help fill the gaps by providing employment and empowering people with new and emerging technological change.
• In 2019 NEM will be represented at Fibree by Gordon Christian who will steer the Australian Chapters on the path of global collaboration for Real Estate on the blockchain. With Chapters newly established in Melbourne and Brisbane, all Real Estate blockchain projects will be able to connect with each other in the user case market place.
• The 1770 Crypto revolution has led to the incubation of Agnes Waters Virtual Innovation Hub and will see the emergence of the first ever Startup collaboration in 2019. Recent guidance from Chad Renando startupstatus.co has given direction, insight and know how to create a successful incubator. Spearheaded by Gordon Christin and Alex Electra Frost, Agnes Water are keen to see a hub of tech development out of Agnes Water.

So why would NEM go to a regional area like Agnes Water — 1770 with only 2000 people in Central Queensland? It’s a PROOF OF WORK user case that you can operate in the digitised world from a beautiful location where real estate is cheap, the climate is amazing, and the lifestyle is second to none. If you would like to learn more about the opportunities available of setting up business in Queensland, then get in touch with Gordon for more info at gordon@nemaustralia.io

For more information about the NEM Foundation and its mission, you can follow us on Twitter, at Inside NEM, our Facebook page, NEM Australia Telegram or visit our website.