The inaugural Canadian Innovation Exchange (CIX) is on the calender for April 29 & 30th at the Carlu in Toronto and promises to focus on innovation. The two-day event will feature an innovation marketplace, flash-forward presentations on the state of technology, and facilitated networking opportunities. Key participants from the US and across Canada have been invited and confirmed attendees include: Mark Skapinker of Brightspark, Barry Gekiere of Ventures West, Bryan Kerdman of EdgeStone Capital Partners, Steve Hnatiuk of Yaletown Venture Partners, and Rick Segal of JLA Ventures. Source: Canadian Innovation Exchange

Okay, yeah our two primary VCs are going to be there.  So of course I have to give them props, but really we need more of these events and not just in Toronto.  We need one in Montreal and Vancouver as well.

Innovation doesn’t happen in a vacuum.  You need to be around innovation.  You need to be exposed to new ideas and exciting people.  Doesn’t matter what you do or where your passion lies, you need to always challenge yourself.  Push the boundaries.  Expose yourself to new and challenging ideas.  Even ideas that seem contrary to what you think is right. often those lead to insights and inspirations you couldn’t see before.

What’s stopping you from innovating?  Is it you?

Post from: EveryJoe

Canadian Innovation Exchange set for April 29-30th

We’ve been getting bombarded with emails about this year’s conference, with many of those coming from people wanting to block the dates out in their calendars. So without further ado, here they are: mesh 2008 is scheduled for May 21 and 22. Info on ticket prices, keynotes, panelists etc. will be coming soon. So book those dates!

In addition to mesh, we’re also planning a little something extra – something we think (and hope) will meet a growing need in Toronto: the need for practical, down-to-earth information about tools, knowledge and expertise for startups, web designers and developers of all kinds.

What we have in mind is a one-day event – which we’re tentatively calling meshU – that will be filled with small, focused workshops by those who have earned their stripes in the startup game; people who can talk knowledgeably about everything from interface design to using Amazon’s S3 distributed server network.

This one-day event – which is scheduled for May 20th, the day before mesh – will be taking shape over the next few months, and we’re hoping you can help program it by telling us what kind of content you want and/or need. Source: mesh blog » Book those mesh 2008 dates, and get ready for meshU

I’ve found that when I go to conferences there a lots of folks who really want to roll up their sleeves and get into the nitty gritty of the topics.  People who want to improve their skills in all the different facets of social media.  Of course if you know what you what to learn hands-on before the conference then you’re set.

I wonder how many folks might be interested in sessions after the conference to dig into things…Okay maybe not, I’m pretty wiped after a conference.

Regardless, I’m looking forward to mesh08!

Post from: EveryJoe

Mesh08 May 21 & 22 plus MeshU May 20–Mark it down now!