Canada 3.0 Looks Into The Future With Minister Tony Clement
This year’s Canada 3.0 digital media forum will have a strong focus on industry, including an address by Canada’s Industry Minister Tony Clement, when the event is staged at the Stratford Rotary Complex in Stratford, Ontario this May 2nd through 4th. Minister Clement will speak to Canada’s place in the global digital economy on May 3.
“Our government has a clear vision of how Canada can successfully engage in the digital economy,” said Minister Clement. “Canada 3.0 brings together everyone from grassroots entrepreneurs, to industry leaders, academia, and government. It is the ideal platform to be talking about how best to position Canada for success in the digital future.”
The Canadian Digital Media Network (CDMN) organizing Canada 3.0 2011 says the forum will examine how ICT (Information and Communications Technologies) can advance Canada’s productivity. There is also a pitch competition for early stage companies. The Road To Banff Pitch Off Contest, which is open for up to 100 Canadian early stage companies interested in pitching, getting feedback and networking, offers among other prizes 3 Grand Prizes, which consist of an all expense paid trip to the Banff Venture Forum courtesy of the Canadian Digital Media Network and Communitech. Winners will receive travel, accommodations and conference fees to the Banff Venture Forum, Canada’s premier Venture Capital forum. In addition, Banff Venture Forum organizers will host a one day workshop for the winners that will include introductions to funders and pairing companies with a VC mentor for the conference.
“Our ‘Moonshot’ goal for Canada – that anyone can do anything online in Canada by 2017 — is what drives the discussion and action items resulting from the event,” said Kevin Tuer, Managing Director of the CDMN. There is a video contest to go with the previous statement.
Individuals, schools and post secondary institutions, corporations – all Canadians – are invited to submit a video that paints their vision of Canada as it will look in 2017. Your video can be a webcam monologue, a presentation, a story or a short film of 5 minutes or less. Select entries will be featured on the Canada 3.0 website and profiled at the Canada 3.0 venue during the conference. Three winners will each receive $500.00 in addition to the spotlight features.
In addition to the industry focus, Canada 3.0 also spans government and education, with the speaker roster including:
– Anthony D. Williams, co-author of ‘MacroWikinomics’, ‘Rebooting Business and the World’, and ‘Wikinomics’
– Jeremy Gutsche, innovation expert, author of Exploiting Chaos, and host of Trend Hunter TV
– Dr. Michael Wesch, Associate Professor of Cultural Anthropology at Kansas State University and winner of the Wired Magazine Rave Award
– Kunal Gupta, CEO of Polar Mobile, and a market leader in launching innovative mobile applications
– Soniya Monga, Community Manager at Techvibes.com and co-host of Perpetual Radio’s Social Media Show
– Paul Lepage, Sr. VP Telus Health and Financial Solutions in the Telus Health Solutions division
Eight sector tracks will include more than 100 speakers and expert panelists, plus interactive discussions regarding the latest in digital media-driven productivity gains in education, health, media & entertainment, telecommunications & distribution, natural resources, public sector, research, and human resources.
In addition to the ‘main tent’ presentations and sector tracks, the forum also features an Interactive Showcase area which this year comprises more than 60 exhibitors spanning industry and academia. Tuer emphasizes that the connections between participants in the forum are a key benefit of the event.
”Every year the conversation is renewed and revitalized with connections that make for lasting relationships amongst digital startups and established companies, across sectors and up and down the influence chain,” said Tuer.
Canada 3.0 2011 is enabled by Platinum sponsors: OpenText, PricewaterhouseCoopers (PwC), Research In Motion (RIM), and supported by The City of Stratford and University of Waterloo Stratford Campus.
