From Robots and Virtual Reality, what is in store for your business in the future?

An old school friend Stuart Harwood, connected me with Karen Foelz from QUT, as I am in my first incubation period for startups in Charters Towers, and he thought with what I am doing there and what I am doing from a business perspective, there would be some synergy.

Karen Foelz is a go-getter

Now, Karen is a go-getter. The person you absolutely want working on your team. She makes "shit" happen. Karen thinks ahead, and is innovative in her own right, so working with other corporate or business partners and helping them realise the potential of what they have or could have, is just part of her makeup.

What I first thought would be an introduction to the University, had me missing my flight because I was so interested in the conversations I was having in the day, that I couldn't stop. I also didn't realise that Brisbane traffic had become so bad - but you get that.

Key industry people, Government and University Directors

This is what Karen did; she organised a full day (and by full day, I mean full day) of meeting with key industry people, University Directors/COO's and Government. All might I add, off her own back, without full disclosure from me of what I intended to get out of meeting her.

Meeting Sue Keay, the Chief Operating officer, Australian Centre for Robotic Vision, was a highlight, along with all the other meetings to me honest. It made me miss living in Queensland. Everyone was so darn nice and helpful, that I just 'was in the moment' in every conversation. My mind which constantly is over active, stayed still and in the moment as I absorbed everything that was being said to me by these amazing individuals.

Sue Keay, Australian Centre for Robotic Vision

I will talk on Sue Keay, because her and her team of people are the future. There is no mistake what QUT are doing in terms of inventing how things operate, run and our reality of what lives look like, and business operates, in the future.

As I walked through the various versions of drones and robots, my mind was exploding. Every single word that came from her mouth was absorbed in my memory bank, and never to be forgotten. On top of that, she had a great sense of humour - and in fact, everyone yesterday carried the same witty, taking the piss out of themselves type of sense of humour. Have our Southern counterparts become too serious? I certainly have.

What does the future hold?

What the future holds, starts at our Universities and ends up in startups and corporate. What we do with their knowledge and how we let students develop their capabilities with limitless opportunities and no road blocks will determine where Australia sits on the innovation map globally. I almost want to get a bunch of heavy hitters together and visit every University in Australia to see what is being developed so that our relationships become stronger and we work with students who are doing great things and commercialise their knowledge bank whether it's robotics, droning, coding, virtual reality or anything else for that matter.

I am excited by what the future holds and am enthralled with the people I have met. The students are now not just students, but our future and importantly, Marketing Eye's future. 

Thank you so much Karen Foelz. You opened my eyes and gave me an injection of what is possible - and as we all know, anything and everything is possible.