“We started small,” Gould says. “It was during COVID and lockdowns, so it was a virtual festival... It really exceeded our expectations. We had registrations from 42 countries, and the partners we’ve been able to bring alongside us as sponsors has been phenomenal.”

This SWIF, like the last, will be run in collaboration with the Northumbrian Water Group, which has been running a similar innovation festival in the UK since 2017.

“We’re involved in their festival, they’re involved in ours, and we get a different perspective from the UK,” Gould says.

Innovation hub

Many of the festival highlights are likely to be found at the Innovation Hub, taking place at the Maritime Museum for two days from Monday November 28.

Deep conversations with First Nations people are going to be a key element of the festival. Journalist Stan Grant will present the major keynote speech, about the importance of incorporating Indigenous culture into new ways of working, while Bilbie Virtual Labs will present a Virtual Songlines immersive experience, and its director, “Virtual Heritage Jedi” Brett Leavy, will talk about how his use of virtual technology cannot just help preserve culture, but influence water and land planning too.

Comedian Claire Hooper will host a light-hearted “great debate” between Sydney Water and Northumbrian Water Group, and broadcaster Todd Sampson will talk about strengthening our brains as we age.

There will be fireside chats with industry leaders, and six tech tanks, in which experts will review pitches on the best technology from around the world via live video crosses – and judge how it might help the Australian water industry tackle pressures including a growing population and a changing climate.

Visitors will also get to see the results of the festival’s design sprints, and what those bright minds have come up with during their five-day brainstorming sessions on the future of water. Hopefully, some great ideas will have come to the surface.

Sydney Water Innovation Festival will run for five days between November 25 and 29. For more information, visit sydneywater.com.au.