TECHNOLOGy BUSINESS EVENTS - LEVERAGING ECONOMIC STRENGTHS TO MEET WITH PURPOSE IN CANADA 2021
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TECHNOLOGy
BUSINESS EVENTS
LEVERAGING ECONOMIC
STRENGTHS TO MEET A nation of innovators
WITH PURPOSE IN CANADA businesseventscanada.ca
#meetincanada businesseventscanada.ca 1
OPEN UP TO A
CANADA IN FOCUS HOST OF NEW
CONNECTIONS
37.5
MILLION → DISCOVER CANADA
TOTAL POPULATION
FOR BUSINESS EVENTS
19.1
CANADA With world-class expertise across a
RANKS 1ST IN Business events play a crucial role in spectrum of innovation industries, Canadian
THE G7 FOR economic growth. When destinations
tech hubs are a natural draw for conferences
focus on their intellectual assets in a
particular industry or sphere, they can
across a wide range of sub-sectors. When
MILLION combined with Canada’s vast landscapes,
TOTAL WORKFORCE help local industries accelerate ahead of
those in other communities to become diverse cities and culture, dynamic culinary and
1.3
DEMOCRACY leaders in their field. By aligning our nightlife experiences, and unique opportunities
strategies with Canada’s leading innovation to explore groundbreaking ideas, it’s easy to
industries, we are creating a thoughtful, community-
understand why organizations the world over are
based approach to business event attraction that unites
choosing Canadian locations to host their global
MILLION tourism, industry, academia, government and economic
tech events.
BUSINESSES development agencies, lifting up culture, art, community
QUALITY confidence and pride, and ultimately, innovation."
2.0
OF LIFE
$ —C
hantal Sturk-Nadeau, Executive Director,
Destination Canada Business Events
Canadian trailblazers in a host of emerging
technologies are shaping the future of work,
health care, culture and society. When
TRILLION conference-goers meet in our tech hubs, they
TOTAL GDP
There is no substitute for the creativity can tap into Canada’s brain trust, connect
and energy that ignites when groups with some of our brightest minds and thought
Source: 2019 Statistics Canada Source: 2020 Best Countries rankings
of like-minded people come together leaders, and explore Canadian technologies
in the same place. When organizations
powering the future during tech festivals, B2B
choose to host their event in one of
Canada’s centres of excellence they exchanges, technical tours and more. And when
not only gain access to some of the top performers are recognized and rewarded
→ Destination Canada’s Business Events world’s safest, greenest, creative, culturally with Canada’s unparalleled destinations and
team is charged with growing Canada’s share diverse and dynamic destinations, but they gain access distinctive experiences, they’ll return home
of international business events by promoting to their industry’s thought leaders and innovators. refreshed and inspired, ready to perform.
the country’s unique meeting, convention and These opportunities not only promote the transfer of
knowledge, but they can lead to future collaboration,
incentive event possibilities.
Photo by Christina @ wocintechchat.com on Unsplash
talent attraction, R&D partnerships, trade, Isn’t it time for you to meet with purpose in
investment and future leisure travellers. Such is the Canada? Connect with us to learn how.
power of business events as a catalyst for economic
nourishment, and social and cultural change."
→ businessevents@destinationcanada.com
—V
irginie De Visscher, Senior Director of Business Development,
Economic Sectors, Destination Canada Business Events
2 BUSINESS EVENTS | TECHNOLOGY #meetincanada businesseventscanada.ca 3
$89.4B REVENUES BY
ICT
SUB-SECTOR, 2018
4.7%
2.2%
Canada is a very strategic marketplace for Oracle and we
are
4.5%
3.4 excited to continue to invest in the country.
Sector’s contribution to Canada’s GDP %
Source: Quarterly Monitor, Information and 18.5% 29.2%
38.6% 23.8% - Rich Geraffo, Executive Vice-President, North American Technology Division, Oracle
Communications Technology Council, 2019 Q2
$193B NOTABLE RECENT INVESTMENT ANNOUNCEMENTS
1.49M
18.5%
15.7%
• HSBC (UK) has opened its Global Data & • Accenture (Ireland) has opened a new
32.8% 89.8% 18.2%
Innovation Lab in Toronto, employing over 50 innovation hub in Toronto, also adding 800
Jobs in Canada’s digital economy ICT Manufacturing Communications Svcs people in AI-related roles. technology jobs in 2020 and expanding
Source: Monthly Snapshot, Information and ICT Wholesaling Software/Computer Svcs
Communications Technology Council, February 2020
its apprenticeship program to help under-
• Samsung Electronics (South Korea) represented communities.
COMPANIES BY announced the expansion of the Samsung
SUB-SECTOR, 2018 Advanced Institute of Technology (SAIT) • Amazon (USA) has expanded its tech hub
41,500+
ICT
2.2% artificial intelligence (AI) Lab Montreal. in Toronto, expecting to create 600 jobs in
4.7% 4.5%
3.4% software development, machine learning,
Companies in Canada 18.5% • 29.2
Ericsson
% (Sweden) announced the creation cloud computing, digital advertising and
38.6% 23.8%
of a Global Artificial Intelligence Accelerator artificial intelligence.
41.5K+
Source: 2018 Canadian ICT Sector Profile, Innovation,
Science and Economic Development Canada (GAIA) innovation hub in Montreal.
COMPANIES • Fujitsu (Japan) has founded a new
18.5% • Facebook (USA) expanded its Montreal AI subsidiary in Vancouver, Fujitsu Intelligence
#1
15.7%
lab, doubling its researchers in a facility of up Technology, focusing on developing artificial
INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATIONS 32.8% 89.8% 18.2%
to 60 people. intelligence products and services.
TECHNOLOGY
ICT Manufacturing Communications Svcs
In the world in quantum computing science ICT Wholesaling Software/Computer Svcs
• Amazon Web Services (USA) has opened • LG Electronics (South Korea) in partnership
Source: Economic impact of quantum technologies 2019, a 13,000 sq. ft. office in Winnipeg for AWS with the University of Toronto has opened
National Research Council Canada
ICT
EXPORTS OF GOODS Thinkbox, a cloud computing company a research centre in Toronto for the
IN CANADA
2.2% BY PRODUCT GROUP, 2018 providing services for entertainment, development of AI technologies.
4.7% 4.5%
3.4% architecture and engineering industries.
18.5% 29.2%
38.6% 23.8%
Information and Communications Technology is among Canada’s fastest-growing $11.3B Two years after the Global Skills Strategy was introduced, close to 40,000
economic sectors. 18.5
people have come to Canada under the program, including almost 24,000
%
15.7%
32.8% 89.8% 18.2% highly skilled workers in occupations such as computer programming,
Information and Communications Technology—or ICT—encompasses Canada has 41,500-plus companies in the sector, with 90% in
technologies found everywhere: software and computer services; Software & Computer Services (2018 numbers).
Computer Equipment
Audio-Video & Other ICT Goods
information system analysis and software engineering.
Electronic Components
telecommunications and mobile; artificial intelligence; quantum Wireless Communications Equipment Source: Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 2019
computing; big data and analytics; cybersecurity; cloud; blockchain; These same 2018 numbers show Canada’s ICT workforce at 652,450, Wired Communications Equipment
photonics; the Internet of Things; augmented and virtual reality. of which 55% have a university degree, with the average salary just
under $78,000, 49% higher than the Canadian average.
Basically, if it involves capturing, transmitting or displaying data and
information electronically, that’s Information and Communications NOTABLE FORTUNE GLOBAL 500 TECH COMPANIES
About 78% of ICT products manufactured in Canada were exported
Technology. OPERATING IN CANADA
in 2018, increasing by 1.3% to $11.3 billion.
HERE ARE SEVERAL HIGHLIGHTS: And, in terms of research and development, the sector hit $6.2 billion in
2018, reflecting 34.5% of all private sector R&D expenditures in Canada.
As recently as 2018, Canada’s ICT sector has outperformed the overall CONTACT
Canadian economy in not only output, but also employment and Invest in Canada promotes, facilitates and
Of the world’s top 10 largest tech companies, nine have Canadian
innovation growth. accelerates foreign direct investment (FDI)
headquarters in the Greater Toronto Area; one is located in Montreal. into Canada. It is the global investor’s primary
Touching practically everything in our technological lives, the sector point of contact. Reach out to speak with a
contributed $89.4 billion to Canada’s GDP (as of Q2 2019). dedicated advisor.
info@invcanada.ca | www.investcanada.ca
Data last updated April 15th 2020, provided by Invest in Canada.
4 BUSINESS EVENTS | TECHNOLOGY #meetincanada @Invest_Canada
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TECHNOLOGY
CANADA'S CENTRES TORONTO OTTAWA MONTRÉAL
• AI/ML • AI/ML • AI
EDMONTON • Communications • Connective autonomous • Cybersecurity
technology vehicles technology • Data centres
• AI/machine learning (ML) • Cybersecurity • Communications • Digital entertainment &
• Big data • Digital entertainment & technology interactive gaming
• Digital entertainment & interactive interactive gaming • Cybersecurity • Esports
gaming • Fintech • Digital entertainment & • VFX & animation
• Nanotechnologies • Mobile apps interactive gaming
YUKON
• SaaS • SaaS • Govtech
VICTORIA
NORTHWEST • Telecommunications & wireless tech • Next-generation
• Big data TERRITORIES networks (NGN) & 5G
• Photonics HALIFA X
• Fintech
NUNAVUT • SaaS
• IoT CALGARY • Cybersecurity
• Software as a Service
• Data analytics
(SaaS) • AI
• Digital entertainment &
• Communications technology
interactive gaming
• Digital media & gaming
BRITISH • SaaS
• Geomatics & autonomous
COLUMBIA
technologies
• IoT
• SaaS HUDSON BAY QUÉBEC CITY NEWFOUNDLAND
ALBERTA
• Applied AI AND LABRADOR
SASKATCHEWAN WATERLOO • Cybersecurity
• Data centres
• AI
• Insurtech
MANITOBA • Autotech
• Interactive
• Cybersecurity entertainment
• Fintech • Optics/photonics/
QUEBEC
• Quantum technology non-destructive testing
(NDT)
VANCOUVER KELOWNA
• VFX & animation
ONTARIO
• AI • Animation
• Cybersecurity • Digital entertainment &
interactive gaming
• Digital entertainment & interactive
gaming
• E-commerce
• Esports
WINNIPEG
• Fintech
• SaaS • Data centres THE MARITIMES
• Web & social media technologies
SASK ATOON • Digital media & PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND
interactive entertainment NOVA SCOTIA
• Visual effects (VFX) & animation • Animation NEW BRUNSWICK
• VR/AR • E-commerce
• Digital entertainment &
interactive gaming • Insurtech
• Enterprise software • SaaS
6 BUSINESS EVENTS | TECHNOLOGY #meetincanada businesseventscanada.ca 7
SUPERCLUSTERS
When small-, medium- and large-sized
companies, academic institutions and
non-profit organizations come together to CANADA’S DIGITAL
TECHNOLOGY 680 MEMBER
generate bold ideas, regional innovation SUPERCLUSTER ORGANIZATIONS, INCLUDING:
systems are transformed. • BCIT
Based in Vancouver, the Digital
Technology Supercluster is a • Canfor
Harnessing the power of collaborative R&D, cross-industry collaboration • Dwave
a $950M investment by the Government of diverse health-care,
• DNAStack
communications, natural
of Canada matched by the private sector • Genome BC
resources, technology and
unlocks the power of data-driven innovation transportation businesses who • Finger Food Advanced
across a spectrum of industries that co-invest in ambitious, business- Technology Group
make up Canada’s five superclusters: led R&D projects focused • Food X
digital technologies, protein industries, on transformational digital • Microsoft
advanced manufacturing, artificial technologies to solve some of
• Telus
industry’s and society’s biggest
intelligence and blue ocean science. • Thrive Health
problems.
• University of British Columbia
• University of Victoria
AI-POWERED SUPPLY
CHAINS (SCALE AI) AMONG THE 110+
PARTICIPATING
A consortium of private entities, ORGANIZATIONS:
research centres, academia • Air Canada
and high-potential startups,
• COVEO
the Montréal-based Scale AI
supercluster is the central pillar • Creative Destruction Lab
of Canada’s AI ecosystem • Element AI
which identifies cross-sector • Majik Systems
collaborative projects, and • McGill University
provides funding and expert
• Mindbridge
guidance to strengthen and
improve the productivity of supply • Shopify
chains through the integration and • University of Alberta
responsible use of AI.
VR/AR Association Vancouver
8 BUSINESS EVENTS | TECHNOLOGY #meetincanada businesseventscanada.ca 9
SUB-SECTOR SPOTLIGHT
ARVR Association Vancouver
1. ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE 2. DIGITAL MEDIA & INTERACTIVE ENTERTAINMENT
Hotspots: Vancouver, Calgary,
Edmonton, Waterloo Region,
CANADIAN PIONEERS:
Toronto: Deep learning led by
SUCCESS STORIES
Montréal is home to SCALE AI, Canada’s AI supply chain supercluster
Hotspots: Vancouver, Kelowna,
Calgary, Toronto, Montréal, Canada SUCCESS STORIES
With more than 230 immersive technology companies in 2019,
Toronto, Ottawa, Montréal, Québec City Home to the world's 3rd largest
Geoffrey Hinton and the International Centre of Expertise in Montréal for the digital games industry Vancouver is home to the world’s 2nd largest VR/AR sector and the
Québec City
Advancement of AI. largest cluster of the world’s top VFX and animation studios.
Montréal: Machine learning led Source: www.montrealinternational.com MAJOR PLAYERS Source: www.bcbusiness.ca/New-report-reveals-a-growing-and-diverse-VRAR-ecosystem-in-BC-
40,600
but-challenges-loom and Vancouver Economic Commission/VFX
by Yoshua Bengio
Edmonton is a core member of the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy thanks
CANADA IS AT THE Edmonton: Reinforcement to expertise from the University of Alberta and the Alberta Machine Skilled workers Montréal is the world’s 5th largest video game hub, 1st in Canada, and is
CUTTING EDGE OF R&D Intelligence Institute (Amii). a world leader in VFX and animation.
learning led by Richard Sutton Source: Video Entertainment Association of
Source: www.montrealinternational.com/en/keysectors/video-games
Montréal’s Element AI, Canada
Calgary’s White Whale is a data technology company building AI
Toronto’s Vector Institute
analytics solutions that empowers businesses to make sound, data- In Halifax, aerospace and defence organizations are leveraging
and Edmonton’s Alberta
596
driven decisions. Its flagship solution, DeepSea, is used in several local gaming and simulation technologies to develop various training
Machine Intelligence
industries including energy, health and wellness, aviation, defence and scenarios.
Institute are magnets for the
professional sports. Studios
world’s top talent. Montréal hosts a number of major esports events each year, such as
Source: Video Entertainment Association of
Montréal startups Hexoskin and Hykso have made a name for Canada Six Invitational – Rainbow Six and Red Bull player one. The city’s Esports
themselves in biometric clothing and wearable technology. Many Central Arena, Canada’s first esports entertainment complex, is a
Olympic boxers and professional MMA fighters are getting real-time multifunctional gaming attraction for both amateurs and pros.
data via Hykso punch trackers. During the Rio 2016 Olympics, various
CONFERENCES Vancouver-based Biba's free mobile games work with any
athletes sported Hexoskin Smart Shirt tech wearables.
playground to turn screen time into healthy, imaginative outdoor play for
The True North Tech for World Summit AI Americas In Toronto, researchers with Uber Technologies Advanced the entire family. Now available at 4,500 sites in ten countries around
Good™ conference brings the is an exclusive gathering of the Technologies Group Research and Development Centre are conducting the world, with more than 1000 participating cities, in 2019.
biggest minds in tech together major global influencers in AI research in autonomous technology alongside some of the top Source: Vancouver VR/AR report 2020
to discuss the implications of across business, science and universities of Canada. CONFERENCES
innovation and the importance tech for two full days of mind- Squeeze, the Québec City-based animation studio, has been given
of ensuring that technology is boggling innovation, heated The Waterloo Region is ranked #2 in Canada for AI research and is the nod to create five episodes of "What If...?", a brand-new animated
The annual VR/AR Global The largest B2B2C event in
guided by ethos above all else. discussions on AI policy, home to Canada’s largest robotics and automation cluster and 150 series from streaming platform Disney+.
Summit brings together Canada, MEGA+MIGS brings
ethics and regulation, applied research centres, including the largest concentration of math and the best knowledge and together hundreds of video
2019 Calgary is the birthplace of stock photography. Image Club Graphics,
solutions for enterprise, computer science talent in the world. networking for enterprise, game creators from around the
Waterloo Region, Ontario Veer, iStockPhoto, Dissolved and Eyewire were all founded here.
hands-on workshops and Source: Waterloo fact sheet provided by destination hardware, software and world to meet thousands of
the development of plans for content providers. visitors in Montréal. Montréal’s Felix & Paul Studios is an EMMY®Award-winning
advancing the application of AI INTERNATIONAL AI COMPANIES IN CANADA: immersive entertainment studio creating unparalleled virtual reality,
for Good in the coming year. 2018, 2019 Annual
augmented reality and mixed reality experiences for audiences
Vancouver, British Columbia Montréal, Quebec
worldwide.
2019, 2021
Montréal, Quebec
10 BUSINESS EVENTS | TECHNOLOGY #meetincanada businesseventscanada.ca 11
Photo by Soumil Kumar from Pexels
Photo by Brett Sayles from Pexels
3. CYBERSECURITY 4. TELECOMMUNICATIONS TECHNOLOGIES
As part of its new National Cyber Security SUCCESS STORIES Hotspots: Calgary, Edmonton, Toronto, Ottawa, Québec City
Strategy, Canada is committing to invest
Canada is the 5th largest cybersecurity innovation hub in the world by venture capital deals
$507M over five years. (2015-2018).
SUCCESS STORIES
Source: IiC
CONFERENCES
The Canadian cybersecurity industry contributed
over $2.3B in GDP and 22,500 jobs to the Toronto’s Herjavec Group has been ranked as the most innovative cybersecurity company Canadian Telecom Conference
Canadian economy in 2018. three years running by responding to a changing threat landscape that goes beyond hackers Québec City’s EXFO is the communications industry's test, 2001 – 2020
Source: Canadian Defence, Aerospace, Marine and Cybersecurity to include state actors and organized crime. monitoring and analytics expert, pioneering essential solutions and Toronto, Ontario
Industries Survey (2018 ), 2018 survey, released in 2020
Source: www.investinontario.com/spotlights/10-cybersecurity-companies-watch-2019
technologies for over 30 years.
IIC Canada Conference
The cybersecurity industry’s R&D intensity was
more than three times that of the total Canadian 2019
Ottawa, Ontario
ICT industry average in 2018. St. John’s Verafin is the world’s largest financial crime management software company.
Since purchasing Ottawa’s former technology giant Nortel Networks’
Source: Canadian Defence, Aerospace, Marine and Cybersecurity
carrier ethernet and optical networking division in 2010, Ciena, the International Conference on Network and
Industries Survey (2018 ), 2018 survey, released in 2020
second-largest supplier in the world of optical technology, has grown to Service Management
do the majority of their global R&D in the nation’s capital. 2019
Kelowna’s Two Hat Security AI-powered content moderation platform classifies, filters and Halifax, Nova Scotia
Hotspots: Vancouver, Waterloo Region, escalates more than 102 billion human interactions a month in real time, including messages,
Toronto, Montréal, Ottawa, Québec City, usernames, images and videos. International Conference on Network and
Fredericton Service Management
2019
The Things Lab at the University of Calgary conducts high-level Vancouver, British Columbia
The Canadian Institute for Cybersecurity at the University of New Brunswick, research in IoT and low-power wide-area network (LPWAN) technologies
Fredericton works in partnership with Siemens' team of technical staff and researchers to that apply to the IoT sector.
CONFERENCES develop robust and practical cutting-edge cybersecurity and privacy technologies.
World Crypto-Bitcoin,
Blockchain and KEY R&D
Cyber-Security Ottawa’s Thales Canada – Defence & Security is committed to the development of
The University of Alberta in Edmonton houses one of the top five
conference innovative Canadian technologies and made-in-Canada defence and security solutions.
wireless research groups in North America.
May 2019
Toronto, Ontario
Waterloo's eSentire® is the largest pure-play Managed Detection and Response (MDR)
service provider, keeping organizations safe from constantly evolving cyberattacks.
Bell MTS is investing approximately $400M in all-fibre network
technology in Winnipeg.
12 BUSINESS EVENTS | TECHNOLOGY #meetincanada businesseventscanada.ca 13
VANCOUVER Did you know...
Vancouver ranked first in Canada and 15th in the
world on Startup Genome’s list of the world’s
Multifaceted and dynamic, Vancouver is one of the
best startup ecosystems.
most sought-after destinations for business events Source: www.vancouvereconomic.com/vancouver/place-of-ideas
in Canada. It's also a rapidly growing technology
hub where innovations in digital media, interactive Electronic Arts (EA), a global leader in digital
entertainment, web platforms and software services interactive entertainment with 300 million
are drawing the world’s attention (and global worldwide users, was founded in Burnaby,
business events). British Columbia.
Amazon recently announced it is expanding
75,000 100,000 its footprint in Vancouver with software
development engineers, user experience
Professionals work in tech Tech professionals
designers and speech scientists working to
& ICT in Vancouver, three- across BC
quarters of the total for BC Source: https://www.vancouvereconomic. NOTEWORTHY INNOVATIONS make Alexa smarter, and to support Amazon
Source: ICTC
com/focus/technology/ Advertising plus Retail and Operations
A global leader in social media Technology divisions.
management, Hootsuite was founded and
Fastest growth of
Top 25 is headquartered in Vancouver.
Tech Best Startup Ecosystems in Source: www.vancouvereconomic.com/focus/technology CONFERENCES
Talent
VR/AR Association Vancouver
the World (2019)
VR/AR Global Summit
Source: www.startupgenome.com/reports
in North America Identity verification service Trulioo has 2019 and 2020
Source: CBRE Tech Talent 2019 developed a global ID verification solution
SIGGRAPH
that is not constrained by geography,
2014, 2018 and 2022
economic status, age or gender. Organizations like TED, SIGGRAPH, and CONFERENCE
Source: www.trulioo.com/company/about-us/ OpenStack choose Vancouver because of our INFRASTRUCTURE Ted Conference
10,000+ Companies across BC unparalleled convention infrastructure, set against
13,000
Annual
Source: www.vancouvereconomic.com/focus/technology/ a backdrop of ocean, mountains and forest. Our EA Games
COMPANIES clients tell us the city itself, and our spectacular GUEST ROOMS Annual
The 3rd largest in the world, Vancouver’s digital media and interactive natural setting, inspires creative thinking and
91,740 sq m
International DOTA-2
entertainment industry includes close to 1,000 businesses.
dynamic ideas." 2018
Source: www.vancouvereconomic.com/focus/digital-entertainment-interactive/
— Dave Gazley, VP Meeting and Convention Sales,
Tourism Vancouver 987,482 sq FT
TOTAL MEETING SPACE
The BC tech industry generates more than $23B in revenue and
$15B in GDP. VANCOUVER CONVENTION CENTRE
43,339 sq m
Source: www.vancouvereconomic.com/focus/technology ACCELERATING INNOVATION
Source: Tourism Vancouver
466,500 sq FT
The Artificial Intelligence network
of British Columbia
3,250 Gala
The University of British Columbia and Simon www.ainbc.ai
Fraser University are leaders in software development. SUBSECTORS
• AI Spring Activator
• Cybersecurity www.vancouvereconomic.com/focus/technology
Cascadia Innovation Corridor
• Digital entertainment & interactive gaming
The Corridor links Vancouver, Seattle and Portland
innovation ecosystems to answer some of the • E-commerce
POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS
world’s greatest challenges. • Esports
• Fintech
Blockchain @UBC
A multidisciplinary research cluster focusing on • SaaS
blockchain research and education to advance the design, • Web & social media technologies
development and adoption of blockchain technologies. • VFX & animation
Source: www.digitalsupercluster.ca
• VR/AR
Source: www.vancouvereconomic.com/focus/technology/
14 BUSINESS EVENTS | TECHNOLOGY #meetincanada businesseventscanada.ca 15
CALGARY
© Travel Alberta
Did you know...
Calgary is a Living Lab
Calgary is the first city in Canada to deploy citywide industrial grade LoRaWAN™ to enable local IoT solutions of
A thriving tech hub and designated LoRaWAN™
up to 30,000 sensors. The Living Lab opens up public spaces, transportation corridors, dark fibre plus LoRaWAN™
living lab, Calgary, with its leadership in
networks and other city-owned assets for the testing, validation and showcasing of technological innovation, including
communications technology, geomatics, SaaS
unmanned and autonomous systems, augmented reality and virtual reality in a real-world environment.
and IoT technologies, is a magnet for tech Source: www.calgary.ca/General/Pages/Living%20labs/Living-labs.aspx?redirect=/livinglabs
events focused on 21st century technologies.
Startup Genome named Calgary as a Top 5 ecosystem for connectedness among 50 cities globally.
Source: Global Startup Ecosystem Report (GSER), Startup Genome, 2019
42,500
Employed in the tech sector
Source: 2020 Scoring Tech Talent, CBRE Research
CONFERENCE Calgary’s strong corporate presence,
INFRASTRUCTURE
2,834 Businesses in Calgary’s tech sector entrepreneurial spirit and tenacious startup culture is
Source: Canadian Business Counts for NAICS ICT Variant, Statistics Canada, December 2019;
Calgary Economic Development
14,000 driving an ecosystem that embraces innovation across
sectors as diverse as clean technology, agritech,
NOTEWORTHY INNOVATIONS GUEST ROOMS
fintech, biotech and more. Calgary is a natural place
to host a technology conference — even our venue
28 “Pure-Play” AI firms in Calgary Calgary’s Tektelic Communications develops
and manufactures high-performance wireless 111,484 sq m spaces are designed to integrate advanced event tech
1.2 million sq FT
Source: Canada’s AI Ecosystem, UToronto + Global Advantage Consulting Group, Page 28, June products, including the LoRaWAN™ network used and inspire your delegates!"
2020
as part of the city’s Living Lab.
TOTAL MEETING SPACE — David Woodward, Executive Director,
Meetings + Conventions Calgary
Xingwei Wu of Westaim Corporation realized a
CALGARY TELUS CONVENTION CENTRE
technological breakthrough first envisioned in 1936
when he developed the hybrid electroluminescent 11,334 sq m
122,000 sq FT
flat-panel display screen (flat colour TV screen or
Institute for Quantum Science
computer monitor).
and Technology at the University of
3,600 Gala
ACCELERATING INNOVATION*
Calgary conducts leading research in key
theoretical and experimental topics of Calgarian, James Gosling, is credited as the
quantum science and technology. inventor of the Java programming language in BMO CENTRE
Interactions Lab University of Calgary conducts
1994, creating the original design of Java and
implementing its original compiler and virtual 24,619 sq m
265,000 sq FT
research in the areas of human-computer interaction
machine.
and information visualization.
2,000 Gala
POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS
COMPANIES*
SUB-SECTORS*
• Applied AI/ML CONFERENCES*
• Communications technology
IEEE International
• Digital media & gaming Conference on Acoustics,
• Geomatics & autonomous technologies Speech and Signal
Processing
• IoT
2018
• SaaS
*Source: Calgary fact sheet provided by destination
*Source: Calgary fact sheet provided by destination
16 BUSINESS EVENTS | TECHNOLOGY #meetincanada businesseventscanada.ca 17
EDMONTON NOTEWORTHY INNOVATIONS
Did you know...
ST Innovations, the business arm of the University
The 2 fastest growing software company in
nd of Alberta’s SMART Network, combines a leading
A central innovation hub core to the Pan-Canadian
Canada, Jobber, a scheduling software and app, research network with specialized equipment and
AI Strategy thanks to its leading R&D in AI and
is headquartered in Edmonton. market insights to accelerate innovative health ideas at
reinforcement learning, Edmonton is home to one of
every stage through various human machine interfaces
the top five AI research institutions in the world — just using AI, VR/AR (XR) and robotics.
one of many reasons Edmonton is an ideal location for a Edmonton-based Serious Labs is an award-
winning 3D-interactive technology company
meeting of the minds.
that develops VR training solutions for the global
heavy equipment industry.
19,600 1,443
Employed Businesses (2018)
OENano uses nanotechnology to create
Source: Edmonton Global Information Source: Edmonton Economic Development
and Communication Technology Sector Information and Communication Technology revolutionary products for a number of
Profile Sector Profile (2018)
sectors including the energy, agriculture and
transportation industries.* CONFERENCES
The 2019 SingularityU Canada
Summit brought thousands of SingularityU
Granify provides a SaaS solution that enables
Edmonton is a core member of online retailers to maximize their sales by using
Canadians together in Edmonton, and 2019
the Pan-Canadian AI Strategy cutting-edge big data and ML technologies. via satellite and livestream events
Nano Canada
thanks to expertise from the across the country. It was one of 15 International
University of Alberta and the international SU Summits that happened Conference
Alberta Machine Intelligence Clinisys uses its data migration strategies, around the world, putting Edmonton on 2021
Institute.* including data visualization, big data analytics and the global stage and highlighting our city
data mining, in eHealth applications.
as a progressive and collaborative place
Source: Edmonton Economic Development Information and CONFERENCE
Communication Technology Sector Profile in the open data, open government INFRASTRUCTURE
and digital innovation spaces. The
event was a catalyst for both our city
and our innovation sector, and rallied
12,738
TOTAL GUEST ROOMS
SUB-SECTORS* the community together to see the
COMPANIES
exciting work that is being done by
61,858 sq m
• AI/ML
• Big data Edmontonians."
• Digital entertainment & interactive gaming — Anna Look
Director, Visitor Economy Sales
665,841 sq FT
• Nanotechnology TOTAL MEETING SPACE
Explore Edmonton
• SaaS
• Telecommunications & wireless tech EDMONTON EXPO CENTRE
Source: Hoovers, Edmonton Global *Source: Edmonton Global fact sheet
ACCELERATING INNOVATION*
48,495 sq m
522,000 sq FT
Edmonton
CMA 6,000 Gala
Nint InnT EDMONTON CONVENTION
CENTRE
12,225 sq m
POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS* 131,590 sq FT
3,980 Gala
© Edmonton Tourism
*Source: Edmonton Global fact sheet
18 BUSINESS EVENTS | TECHNOLOGY #meetincanada businesseventscanada.ca 19WINNIPEG
Winnipeg makes it easy to help
In Canada’s heartland, Winnipeg is easily accessed from you bring your next technology
all points east, west, north and south. This midwestern meeting or convention here with our
one-stop shop for tourism support
city boasts a thriving community of small- and medium-
and strong network within our thriving
sized tech companies making contributions in data
techno-creative industry. Economic
collection platforms, ML and robotics, and interactive
© Tourism Winnipeg/Dan Harper
Development Winnipeg can easily
digital media/game developments. connect you with local business and
academic tech experts for speaking
opportunities and facility tours, while
19,300 1,315 our Tourism Winnipeg team provides
CONFERENCES*
Employed Tech businesses the tools and support you need to
Source: StatsCan -Table 14-10-0054-01 Source: Stats Can customized table make your event a success."*
Western Canada
— Dayna Spiring, President and CEO, Economic Information Security
NOTEWORTHY INNOVATIONS* Development Winnipeg Inc. Conference
CONFERENCE
2019
INFRASTRUCTURE
COMPANIES*
Bold Commerce, which offers modular e-commerce
solutions, grew 414% in 2019 and was named one
7,100 Items International
2017
TOTAL GUEST ROOMS
of Canada’s Top Growing Companies by the Globe &
56,000 sq m
Mail.
ACCELERATING INNOVATION* 604,000 sq FT
TOTAL MEETING SPACE
North Forge Technology
Bit Space Development is ranked in the top 10 Exchange
of VR/AR-development companies from around the RBC CONVENTION CENTRE
POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS
world by Clutch.
24,526 sq m
Manitoba Technology
Accelerator (MTA) 264,000 sq FT
9,000 Gala
Winnipeg startup SkipTheDishes uses technology
to connect hungry residents with local restaurants. Industrial Technology
Since 2013, the company has grown to include 18,000 Centre (ITC)
couriers and 100 locations in Canada and the US.
Red River College
Innovation Centre
Check Point Secure
SUB-SECTORS*
Academy in Canada
• Data centres
• Digital media & interactive entertainment
• E-commerce Wawanesa Innovation Lab
© Canadian Museum for Human Rights
• Insurtech
• SaaS
*Source: Winnipeg fact sheet provided by destination *Source: Winnipeg fact sheet provided by destination
20 BUSINESS EVENTS | TECHNOLOGY #meetincanada businesseventscanada.ca 21WATERLOO ACCELERATING INNOVATION*
© Explore Waterloo Region
A global technology hub, Waterloo is a powerhouse
of tech talent and innovation, boosted by a world-
class academic community. Here you’ll find Canada’s
top technology university, the world’s highest
concentration of mathematical and computer science
talent, expertise in both hardware and software — and
plenty of Canadian experts to champion and enhance
your conference agenda.
1,700
Companies
21,500+ 558 NOTEWORTHY INNOVATIONS
Employed*
Startups The Waterloo Region has inspiring spaces and
venues for all kinds of events. The area is known
130 Among its many applications, Northern Digital
for being at the cutting edge for thinking and doing
AI companies* and is populated by thought leaders — from startups
technology is the foundation of some of the most
progressive surgical navigation systems in medicine to globally recognized tech firms and research
facilitating computer-guided surgery and therapy. One leaders. Best of all, there is a collaborative mindset
Did you know...
of the company’s products can track a moving object as that permeates every aspect of our innovation
small as a blood cell from six metres away. ecosystem."*
The Waterloo Region is home to Canada’s largest
Source: www.waterlooedc.ca/en/industries/resources/ndi-success-story.pdf
robotics and automation cluster, 150 research — Kelly McManus, Senior Director, Community Relations and Events,
CONFERENCES University of Waterloo
centres and the largest concentration of math and
computer science talent in the world. The True North Tech for
Good™ conference brings the
COMPANIES* biggest minds in tech together
The region is Canada’s leading IoT cluster. to discuss the implications of
innovation and the importance
of ensuring that technology is
guided by ethos above all else. CONFERENCE
Canada’s first Google for Startups Accelerator INFRASTRUCTURE
June 2018, 2019
is here.
2,700
TOTAL GUEST ROOMS
The Toronto-Waterloo Corridor is home to
POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS
55,741 sq m
287,000 tech workers and nearly 9,600 tech
companies.
600,000 sq FT
TOTAL MEETING SPACE
The region has the world’s highest concentration SUB-SECTORS*
of corporate innovation labs. • AI
The University of Waterloo has been ranked Most Innovative
University in Canada for 28 years (2019) and ranked #1 in Canada BINGEMANS CONFERENCE CENTRE
• Autotech
4,314 sq m
and #4 in the Americas for innovation in AI and robotics.
• Cybersecurity
The highest concentration of quality tech talent
nationwide can be found here (2018). • Fintech
• Quantum technology
46,000 sq FT
The region has the 2nd highest concentration of
1,200 Gala
startups worldwide.
*Source: Waterloo Regional Tourism Marketing Corporation fact sheet
22 BUSINESS EVENTS | TECHNOLOGY #meetincanada businesseventscanada.ca 23TORONTO Did you know...
Toronto ranks among the
top three cities in North
One of the world’s fastest-growing tech hubs, Toronto is
America for tech talent.*
a pioneer in AI/ML, cybersecurity, communications tech
and fintech. The city and region’s distinct mix of culture, CONFERENCES* From 2018 to early 2020,
educational opportunities, diversity and talent draws Collision Conference
Toronto hosted some 200
the world’s best creators and thinkers, and some of the 2019 - 2021 tech events and welcomed
globe’s most prestigious tech events. some 100,000 delegates.
Palo Alto Networks
August 2019
Microsoft Ignite Tour
January 2019
The Toronto region’s tech industry employs 290,000 AWS Partner Summit
2017 - 2019
skilled workers, making it one of the largest tech hubs in North America.*
NOTEWORTHY INNOVATIONS
CONFERENCE
More than 15,000 tech companies and 5,200 startups* INFRASTRUCTURE
ACCELERATING INNOVATION
Named the world’s fastest-growing
Toronto's Ecobee designs award-winning smart
thermostats and devices controlled by voice.
36,000
TOTAL GUEST ROOMS 65+ tech-focused business
Tech sector incubators and accelerators* including:
3,260,000
by KPMG International*
Over sq FT
of meeting and exhibition space at four major convention Creative Destruction Lab
Whoosh!, on Canadian Business' 2018 list of fastest-
centres:
growing companies, makes products to keep the goo off
• Metro Toronto Convention Centre
SUB-SECTORS all your touchscreens.*
• Exhibition Place Eon Accelerator
• AI/ML • The International Centre
• Communications technology • Toronto Congress Centre
• Cybersecurity TechStars
• Digital entertainment & interactive gaming Content from Wattpad’s worldwide network of 80 million METRO TORONTO CONVENTION CENTRE
55,741 sq m
• Fintech users has been developed into Netflix series and best-
Ryerson DMZ
• Mobile applications selling ebooks.
• SaaS 600,000 sq FT
4,470 Gala gBETA Toronto
360insights uses cloud engineering technology to
create customer satisfaction, drive sales and uncover
COMPANIES*
market insights. Founder Institute Toronto
Canadian startups and the world's leading global tech companies
make Toronto their Canadian headquarters.
MaRS Innovation
Collision landed in Toronto in 2019 and
exceeded expectations, even in its first year, Vector Institute for Artificial Intelligence
and expect it's only going to grow in size and
Photo by Warren Wong on Unsplash
quality in the years to come. People came and
saw that this is a great city — not only to work ventureLAB
in but also to explore and enjoy."*
— Sunil Sharma, co-host of the Collision Conference (Web Source: https://fi.co/insight/a-guide-to-toronto-s-best-startup-accelerators-incubators
Summit), and managing director of TechStars Toronto
*Source: Business Events Toronto Accelerator, the first node of the worldwide network outside *Source: Business Events Toronto
the US.
24 BUSINESS EVENTS | TECHNOLOGY #meetincanada businesseventscanada.ca 25OT TAWA Did you know...
Located in Ottawa, Area X.O is the futureplex of
innovation and collaboration. The state-of-the-art
With the highest concentration of tech talent in North
facility offers a safe and secure environment to create,
America* and world-class R&D capability, Ottawa,
test and demonstrate next-gen mobility and connected
Canada’s capital, is a thriving global tech hub cultivating
technologies.
in-demand expertise in disruptive technologies including
connected and autonomous vehicles, cybersecurity, 5G Ottawa is home to the Canadian Photonics
and AI. Fabrication Centre, North America’s only pure play
fabrication centre.
Ottawa's tech industry employs 77,000 skilled workers.* L-SPARK is Canada’s first enterprise SaaS accelerator.
1,750 Knowledge-based businesses* NOTEWORTHY INNOVATIONS*
In addition to supporting SaaS startups, L-SPARK has
launched independent accelerators driving innovation
CONFERENCES
on autonomous vehicles with Blackberry-QNX, and in
medtech with TELUS, Solace and CIRA, focusing on SAAS NORTH NOW
secure IoT.
MindBridge Ai has developed the world’s first AI- 2020
COMPANIES* powered auditing solution to help companies restore
confidence in their financial data. It currently markets its Impact AI
solutions to the external audit sector and the banking
2020
sector. The company has grown to over 100 employees
in Ottawa and recently opened a new location in the UK.
CONFERENCE CENGN Summit
SAAS NORTH NOW, Canada’s INFRASTRUCTURE
largest technology conference Annual
for SaaS (software-as-a-service)
companies scaling up, was founded
10,000 AccelerateOTT
TOTAL GUEST ROOMS
Headquartered in Ottawa, Shopify’s R&D centre of in 2016 in Ottawa by Cube Business Annual
125,425 sq m
excellence is driving innovation in AI/ML and robotics Media Inc. and L-Spark Corporation.
toward the $1B development of its North American The conference brings together the
ACCELERATING INNOVATION*
network of fulfillment centres. entire Canadian SaaS ecosystem
under one roof. Despite pressures to
1,350,062 sq FT
TOTAL MEETING SPACE
launch SAAS NORTH in other cities,
as founders, we knew the potential
SHAW CENTRE
of Ottawa as a lifetime host city of
Centre of Excellence in Next Generation Networks the conference, and we’ve never 17,837 sq m
192,000 sq FT
looked back!
SUB-SECTORS*
3,840 Gala
— Patrick White
• AI/ML Managing Director | L-SPARK
National Research Council of Canada • Communications technology
• Connective autonomous vehicles technology
• Cybersecurity
• Digital entertainment & interactive gaming POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS
• Govtech
Communications Research Centre Canada
• NGN & 5G
• Photonics
• SaaS
Canada’s Advanced Research and Innovation Network
*Source: Ottawa Tourism/Invest Ottawa Source: Ottawa Tourism/Invest Ottawa
26 BUSINESS EVENTS | TECHNOLOGY #meetincanada businesseventscanada.ca 27QUÉBEC CIT Y Did you know...
A global leader, the National Optics
Institute has generated more than
Québec City nurtures a thriving optics-photonics
30 spinoff companies. Creative work
industry, features Canada’s largest national defence
includes portable 3D cameras for the
research centre, and is a world-class hub for geospatial International Space Station, innovative
businesses, software, database integrators, plus custom orthotics, ophthalmic devices
designers and their sector conferences. and dental diagnostic probes.
23,366 524
Jobs Companies
NOTEWORTHY INNOVATIONS*
ACCELERATING INNOVATION*
The Québec City area, home to Université Laval,
$
3.5B 65 is an excellent place to recruit the best optics The first incubator in optics and photonics in
Canada, Quantino is headquartered in Québec
Revenue Research centres, chairs, Eddyfi Technologies is a key player in the non- talent. We’re located in the Espace d’innovation
Michelet, a next-generation technology park that City.
clusters and institutes destructive testing equipment business. The 10-year-old
Québec City startups' technology is deployed across six unquestionably inspires innovation and collaboration
Source: Québec international, 2016
brands and 10 industries in more than 110 countries. for ABB’s employees. It’s very promising for the Institute Intelligence and Data
expansion of our business."*
— Marc Corriveau, ABB
Optics, Photonics and Laser Centre
Coveo Cloud's AI-powered intelligence platform cuts
through the complexity in data and draws inferences
COMPANIES* CRDM
from behaviour to get to the heart of what users need.
CONFERENCES
Centre for Digital Imagery and Interactive
ASME 2018 International Design Media
Québec City’s LeddarTech® is an industry leader Engineering Technical Conferences
in environmental sensing solutions for autonomous & Computers and Information in
vehicles and advanced driver assistance systems. Engineering Conference INO
2018
*Source: Quebec international fact sheet provided by destination
International Conference on 3D
Vision
2019
Education & Training in Optics CONFERENCE INFRASTRUCTURE
and Photonics
SUB-SECTORS*
17,250 73,860 sq m
2019
• Applied AI
We have had marvellous collaborations with many event
• Cybersecurity
• Data centres
TOTAL GUEST ROOMS
795,000 sq FT
TOTAL MEETING SPACE
partners. We couldn’t have pulled it off without the Québec • Insurtech
City’s Ambassadors’ Club and Québec City Convention QUÉBEC CITY CONVENTION CENTRE
• Interactive entertainment
28,000 sq m
Centre."*
• Optics/photonics/NDT
300,000 sq FT
— Denis Laurendeau, Professor, Université Laval • VFX & animation
Co-organizer of the International Conference on 3D Vision
3,830 Gala
*Source: Quebec international fact sheet provided by destination
28 BUSINESS EVENTS | TECHNOLOGY #meetincanada businesseventscanada.ca 29MONTRÉ AL What sets the Montréal technology sector POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS
apart from other large cities is the force of its
The largest university research hub in Canada:
academic sector. We are talking about 5,000 tech
companies that collaborate with 11 world-renowned Montréal Institute of Learning Algorithms
Montréal has earned its reputation as a major global university institutions. This collaboration is the key
hub for AI, deep learning, multimedia, video game to the success of the AI field in Montréal. This also
production and software development. The city is explains why major events such as NeurIPS and Institute for Data Valorization
home to the largest number of researchers in AI in World Summit AI have decided to host their events
Canada, and the hub around the Mila research centre in Montréal!"* Computer Research Institute of Montréal
and IVADO labs acts as a magnet to attract high-
— Guy-Joffroy Lord, Director, development, business intelligence
© Tourisme Montréal
profile, international tech events. and strategic alliances, Tourisme Montréal Ranked Best Student City in the Americas
Source: QS Best Student Cities 2019
Two universities in the top 150 best universities in the world
Source: QS Ranking 2019
4,000+ Montréal is Canada’s university capital, with the highest
2D/3D
number of students.
179,000+ VFX & animation specialists
NOTEWORTHY INNOVATIONS
CONFERENCES McGill University
Tech professionals in
DreamHack International Conference on
Greater Montréal and 5,000
Educational Data Mining (EDM) Université de Montréal
15,000
businesses 2016, 2021
Montréal Institute of Learning Algorithms July 2019
72,000
Video game professionals Mila is the world’s largest academic research lab in deep International Joint
Conference on Artificial International Conference on Concordia University
learning and reinforcement learning.
Intelligence (IJCAI) Artificial Intelligence and Law
Experts in software Source: www.montrealinternational.com/en/publications/greater-montreal-an-
140+
artificial-intelligence-hub/ (ICAIL)
development August 2021 Université du Québec à Montréal
June 2019
5,000
Video game studios World AI Summit AI for the
Americas Neural Information, Polytechnique Montréal
Processing Systems (NeurIPS)
Tech companies The Canadian government chose Montréal as March 2021
December 2018
headquarters for Scale AI, Canada's AI supply chain HEC Montréal
supercluster, dedicated to building the next-generation
Source: Montréal international sector brochures ITC, Gaming, VR/AR
supply chain and boosting industry performance by
leveraging AI technologies. Université de Sherbrooke
Did you know...
La Guilde du jeu video du Quebec, the largest École NAD-UQAC – School of Digital Arts,
association of its kind globally, promotes the Quebec Animation and Design
COMPANIES*
video game industry locally and internationally.*
60 colleges, including the Cégeps network
As of 2018:
$5.7B
ICT sector exports
$21B+
CONFERENCE
INFRASTRUCTURE
Revenues
27,000 2,903 sq m PALAIS DES CONGRÈS DE
$11B+
MONTRÉAL CONVENTION CENTRE
Real GDP ($ of 2012)
TOTAL GUEST ROOMS
1,000,000 sq FT 51,280 sq m
SUB-SECTORS* TOTAL MEETING SPACE
551,520 sq FT
Source: www.economie.gouv.qc.ca/objectifs/informer/par-secteur-dactivite/technologies-
de-linformation-et-des-communications/page/le-secteur-10878/?tx_igaffichagepages_
pi1%5Bmode%5D=single • AI
(Greater Montréal accounts for about 70% of all IT activities in Québec) • Cybersecurity 3,240 Gala
• Data centres
• Digital entertainment & interactive gaming
• Esports
• VFX & animation
*Source: Montréal international sector brochures
*Source: Montréal international sector brochures
30 BUSINESS EVENTS | TECHNOLOGY #meetincanada businesseventscanada.ca 31VICTORIA KELOWNA
This compact seaside capital is a natural draw for tech Sun-soaked and wine-kissed, this urban resort
entrepreneurs and business events alike. The city is in the heart of British Columbia’s acclaimed wine
an innovation hub for SaaS providers, big data analysts region provides plenty of creative inspiration for
and IoT innovators, plus those focused on cleantech, tech, animation and digital media pros, and the
© Destination BC/ Reuben Krabbe
alternative energy and ocean technologies. Victoria’s organizations that choose to meet in Kelowna’s
interconnected research, education and industry mountain, lake and vineyard playground.
ecosystem, combined with its rich cultural, culinary
© Destination BC
and historical amenities, make the city an easy choice
for engaging dialogue and forward-focused business
events.
Did you know... Combined
16,775 LlamaZOO is a spatial business intelligence 15,000 NOTEWORTHY INNOVATIONS
CONFERENCES provider with a SaaS platform that enables First Employed in tech, animation, digital media and film
Employed (2018)
Source: ICT Sector Profile provided by Kelowna
Source: Business Events Nation bands and stakeholders in mining, oil and
Victoria Municipal Information gas, forestry, and other capital-intensive industries
Systems Association
Conference
to make meaningful and impactful decisions by
visualizing their complex land data in 3D.
200 Yeti Farm Creative is an animation studio that services
renowned and coveted broadcasters like Corus Media, Netflix
2021 Animation, film and digital media businesses
Source: VIATEC and Amazon while also creating original content.
Source: Statistics Canada, Canadian Business Patterns, December 2017 provided Kelowna
Esri Canada User
COMPANIES Conference
2019
Greater Victoria has become an innovative
Reboot Communications
Annual Privacy and region with a burgeoning educational sector Hyper Hippo Entertainment connects people from around
Security Conference which helps to feed talent to a thriving technology the world through its award-winning AdVenture Capitalist series
2019 sector with a clear focus on clean technology, of games.
Fortinet Conference
marine technology and innovation. A strong talent
base, excellent educational institutions, our mild
2018
climate and high quality of life are all contributors CONFERENCE
to our success, and make Victoria a great place to INFRASTRUCTURE With a mission to destroy lag time, Wtfast delivers the best
meet."* connection to 800 million gamers around the world.
POST-SECONDARY
INSTITUTIONS
SUB-SECTORS
— Paul Nursey, President and CEO of Destination Greater Victoria
4,500 Source: investkelowna.com
TOTAL GUEST ROOMS
• Big data
• Fintech
• IoT 10,219 sq m SUB-SECTORS*
• SaaS CONFERENCE
INFRASTRUCTURE
110,000 sq FT • Animation
TOTAL MEETING SPACE • Digital entertainment
6,100 20,903 sq m • Interactive gaming
TOTAL GUEST ROOMS
255,000 sq FT
Source: TK digital tech brochure
ACCELERATING INNOVATION
TOTAL MEETING SPACE
VIATEC Victoria Innovation, Advanced Technology and VICTORIA CONFERENCE CENTRE The technology sector of the
6,782 sq m
Entrepreneurship Council Central Okanagan, where Kelowna
is located, has grown 15% year-
73,000 sq FT over-year since 2013.
1,100 Gala
Source: InvestKelowna
Matrix Institute for Applied Data Science
32 BUSINESS EVENTS | TECHNOLOGY #meetincanada businesseventscanada.ca 33SASK ATOON HALIFA X
Fuelled by prairie ingenuity, Saskatoon is With world-renowned research institutions, a
fast becoming an innovation hub for talented growing startup community and established
animation, gaming and enterprise software leadership in innovation industries, Halifax’s
developers and startups. diversified information technology, gaming and
© Nova Scotia Tourism/Scott Munn
© Tourism Saskatoon/Greg Huszar
digital media sectors attract a host of business
events and talent to the region.
12,900 725 Approximately
Employed
Source: SREDA
Companies
Source: SREDA
12,000
Employees
SUB-SECTORS
CONFERENCE
• Animation INFRASTRUCTURE
• Digital entertainment/interactive gaming
Digital Integration Centre of Excellence at Sask Polytechnic • Enterprise software
IBM chose Halifax in 2012 to create a Client
Innovation Centre and then expanded again in 5,400
focuses on bringing digital solutions to industrial partners, with a Source: Saskatoon flatsheet 2017. The company has been hiring aggressively TOTAL GUEST ROOMS
core focus on data integrity, transmission and storage. and leveraging the city’s talent.
EY launched its Canadian Centre for Advanced
64,475 sq m
Innovation Place helps grow Saskatchewan's tech sector and CONFERENCE
Analytics in 2014 and its Global Centre of
Excellence in Robotic Process Automation in
694,000 sq FT
TOTAL MEETING SPACE
provides a supportive environment for startups and early-stage INFRASTRUCTURE
2018 in Halifax.
5,286
technology companies.
HALIFAX CONVENTION CENTRE
WattPad announced in late 2019 that it is
TOTAL GUEST ROOMS establishing its second headquarters in Halifax.
11,148 sq m
University of Saskatchewan
74,322 sq m 120,000 sq FT
2,000 Gala
Source: Tourism Saskatoon
800,000 sq FT SUB-SECTORS
TOTAL MEETING SPACE
• Cybersecurity
TCU PLACE • Data analytics
9,662 sq m
• Digital entertainment & interactive gaming
NOTEWORTHY INNOVATIONS • SaaS
104,000 sq FT Source: Provided by destination fact sheet
1,424 Gala
7shifts’ restaurant employee scheduling solution is used by
more than 250,000 restaurants across North America, Europe, WORLD TRADE CENTRE AT PRAIRIELAND PARK
Halifax is situated on a landing point
22,296 sq m
the Middle East and Australia. Total capital raised in Series A
for transatlantic network cables.
was more than $20M in 2019.
Infrastructure like GTT Atlantic's
240,000 sq FT International Exchange Centre allow
Vendasta This cloud commerce platform, which provides
2,880 Gala for fast and secure transmission of
data between North American and
digital solutions to small- and medium-sized businesses, raised European clients.
$40M in growth funding. Source: Provided by destination fact sheet
Source: Saskatoon flatsheet
34 BUSINESS EVENTS | TECHNOLOGY #meetincanada businesseventscanada.ca 35You can also read
