General News
24 October, 2025
Business breakfast to address humanomics
WITH major shifts in how and where people live and work, how can Warrnambool ensure its economy continues to grow into the 21st century?
Economic Futurist Evan Lucas will explore the humanomics of Warrnambool in a keynote presentation at the Mayor’s Business Breakfast on Friday, November 14 at the Warrnambool Golf Club.
Evan is a best-selling author, keynote speaker and host of the podcast ‘Exchanges.’
He is known for translating complexity into clarity and challenging audiences to think beyond the headlines and prepare for our economic futures.
Mr Lucas said that humanomics was about looking at a combination of demographics and behavioural science to better understand how these impact society and the economy.
“By humanomics, it’s all about how we view the world to be in the future, and what we want as a society, as a city, as an overall culture,” he said.
“With the acceleration of digitisation, the acceleration of the movement of people, tourism services and human services are going to be one of the major forward movements.”
With family connections in Warrnambool, Evan is a regular visitor and said the city was well positioned to benefit in this new economy with people at the centre.
“There’s no doubt that Warrnambool’s advantage is that it has semi-proximity to Melbourne and it has the lifestyle that most people want,” he said.
“The net value in Warrnambool for a lifestyle that a lot of people are chasing is very, very attractive.”
His talk will also cover the pitfalls that come from “fast thinking”, which is our instinctive reaction to change, and how businesses can learn to adapt.
“The initial reaction of fast thinking is negative, and disruption,” he said.
“Human beings are geared physiologically to think about now. Realistically our brains haven’t changed from what they were in the Stone Age.
“The difference between us today and us 35,000 years ago is that we have a completely different lifestyle.”
Mr Lucas said embracing change was vital for businesses, even when it felt uncomfortable.
“For businesses, it’s about embracing the change, and that’s hard. This is the part that can be hard to listen to, especially businesses that feel they are already struggling,” he said.
“How can I embrace what is coming whether I like it or not? That is things like AI, like renewable energy, like overseas manufacturing.
“These are the questions I try to get them to ask themselves to help them embrace what overall, looks like a pretty optimistic future for a place like Warrnambool.”
As well as Mr Lucas’ presentation, the event will also include an analysis of the past 12 months of economic data for Warrnambool.
Tickets are $35, including breakfast, and can be purchased at www.eventbrite.com.au by searching “Mayor’s Business Breakfast Warrnambool”.
