While thousands of people flocked to Wollongong's new shopping centre on Thursday and dignitaries were gathered in Keira Street for the official opening, a handful of people were at another launch at iAccelerate.
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The small event at the Wollongong Innovation Campus was to launch a new product developed by an accelerator tenant for a global market.
In the first half hour 13 sales of the unique portable standing desk were made internationally.
What was not lost on those present at Fairy Meadow was the importance both events had on the future of the city and the region's economic prosperity.
ZestDesk.com is still looking for funding but its innovative product is a sign of what is to come when the new iAccelerate building is constructed.
Co-founder James Moore said the product was being launched on Kickstarter.
He said early interest had been good in the portable standing desk, which has an adjustable tabletop and monitor stand.
"It means you can enjoy your perfect ergonomic posture wherever you work," Mr Moore said.
ZestDesk sets up in 30 seconds and turns any table into a standing desk.
It folds into a carry case and weighs less than 5.5 kilograms so it can easily be packed away or transported.
ZestDesk is made of anodised aluminum to make it strong.
Mr Moore said making it portable and easy to use was important because people now worked wherever their laptop went and this allowed them to set up almost anywhere.
"It doesn't matter if they work from a kitchen table, hot desk or a hotel table, they can now enjoy the benefits of standing and working," he said.
He said the portable standing desk was also designed to address the problem of sitting at work for extended amounts of time.
Mr Moore said he had carefully researched what was needed and discovered the biggest elements holding back the mass adoption of standing desks were price and lack of flexibility.
He offered an early bird price of $297 (usually $597) for the first 30 desks on Friday and they were snapped up quickly.
"Individuals and companies want a solution that is adjustable, can be easily moved to match needs and doesn't involve throwing out existing furniture," he said.
The ZestDesk can be ordered on Kickstarter here.
Mr Moore said the campaign needed $10,000 to help pay for the ZestDesk's first production run.
The idea for ZestDesk was born when his father, Dr Peter Moore, started standing to work on a computer as the result of a back injury.
He quickly realised he felt more alert on his feet and four years ago when he moved to Northern Australia to work in indigenous health he decided on a portable, flexible solution.
The whole family then got involved and employed the services of an industrial designer when Mr Moore and his wife Georgia Moore moved to Wollongong where she is studying to become a doctor.
