Briefcase: Business Snippets from around South Australia
In this week’s Briefcase, AEDA announces festival funding and Cognitive Creators’ new AI platform. Plus, the latest business events.
- AEDA announces $5.4m investment for festivals
- Agreement to commercialise CO2 discovery in SA
- SABRENet unveils “unmatched” network
- Cognitive Creators launches AI platform
- $76,250 Freemasons donation supports bereaved dads
- New Woolworths set to open in Port Adelaide
- AirTouch secures naming rights for AirTouch 500 at The Bend
AEDA announces $5.4m investment for festivals
The Adelaide Economic Development Agency (AEDA) is investing more than $5.4 million into 20 events and festivals, including Adelaide Festival, Adelaide Fringe, Tasting Australia, Carols by Candlelight, Feast Festival, the Nature Festival of South Australia, and Illuminate Adelaide.
The funding will extend over the next three financial years, attracting tourists and stimulating Adelaide’s economic growth, according to AEDA General Manager Greg Ratsch.
“Events and festivals contribute to the heartbeat of the local economy by driving tourism, encouraging spending at small businesses, as well as creating jobs,” Ratsch said.
“The program is guided by clear criteria and supports festivals that attract visitors, generate overnight stays, deliver economic benefits, and contribute to the vibrancy of the city.”
Illuminate Adelaide has been allocated $540,000 in funding over the next three years, demonstrating the city’s dedication to art, science, and technology, said Illuminate Adelaide co-founder and creative director Rachael Azzopardi.
“We are thrilled to receive this funding boost from AEDA, which will contribute to taking Illuminate Adelaide to the next level,” Azzopardi said.
Agreement to commercialise CO2 discovery in SA
Lakes Blue Energy has partnered with Beijing Maison Group to progress the commercialisation of a high-purity CO2 discovery at Nangwarry, South Australia.
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Maison will undertake and fully fund a bankable feasibility study evaluating the development of a CO2 liquefication plant at Nagwarry, 30km north of Mount Gambier.
The study will assess a plant producing food and beverage-grade CO2.
Lakes Blue Energy said it was “currently envisaged that a CO2 plant could be operational by the first half of 2027”.
“The agreement with Maison offers a low-risk pathway to assess the commercial potential of Nagwarry, a certified, high-purity CO2 resource with growing market relevance,” Lakes chairperson Ronald Sleeman said.
SABRENet unveils “unmatched” network
South Australian not-for-profit charity SABRENet has launched new connections into high-performance data centre NEXTDC A1, designed for high-density workloads and offering unlimited high-speed data transfer.
Designed to meet the ever-growing demands of enterprise and government clients, the system works by establishing physically separate fibre paths, significantly lowering the risk of service disruption by diversifying the connectivity – vital for organisations that rely on continuous network access.
The network offers unmatched fault tolerance, energy efficiency, and sustainability, said SABRENet CEO Sandra Vallance.
“True physical diverse connectivity is the minimum standard for organisations dependent on connectivity,” Vallance said.
Cognitive Creators launches AI platform
Digital consultancy firm Cognitive Creators has announced its “Tender Creator” AI platform, that reduces tender writing time by up to 70 per cent.
With the average human-written tender response taking more than 40 hours to complete, the new technology could be ground-breaking for small and medium businesses who would otherwise lose opportunities due to resource constraints.
The AI-powered drafting understands Australian tender requirements and has reusable content libraries that grow smarter with each submission. The platform democratises the process of tender-writing to win contracts, said VP of engineering and co-founder Peter Zervas.
“Our goal is to remove the friction from the bidding process… we’ve built a secure, local platform tailored to Australian teams, with all data stored on Australian servers and full transparency in our AI-decision making process,” he said.
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The 19th Australian Wine Industry Technical Conference: AWITC is heading to Adelaide from July 20 to 23, 2025. Held every three years since 1970, this event is a key technical forum for the Australian wine industry. Wine Tech Meetup: The French-Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FACCI), alongside SA AgriTech Meetup, is bringing the Wine Tech Meetup to Adelaide on July 22, 2025. Digital Adelaide 2025: Digital Adelaide is returning to the Adelaide Oval for a two-day event, running from July 30 to July 31. Australia-ASEAN Business Forum 2025: Adelaide is set to host the Australia-ASEAN Business Forum on August 26 and 27, 2025, welcoming over 750 senior delegates, including diplomatic officials, investors, and commercial leaders from the Southeast Asian region. EuroMix 2025: The French-Australian Chamber of Commerce and Industry, in collaboration with nine other European Chambers, is bringing together key European players in Australia for this unique event on 28 August. Gala Dinner – South Australian Premier’s Business and Export Awards: The South Australian Business Chamber and the Government of South Australia are hosting the gala dinner for the South Australian Premier’s Business and Export Awards at the Adelaide Convention Centre on Friday, August 29. |
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$76,250 Freemasons donation supports bereaved dads
Freemasons SA & NT have donated $76,250 to the Red Tree Foundation, an initiative of SIDS and Kids South Australia.
The first of its kind in South Australia, the activity-based program “fills a critical gap in bereavement support,” according to general manager of the Red Tree Foundation, Kari Langdon.
“This program recognises that fathers often grieve differently – sometimes in silence – and aims to give them a place to talk, connect and heal” said Freemasons SA & NT Grand Master, William Merrill.
“There are few greater heartbreaks than losing a child, and it’s something no parent should ever face alone.”
The program will be available to any father in South Australia affected by the sudden and unexpected death of a baby or child, and provides one-on-one counselling, peer-led group support, and educational resources.
New Woolworths set to open in Port Adelaide
A new Woolworths is scheduled to open at 200-220 Commercial Road at the Port Adelaide Plaza on Wednesday the July 23, with 80 staff joining the local team.
The opening of the supermarket will be attended by the City of Port Adelaide Enfield Mayor Claire Boan from 7:30am with a ‘Fresh Fair’, offering a range of free samples handed out by Woolworths.
AirTouch secures naming rights for AirTouch 500 at The Bend
The 2025 Supercars endurance race at The Bend Motorsport Park will be named the AirTouch 500, with the inaugural event set for September 12-14.
In an event held on Wednesday, organisers announced the naming rights partnership with Airtouch, a South Australian smart climate control company developed by Polyaire.
“The Bend was built by South Australians with a global vision. It’s bold, world class, and reflects what’s possible when you back ambition with execution,” said Polyaire Managing Director Aemel Nordin.
The event is expected to draw over 50,000 spectators and, according to Dr Alistair MacDonald, Shell V-Power Motorsport Park at The Bend CEO, will contribute significantly to regional tourism.
He added that the partnership showcases “two local SA businesses coming together with a technology focus taking South Australia to the world”.
