Thought leaders (listed below) from each of these organizations will be joining us at the 6th Annual Summit.

Big Impact Infrastructure

Fausto Natarelli – Director, Ministry of Transportation
Bringing knowledge from the Windsor Border Initiatives Implementation Group

A Knowledge Driven, Creative Economy: Our Pathway to Prosperity

Dr. Diana Pliura – President, ALBRY Inc. & Entrepreneur In Residence, The Health Technology Exchange (HSX)
HSX supports the growth of a dynamic, prosperous Ontario medical and assistive technologies industry sector.

Sara Diamond – President, Ontario College of Art and Design
OCAD is Canada’s “University of the Imagination”

Check out the preliminary agenda to find out more!

We have a terrific opportunity in Ontario to leverage creative industries; introduce design thinking and methods to traditional industries and use the digital revolution to leap forward.  Ontario cultural industries, representing content, services and platforms, are economically important, with an 8% growth rate since 2000; billions of dollars of profit each year and high-paying knowledge-industry jobs, and with a strong ethnic diversity that can reach global and Canadian markets. Technology strengths include micro-electronics for display technologies, animation, mobile technology and applications. While the GTA is the powerhouse, through effective clustering these industries have positive impacts on local economies. Migrating into Ontario are two international gaming companies, Electronic Arts and UbiSoft; their presence is testimony to existing capacity in Ontario—they will stimulate the further development of Canadian gaming companies. 

Here are three proposals:

Ontario has the fourth most powerful design labor force in North America and Ontario has top ranked PSE design programs.  We have the talent, but too few Ontario manufacturers hire this talent base. Studies show that manufacturing industries that take advantage of design knowledge thrive. They develop unique intellectual property; they diversify products effectively; they find business efficiencies and anticipate consumer trends and demand. Designers can look at existing technology and imagine new applications. Designers have the skills to collaborate with workers on the shop floor who are an under utilized source of creative ideas for new products and processes for their industries. Let’s create incentives to bring design companies, designers and design researchers together with the manufacturing sector to help traditional industry thrive. 

Core industrial sectors, such as financial and health services are going digital, and mobile. This transition requires fastidious attention to the interface between humans and the technology working in the background.  That is a cultural problem.  Significant profits can be made by bringing together creative industries, service industries, and the mobile sector.  Ontario has capacity in these areas, but requires action on policy and investment to ensure that companies are internationally competitive.  

Digital media is booming and can continue to boom, with national as well as international markets. Digital media is rooted in traditional cultural knowledge and production. While technology platforms, content enablers and creative content have often developed side by side, without strategic integration, there is growing success in intertwining capacities, through clustering related industries together, providing research capabilities to industries through our post-secondary sector and creating efficiencies within production and distribution.  Ontario firms need capitalization to grow to the next stage, as well as business development support and cross-sector match-making.

We can have our Silicon Valley, and more.

As an example of Ontario talent Xenophile Media, Toronto, continues to win prestigious international Emmys!

Ontario Students developing their talent: OCAD/Telus Design Collaboration.

Sara Diamond
President, Ontario College of Art and Design

Thought leaders (listed below) from each of these organizations will be joining us at the 6th Annual Summit.

• Llyod McCoomb – President, Greater Toronto Airports Authority
• Ken Field – Chairman & Founder, Greenfield Ethanol
• Paul Rak – President, VeriGreen Inc.

Check out the preliminary agenda to find out more!

An initiative of the Ontario Chamber of  Commerce, Ontario Visionaries will annually pay tribute to one extraordinary inductee who exhibits integrity, collaboration and leadership. The inaugural inductee is the Hon. William G. Davis, the 18th Premier of Ontario.

During his political career, William G. Davis had a major impact on the province’s economy through pivotal decisions on issues including education, infrastructure, healthcare, trade and taxation. Haroon Siddiqui wrote a fitting opinion piece in the Toronto Star earlier this week that outlines Mr. Davis’ legacy. Bill Davis and the art of humane politics

OES delegates will celebrate along with current and past leaders of provincial and national politics at the Grand Hall, Fallsview Casino Resort that evening and others who share a common respect for the great accomplishments of the former Premier and a vision of a strong and vibrant Ontario.

Paul is a natural addition to our panel – known as the “heart and soul” of Umbra, Paul leads a design team of 30 bright, creative minds, challenging the team to constantly think outside the box. Paul’s efforts result in new designs being developed each day for every room in our homes.  

With Paul’s participation, this panel is sure to help you discover how to inject a little more creativity into your business environment.

Check out the rest of the preliminary program agenda.

Picture by: eyeline_Imagery

Warren will help delegates to understand where we sit in comparison to the rest of the world and he will also help identify where we need to be in order to keep pace and eventually out run the rest of the world.

Check out the rest of the preliminary program agenda.

Thought leaders (listed below) from each of these organizations will be joining us at the 6th Annual Summit.

• Lyn Heward – Former President and COO of Cirque du Soleil’s Creative Division
• Rebecca LeHeup-Bucknell – Exectuive Director, Ontario Culinary Tourism Alliance
• Ian Wilson – Executive Director, The Stratford Institute for Digital Media & Culture

Check out the preliminary agenda to find out more!

Register before July 31st to receive this year’s special 20% off Early Bird discount.

In our pilot episode, we speak with Maryscott (Scotty) Greenwood of the Canadian American Business Council (CABC) about the Canada-US relationship, including concerns of  growing protectionist sentiments and President Obama’s nomination of a new Ambassador to Canada.  

USE THE PLAYER BELOW TO LISTEN NOW!

[podcast]http://occ-oes.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/07/OEStalks-Podcast-Ep1FINAL.mp3[/podcast]

Mr. Ip is the U.S. Economics Editor for The Economist, based in Washington D.C.. Widely regarded as one of the world’s top economic journalists, the Pulitzer Prize winning Mr. Ip is often seen on CNBC, CNN, BBC, NPR and Newshour with Jim Lehrer.

Mr. Ip has also been at the forefront of social media having created Real Time Economics, the Wall Street Jounal’s online blog of Fed and economic news. He is a frequent contributer to The Economist’s blog, Free Exchange. Check out Greg’s bio and be sure to reserve your seat at this year’s Summit. Early bird registration ends July 31st.