Connect is Supply Nation’s annual flagship event for the Indigenous business sector. The event brings together Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses, corporate organisations and government departments to foster strategic opportunities and celebrate the success of the sector. 

Indigenous businesses and attendees from some of Australia’s leading organisations will gather on the lands of the Turrbal and Jagera peoples in Meanjin to conduct business, learn, engage and celebrate at Connect 2024. 

The official theme for Connect 2024 is ‘Legacy’. This year’s theme speaks to Supply Nation’s legacy over the past 15 years and contributions to the sector, as well as the legacy of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples over the past 65,000 years and the impact that Indigenous business ownership has on community and shaping a more equitable future for generations to come. 

Connect 2024 will take place on the lands of the Turrbal and Jagera peoples in Meanjin – at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on Wednesday 28 August and Thursday 29 August 2024.

On Wednesday 28 August, the Knowledge Forum will take place from 8:30am – 4:00pm, followed by an exclusive Networking Drinks at 4.00pm – 6.00pm.

The Indigenous Business Tradeshow will be held on Thursday 29 August from 8:30am – 3:30pm, connecting Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander businesses with motivated buyers and procurements teams. The Gala Awards Dinner will commence at 6pm, showcasing the Supplier Diversity Awards finalists and winners, and powerful performances from First Nations artists. 

No. You can purchase individual tickets to attend / exhibit at each of the events, bearing in mind that the Knowledge Forum already includes access to the Tradeshow. Please note that this ticket has limited capacity.

Supply Nation members and Registered and Certified Indigenous businesses have access to discounted rates. Purchasing tickets to the Gala Awards Dinner does not grant access to the Tradeshow during the day; these tickets must be purchased separately. 

Yes, there will be two dedicated apps available to download for all attendees. These apps will provide full information on the event schedule, Knowledge Forum program, participating organisations, and important updates. To those interested in connecting to exhibitors and obtaining details from participating organisations, there will be a second app to allow for networking and leads capture. More details will be released on a closer date to the event.

The Connect 2024 apps will be released a few weeks out from the event.

Disclaimer: data uploaded to the app will not be shared with any parties beyond Supply Nation’s records unless approved and shared by the attendee.

Stay up to date via the Connect website. You can also sign up to the Connect newsletter using the form at the bottom of this webpage or follow our social media pages so you don’t miss important event announcements. 

Ticket prices to attend and exhibit at Connect 2024 are available via the Tickets page. 

A reminder that Supply Nation members and Registered and Certified Indigenous businesses have access to discounted rates. 

As a Supply Nation member or Indigenous business, you must enter your discount code to access your reduced ticket rates. Your discount code has been shared with you via our recent email communications and can also be found by logging into your supplier / member portal within Indigenous Business Direct.

This discount code will need to be used as you select your attendee or exhibitor tickets, and BEFORE you proceed through the check-out questions and make your payment. Below is a screenshot for your reference. Please see our selection of resources, including instructions and help guides on the Tickets page. If you cannot locate our recent communication or log into your portal, please email us. 

Ticket sales are open now. We use the ticketing platform Humanitix to administer all ticket sales. We encourage you to visit the Tickets page on our website and refer to the resources available before you proceed to the Humanitix website to begin your purchase.

If you encounter difficulties with the ticketing platform, we recommend trying the following steps. On the Humanitix event page:

Hard Refresh Your Browser:

For PC Users:

• Hold down the Ctrl key and click the Reload button, or
• Hold down Ctrl and press F5.

For MAC Users:

• Hold down the ⇧ Shift key and click the Reload button, or
• Hold down the ⌘ Cmd and ⇧ Shift keys, then press R.

Try a Different Browser or Device:

If the issue persists, consider using an alternative internet browser or device.

These steps may help resolve system malfunctions that could be preventing your ability to complete your order. These instructions are provided by Humanitix, our ticketing platform.

There are various closing dates for ticket sales, depending on what you wish to purchase: 

• All exhibitor booth tickets close at 5pm Friday 31 May 2024. 
• All Gala Awards Dinner attendee tickets close at 5pm on Friday 28 June 2024. 
• All exhibitor staff attendee tickets close at 5pm Friday 9 August 2024. 
• All discount codes for Tradeshow attendee tickets expire at 5pm on Wednesday 28 August 2024. Tickets to attend the Tradeshow do not close and are available for purchase on the day, however tickets purchased on the day are priced at the general public price (no discounts available). We strongly encourage attendees to purchase their tickets online before they arrive on the day. 

The Knowledge Forum brings together pioneers of supplier diversity with Australia’s leading Indigenous entrepreneurs and business voices – creating a space for important conversations relevant to the Indigenous business sector and the broader Australian landscape. 

More details on speakers and topics will be released soon. 

The Gala Awards Dinner includes a pre-show networking evening, an Opening Ceremony, a three-course meal, the announcement of the Supplier Diversity Award winners, as well as fantastic live performances from some of Australia’s favourite First Nations artists. 

Please visit the Tickets page to secure your tickets to attend the Gala Awards Dinner. Anyone can attend! Members and Indigenous businesses that are Registered or Certified with Supply Nation have access to discounted rates to attend; ensure you check your email communications from us or log in to your member or supplier portal on Indigenous Business Direct to access your discount code.

All sponsors of Connect must be a Supply Nation member or a Registered / Certified Indigenous business. To express your interest in sponsoring Connect 2024, please email us.

To exhibit at the Tradeshow, you must be a Registered or Certified Indigenous business with Supply Nation. If you are interested in becoming Registered or Certified with Supply Nation, please email us. 

It is completely FREE to register your business with Supply Nation, and the verification process is usually complete within four days. Indigenous businesses that are Registered or Certified with Supply Nation have access to discounted tickets to Connect. 

Exhibiting at the Indigenous Business Tradeshow can help you amplify your services and products to some of Australia’s leading organisations. All exhibitors at Connect must be Registered or Certified with Supply Nation (see above). Indigenous businesses exhibiting at Connect for the first time can access booths in BCEC’s halls 3 and 4. 

Please read through the information below. If you have any further questions, please email us.

There are three exhibition booth sizes available at the Indigenous Business Tradeshow: 

• Small exhibitor booths (2m x 2m or 4m2) – only available to businesses who have never exhibited at Connect before 
• Standard exhibitor booths (3m x 3m or 9m2) register 
• Large exhibitor booths (3m x 6m or 18m2) 

All exhibition booths include two team members to staff your booth, two exhibitor lunch packs, wall panelling, lighting, power and fascia signage with your business name. You will need to opt in at the time of purchase to take advantage of a FREE furniture package for your booth – one trestle table, one black tablecloth and two chairs. 

• Small exhibitor booths (2m x 2m or 4m2) $500 
• Standard exhibitor booths (3m x 3m or 9m2) $800 
• Large exhibitor booths (6m x 3m or 18m2) $1300 

All exhibitor booth tickets include one team member to staff your booth, one exhibitor lunch pack, wall panelling, lighting, power and fascia signage with your business name. You will need to opt in at the time of purchase to take advantage of a FREE furniture package for your booth – one trestle table, one black tablecloth and two chairs. 

All exhibitor booth ticket sales close at 5pm AEDT Friday 31 May 2024. 

All exhibitor booth tickets include two team members to staff your booth, two exhibitor lunch packs, wall panelling, lighting, power and fascia signage with your business name. You will need to opt in at the time of purchase to take advantage of a free furniture package for your booth – one trestle table, one black tablecloth and two chairs. 

As we get closer to the event, we will also launch our free official Connect event app – as part of the registration process when purchasing your exhibitor ticket, we collect information so your business can be listed in the app. This means you will be able to view a list of all attendees in the lead up to Connect, message participants on the day, and export a list of notes and interactions from the day to follow up after the event. 

Ticket prices to attend and exhibit at Connect 2024 are available here. All exhibitor booth ticket sales close at 5pm Friday 31 May 2024. 

Supply Nation is committed to keeping costs as low as possible for Indigenous businesses who are Registered or Certified with us. We are offering a discount code to Supply Nation Indigenous businesses. This unique code will need to be used AFTER you select your attendee or exhibitor tickets, and BEFORE you proceed through the check-out questions and make your payment. Please see our selection of resources, including instructions and help guides, here. 

Unfortunately, no. The company details for all exhibitors will be sourced from Supply Nation’s Indigenous Business Direct (IBD). This information will be verified from your organisation’s profile and cannot be modified. All businesses that wish to be exhibitors at Connect 2024 are required to be registered with Supply Nation.

Due to the limited allocation available, Connect 2024 booths are restricted to one per ABN registered in the Indigenous Business Direct. Exhibitors may not reserve multiple booths or combine booths under a single business entity. Should exhibitors desire booths for multiple owned businesses, they must make separate bookings, ensuring only one ABN is registered per booking. Each booth is designated to accommodate only one ABN. Booth sizes are either small, standard or large, and Supply Nation can not accommodate any bespoke requests.

Yes. All exhibition booth tickets include one team member to staff your booth. Additional staff tickets are available for purchase via the ticket registration page at an additional cost. These tickets must be purchased by 5pm Friday 31 May 2024. 

Yes. All sponsors of Connect must be a Supply Nation member or a Registered / Certified Indigenous business. For all sponsorship enquiries, please email us.

In the lead up to Connect, a list of exhibitors, including an industry / sector breakdown, will be finalised and shared with attendees. The official Connect event app will also launch several weeks ahead of the event so all attendees can connect prior to the event and arrange meet-ups. 

There are a few dates which may help you to plan and prepare for your presence at Connect:

• Nominate your business or an organisation / someone you work with for a Supplier Diversity Award. Nominations close 11:59pm AEDT on Friday 22 March 2024. Read on below for more information or view the Supplier Diversity Awards page on our website. 
• All exhibitor booth tickets close at 5pm Friday 31 May 2024. 
• All exhibitor staff attendee tickets close at 5pm Friday 9 August 2024. 
• All final names for attendee tickets across the Tradeshow and Gala Awards Dinner must be amended / entered into your ticket registration order by 5pm Thursday 16 August 2024. 

Please read through the information on this page and across our website. If you have any further questions, email us and will we do our best to assist you within 48 hours. 

Nominations for the Supplier Diversity Awards 2024 are now open. Visit the award platform to create an account or to log in to your existing account and begin your nomination. Nominations close at 11:59pm AEDT on Friday 22 March 2024.  

The Supplier Diversity Award finalists will be announced in May 2024. 

The Supplier Diversity Award winners will be announced at the Connect 2024 Gala Awards Dinner on Thursday 29 August 2024 at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre on the lands of the Turrbal and Jagera peoples in Meanjin.

The judging panel comprises of well-respected business leaders across diverse industries. All members of the judging panel are independent of Supply Nation, our membership and businesses listed on Indigenous Business Direct. 

Nominations for each category are reviewed by an independent judging panel and scored against the published criteria. The top three entries in each category are declared ’finalists’ and the recipient of the highest score is declared the ‘winner.’ 

The panel is specifically selected to be independent from Supply Nation, our members or businesses listed on our directory. For each category, the judges review the list of nominees and declare any conflicts. They are then recused from judging that category. A minimum quorum of two judges must judge each category. 

The judges’ decisions are final, and no correspondence or discussion will be entered into after the judging. Due to the number of entries and the confidential process we are unfortunately unable to give feedback on why an entry has not been included as a finalist or winner. 

The entire judging process is audited by BDO, a global audit firm, to ensure a fair and balanced process is adhered to. 

Yes. It is possible that entrants can nominate themselves or their business in multiple award categories. Each category is judged separately. 

If you / your organisation has won an award category within the past two years (e.g. 2022 or 2023), you are not eligible to be nominated for the same award category in 2024. Please note criteria and weightings do change over time so there is no guarantee that the same organisation or individual will be a finalist or win in different years. 

Winners are not required to participate in any activities. After Connect, we may request photos, quotes or interviews to feature the winning organisations and individuals on our various communication channels. However, there is no obligation for winners to participate. 

Each year some award sponsors provide prize packages for either the winner or finalists of the category they sponsor, however this is not a guarantee. 

To express your interest in our sponsoring the 2024 Supplier Diversity Awards, please email us.

Yes. Sponsors may enter a category that they do not sponsor. 

The Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre is located on the corner of Merivale and Glenelg Streets in the heart of South Bank on the lands of the Turrbal and Jagera peoples in Meanjin (Brisbane, QLD). For more details, please refer to the access map here. 

To get to the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre: 

• Private Car or Rideshare: BCEC has its own designated taxi rank at the main entry at the corner of Merivale and Glenelg Streets, South Brisbane.  
• Parking: Parking areas can be accessed from Merivale, Melbourne and Grey streets. 
• Train station: Closest stop is South Brisbane station. 
• Bus: Closest stop is Cultural Centre station. 

• Access to BCEC for exhibitors and contractors during build-up and pull-down is via Glenelg Street. 
• The service road is a one-way road and is deemed a tow-away zone to ensure a continuous and clear flow of traffic. 
• The entrance to the BCEC Car Park is located at the end of the service road past Exhibition Hall 4. 

The Centre provides undercover parking for 1,500 vehicles, with direct lift access to the Centre’s convention and exhibition facilities. Car Parks 1-3 are accessible via Merivale Street and Car Park 3 can also be accessed via Grey Street.  

Exhibitors are entitled to a discounted parking rate of $18 per day, for the duration of the exhibition, redeemed at pay stations with a QR code. You will receive your event specific QR code via email from the Exhibitor Services Team. Please note prices are subject to change. 

Yes. See below for more details.

Yes. For more information, please refer to the venue’s Access Guide here. 

There are currently no restrictions or public health orders in place that prevent Connect from proceeding this year. Supply Nation will continue to operate events in line with government guidelines and will contact attendees immediately should any changes to guidelines require us to change event formats or requirements. We are committed to planning and hosting a COVID-19 safe event and will do so by: 

• Creating a COVID-safe event plan in line with QLD Government protocols 
• Providing sanitising stations throughout the event 
• Encouraging anyone who is sick or unwell to swap / cancel their tickets 

All participants are highly encouraged to monitor themselves for signs and symptoms of COVID-19 and discontinue their participation immediately and seek appropriate medical attention should they become unwell. 

a. In the event of a cancellation by you, and subject to clause (b) below, the following applicable cancellation fee will apply:

i. Cancellation notified more than 28 days prior to the event – Nil cancellation fee. Full refund applied (including GST, excluding booking fee).

ii. Cancellation notified 28 days or less, prior to the event – 100% of the total amount of event fees paid (including GST). No refund applied.

b. All cancellations must be made in writing to Supply Nation. The effective date of cancellation is the date the cancellation notification is received by Supply Nation.

c. Supply Nation reserves the right to make changes to the corporate event program at any time. Should Supply Nation postpone the event due to unforeseen circumstances, Registrants will not be entitled to a refund and such fees paid will be applied to the rescheduled corporate event unless otherwise agreed in writing with the Registrant.

We understand that there will be reasons which may prevent you from attending Connect, including illness, family emergencies, natural disasters or Sorry Business. Exhibitors and attendees can cancel their tickets any time before 11:59pm Wednesday 31 July 2024 without penalty (4 weeks or 28 days before the event). Tickets cancelled after this date will be subjected to a cancellation fee (as per our event terms and conditions). 

To find out more about what sponsorship opportunities are available at this year’s event, please email us. 

Visit the Connect website for more information. You can also sign up to the Connect 2024 newsletter using the form at the bottom of this webpage or follow our social media accounts, so you don’t miss important event announcements. 

Please email us for any other enquiries. We will do our best to respond to your enquiry within 48 hours.