Canada's Tech Innovators Supercharge Meaningful Events

• By: admin
• On: 04/08/2021 12:08:05
• In: Thought Leadership

From the software and platforms we rely on day-to-day, to the ones that go unseen yet keep us safe, Canada's Information and Communications Technology reach and influence is wide and deep. Technology leaders from around the world are discovering how Canada's expertise can foster events that leverage local knowledge capital, promote engaging conversations and drive the technology industry forward.  

Canada's technology sector remains a major economic driver outperforming much of the rest of the country's economy in output, employment and innovation growth since 2012. In 2019, the technology sector contributed $89.4B to Canada's GDP1.  Of the world's top 10 largest tech companies, nine have Canadian headquarters in the Greater Toronto Area and one in Montreal. 

The defining characteristic of Canada's technology sector is the rapidly increasing rate of innovation and productivity that continually occurs—not only in the industries that produce hardware, software, components, content and services used in technology applications but also in the sectors that benefit from the adoption and use of these technologies. As Canada focuses on strengthening the economy, the technology sector is continuing to grow in prominence and is emerging as an industry that can make a significant impact.  

Further, the impact of business events on this innovation growth is clear with hubs of innovation and collaboration across the country. Technology business events facilitate world-changing conversations. Hosting business events in Canadian technology centres aligned with an organizer's own technology objectives or mandate provides access to local thought leaders, hands-on learning and the experiences needed to leave a lasting impact not just on the host organization, but the community, attendees and the industry as a whole.  

Canada is leading with the world in: AI, Digital Media and Entertainment, Fintech, Cybersecurity, Robotics, and Telecommunications Technologies.

AI 

• Canada has become a leader in AI with Montréal and Toronto taking the lead as exceptional hubs or research and startup activity, closely followed by Edmonton and its Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute. 
• A consortium of 100+ private entities, research centres, academia and high-potential startups, the Montréal-based Scale AI supercluster is the central pillar of Canada's AI ecosystem which identifies cross-sector collaborative projects, and provides funding and expert guidance to strengthen and improve the productivity of supply chains through the integration and responsible use of AI. Members include: Air Canada, COVEO, Creative Destruction Lab, Element AI, Majik Systems, McGill University, Mindbridge, Shopify, and the University of Alberta. 

Digital Media and Entertainment 

With more than 230 immersive technology companies in 2019, Vancouver is home to the world's 2nd largest VR/AR sector and the largest cluster of the world's top VFX and animation studios.



Meanwhile, Montreal is the world's 5th largest video game hub and home to Esports Central Arena—Canada's first esports entertainment complex. 





Fintech 

• Wealthsimple, a leading Canadian online investment platform with growing UK operations, combines AI capabilities and user-friendly digital tools and personal financial advice to make smart, automated investing more readily available.  
• Canada is also emerging as a leading crypto nation, ranking third behind the United States and the United Kingdom when it comes to embracing blockchain technology.  

Meet with purpose 

• Source: Quarterly Monitor, Information and Communications Technology Council, 2019 Q2. 
• Source: Canadian Defence, Aerospace, Marine and Cybersecurity Industries Survey (2018), 2018 survey, released in 2020