More smart than beautiful

Wednesday, 11.09.2019

Business Events Canada takes a bold new approach to gaining international conferences – especially in life sciences – with its Innovate Canada event series.

Molecular cuisine: For its signature dinner, Business Events Canada invites its guests to the lab of a crazy professor.

Photo: Destination Canada

Metropolis. Toronto is bubbling with diversity and inventiveness. Thanks to its young, cosmopolitan spirit, Canada’s largest city is the flagship of an open immigration policy: More than half of Toronto’s population were born abroad. In addition, Toronto is one of the most progressive cities in North America.

The metropolis has become an innovation hub for medical technology and healthcare. The city centre is home to the Discovery District with a high concentration of clinics, research institutions and incubators. Toronto boasts the majority of the world‘s most successful life science companies.

All this makes it a perfect venue for this May’s Innovate Canada. With this series of events, Business Events Canada (BEC) is exploring new avenues in gaining international congresses as well as potential investors and trading partners for Canada. Instead of focusing its marketing efforts solely on the country’s meeting infrastructure, Innovate Canada puts the know-how and qualities of its own industries into the spotlight.

Be it oncology, artificial intelligence or life sciences, the motto is “smart more than beautiful,” says Virginie De Visscher, Director of Business Development, Economic Sectors, at BEC. This year’s event is all about life sciences. Planners from the fields of medical technology and healthcare will be able to gain insight into Canada’s cutting-edge technologies.

Collision coincides with this event. The rapidly growing tech conference has left its old venue in New Orleans to take place in Canada for the first time in 2019. With 172 exhibitors and over 25,000 visitors, Collision is an ideal place for networking and showcasing Canada‘s meeting expertise, making it an ideal addition to Innovate Canada’s programme.

The hallmark of Innovate Canada’s strategy is the unusual way in which it addresses its target group. De Visscher believes that inviting international CEOs and providing a deeper insight into Canada’s expertise and fields of research has a more lasting effect. Many places boast both hotels and convention centres, but what makes them stand out? One way is to change the perspective; less meetings industry, more science and research.

The concept itself is not new, and countries such as the UK, Singapore and Dubai are following similar approaches. What is unique, however, is how Innovate Canada is applying this strategy to an event. Tourism and business players work together to offer guests the best possible conditions for successful networking and fruitful business talks.

BEC’s Executive Director Chantal Sturk-Nadeau and Virginie De Visscher have come up with a correspondingly tough selection process: Globally scouted medical and health tech companies need to meet a number of criteria: They need to have a minimum size and be clearly willing to invest and do business in Canada. In addition, delegates must be decision-makers in their companies. “If only a Head of Department can take part instead of the Managing Director, we say no.” Clients must speak the same language,” says De Visscher. Fifteen guests are selected from more than 400 potential companies.

CEOs thus have a scientific understanding of what is communicated to them during visits to laboratories and incubators. The combination of bioscience tours and B-2-B talks gives delegates insight into Canada’s research and trade expertise.

Another impressive thing is the spirit of cooperation between Canadian cities and regions. Partners travel to the event from all over the country. From Alberta to Ottawa to Halifax, there are eight locations with a strong life science infrastructure. Relations between the partners are open-minded and laid-back, competition takes a back seat. Each destination has its own characteristics, the convention bureaux cooperate closely with the academic elite.

Implementing such an outside the box concept requires strong communication and teamwork. Canada is setting a great example in this area. From 2020, Innovate Canada will be dedicated to ocean sciences. The destination will then be Newfoundland.