Over 20 speakers and performances were streamed live from the stage at Sydney's International Convention Centre to the big screen at Bega Valley Commemorative Civic Centre.

The theme was for the day was “Unconventional”, and one after another, the presenters challenged the status quo and pushed their audience to think outside the square.

Millingandi local Wendy Gorton admitted she wasn't that keen on attending the event, but quickly changed her mind after the morning session.

"I didn't know what to expect, and I don't usually go to conferences like this, but I've been really impressed with what we have seen so far" she said.

Her husband Pete agreed that the presentations had surpassed expectations.

"The diversity of topics is what struck me," he said. "You're forced to think about things you don't usually consider, or even things you don't agree with.

"This would be a great experience for high school kids, you could create a whole year’s curriculum just from the material discussed this morning," he said.

"It's bringing the global village here, bringing it all to one place," Wendy added. "I think now it's just a matter of getting the word out and getting more people along."

Akira Yee was also in the audience with his mum, Rosie. The 15-year-old took the day off school for a different form of education.

"I really liked the talk about Australian history by David Hunt," he said. "There was also a talk about race and diversity and media, and that's the sort of stuff we've been talking about in my classes too."

His mum Rosie said the day was a great way to show Akira all of the different options open to him in the future.

"We've watched journalists and engineers and musicians, I want him to see all the options that are out there,” she said. “If you’re able to hear different people talking about different things, you can start to imagine all the possibilities." she said.