The Ten Best Events at Vivid Ideas 2012

Setting our minds alight for another year, Vivid Ideas is the integral third part of the Vivid Sydney ethos. Dedicated to connecting industry with emerging talent and global leaders in over 100 events, the 18-day program will see events focused on discussion and creative collaboration. This year sees exiting keynote talks running alongside major industry events like Song Summit, X Media Lab and SPARC Design and partnerships with the Sydney Film Festival.

While it's extremely difficult to pick and choose from this year's unique Ideas program, we've highlighted what are set to be some of the most exciting events of 2012. Check out the full program to see all the amazing things going down.

1. Bridging The Digital Divide

When: May 28, 7.30-9pm
Where: The Vivid Ideas Exchange (The Forum)
Price: $15

Grappling with some of the most complex ideas of the Festival, Bridging the Divide presents Young Australian of the Year and founder of Robogals network Marita Cheng alongside an expert panel discussing new systems for building an educated, imaginative workforce. Focusing on the importance of digital skill development, innovative thinking and how e-learning can change how and who has access to the creative economy, the panel's discussion looks to shed fascinating light on the future of creative ideas.

2. Etsy Success Sydney

When: June 2, 9am-6pm
Where: The Vivid Ideas Exchange
Price: $100

Etsy Success is a full-day extravaganza engineered to help designers and creative entrepreneurs connect, learn new skills and make their businesses more sustainable. Featuring the much-touted keynote speech from Etsy CEO Chad Dickerson, the program also showcases a host of other awesome people including TMOD and Veggie Patch's Georgie Swift and Milenka Osen, panel discussions on online etiquette, DIY media and PR and workshops covering the basics of product styling and photography. The ticket also covers all-day catering and a cocktail reception for mingling purposes.

3. Awesome Soup

When: June 2, 7.30-9.30pm
Where: The Vivid Ideas Exchange (The Forum)
Price: $30

Dedicated to furthering the pursuit of awesomeness in Sydney, Awesome Soup helps turn vague, meandering thoughts into reality. Hosted by the Awesome Foundation, Awesome Soup awards a $1000 no-strings-attached grant to the best submitted application. Previous winners have included he Green Bans Art Walk and Exhibition, a project to develop the world's smallest patch synthesiser, and Physique, a weekly '80s themed aerobics night. Places are limited, but sure to be, well, awesome.

4. Portfolio Masterclass 1

When: June 3, 1-3.30pm
Where: The Vivid Ideas Exchange (The Forum)
Price: $15

Having an impressive portfolio is vital for aspiring creatives. The Portfolio Masterclass is designed to provide insights and tips for those who've just finished study or are looking at taking a step up from a junior role, focusing on building your online presence and standing out from the crowd in some of the most fiercely competitive industries around. Developed by The Loop, the Masterclass sessions provide an invaluable opportunity for up-and-coming creatives to hear from leading figures in creative industries.

5. Shane Smith (VICE) Interview

When: June 5, 9pm
Where: The Vivid Ideas Exchange
Price: $15

Shane Smith is the CEO and founder of the media behemoth that is VICE, which has been producing unique content across print magazines, books, films and online for the past decade. Shane joins Vivid via video link from New York to discuss the next chapter in the VICE story and his experiences in creating the Vice Guide to... series.

6. Conversation: Henry Holland and Jessica Fletcher

When: June 6, 7-8pm
Where: The Vivid Ideas Exchange (The Forum)
Price: $25

Designer, businessman and blogger Henry Holland is the golden boy of British fashion. Collaborating with intimidatingly well-dressed luminaries such as Agyness Deyn, Alexa Chung and Pixie Geldoff, he has gone on to launch his own fashion house and work with companies like Pretty Polly, Levi's and Superga. Alongside Henry, House of Holland's International sales director Jessica Fletcher will chat about the role of celebrity in fashion.

7. rage: Celebrating 25 Years

When: June 6-16, 10am-6pm
Where: Carriageworks
Price: Free

Australia's ever-steadfast hollering night-owl, rage has been beaming into living rooms across the country for 25 years. To celebrate, a large-scale installation of televisions is being set up in Carriageworks. The exhibition will pay homage to the legacy and influence of the world's longest-running music television program. Celebrating the advances in music video technology since the '80s, the exhibition will feature videos from at home and abroad, as well as archived footage of guest hosts such as Kylie Minogue, Nick Cave and the bedroom-eyed Tim Rogers.

8. FailCon

When: June 7, 10am-4pm
Where: The Vivid Ideas Exchange (The Forum)
Price: $99

Failure is a wonderful thing. That's the premise behind this year's FailCon, an event which celebrates the fact that people make mistakes and that it's important to learn about the stuff-ups and the miseries in order to ensure future success. Commencing in San Francisco in 2009, FailCon has created a global niche for itself, where technology entrepreneurs, developers, designers and investors can come together to learn from their mistakes. This year's speakers feature Sydney Lord Mayor Clover Moore, Tim Ross of radio's Merrick and Rosso, and Matt and Pip, founders of creative networking community The Loop.

9. Keynote: Jake Nikell (Threadless)

When: June 7, 7-8.30pm
Where: The Vivid Ideas Exchange (The Forum)
Price: $25

Threadless is the crazy-successful website encompassing an online community of 1.8 designers, design afficionados and T-shirt wearers. Jake Nickell, who co-founded the website back in 2000, has been instrumental in creating a platform for emerging designers and creatives to connect and gain international exposure, with over 1000 designs submitted, voted on and bought every week. Jake will be travelling from Chicago to chat about the Threadless story and explaining how to nurture high-quality user generated content.

10. YouTube Superstar

When: June 7, 6-8pm
Where: CarriageWorks
Price: Free

Presented by MusicNSW and Carriageworks, YouTube superstar is all about the art of making unforgettable music videos. Some of Australia's leading clip directors such as KROZM and SPOD share their advice to musicians, filmmakers and stylists, and Madeline Palmer, producer and programmer for ABC TV's rage, offers her thoughts on what makes a video a success and what stands the test of time.