TLC 2012 The Digital Book

VIRTUAL PAGE 1 THE DIGITAL BOOK


PRESENTING PARTNERS

INDUSTRY PARTNERS

BREAKFAST PARTNER LUNCH PARTNER TECH EXPO PARTNER

RECEPTION PARTNER CONFERENCE PORTFOLIO PARTNER

SILVER PARTNERS

GOLD PARTNERS

SESSION PARTNERS


What an exceptional time to be working in tech in Waterloo Region!

After 15 years of tremendous success, our neighbourhood of tech

firms continue to perform far beyond our wildest expectations.

We ’ ve come a long way; from humble beginnings with just a

handful of tech CEOs fifteen years ago finding common ground,

founding Communitech and the roots of this exceptional tech

cluster evident today.

At current, this tech community generates more than $25B in

revenue every year. More than 30,000 people work in tech firms

here, and everyone needs more talented people. We welcome

more than one new startup into our fold per week, 300 startups

strong and growing.

Welcome to our 2012 Tech Leadership Conference. Network,

learn, experience and enjoy. Celebrate our success with us!

Iain Klugman, President and CEO, Communitech 15

Years of Tech



THE AGENDA

TIMES SPEAKERS/SESSIONS

7:30-8:10am Registration, Breakfast & Tech Expo Showcase

8:10-8:30am Welcome and Opening Comments

Formulating Change Graduation from the Accelerator Program

8:30-9:30am Keynote: Neil Pasricha: Author “The Book of Awesome”

9:30-9:45am Move to Session Rooms

9:45-10:45am

Concurrent Breakout Sessions – Morning

Terry Stuart, Growing Innovative Companies – Ballroom F

Panel: How to Avoid Failure in the Mobile Market – Ballroom BC

Mike Winterfield, Employer Branding – Ballroom A

10:45-11:00am Return to Main Hall

11:00-noon Keynote: Nora Young, Host of CBC Radio Program “Spark”

noon-1:00pm Lunch

1:00-2:00pm Afternoon Keynote: Arianna Huffington

2:00-2:15pm Move to Session Rooms

2:15-3:15pm

Concurrent Breakout Sessions – Afternoon

Rich Bendis, A Vibrant Innovation Ecosystem – Ballroom F

Sweet Tooth, Excellence in Customer Service - Ballroom BC

Maggie Harmon: Walking the Talk – Ballroom A

3:15-3:30pm Return to Main Hall

3:30-4:30pm Reception/Tech Expo Showcase

4:30pm Close



AFTERNOON KEYNOTE :: ARIANNA HUFFINGTON

Arianna Huffington, The Huffington Post

www.huffingtonpost.com

Co-founder of the world ’ s best-known blog, Arianna has been

named to the TIME 100 ( TIME magazine ’ s list of the world ’ s

100 most influential people ) , Fast Company ’ s list of the 100

Most Creative People in Business, Financial Times ’ 50 People

Who Shaped the Decade, Newsweek ’ s Top Ten Thought-

Leaders of the Decade, Forbes ’ lists of Most Influential Women in

the Media, and The World ’ s 100 Most Powerful Women.

Arianna Huffington is the president and editor-in-chief of the AOL

Huffington Post Media Group, a nationally syndicated columnist

and author of thirteen books. In May 2005, she launched The

Huffington Post, a news and blog site that quickly became one of

the most widely-read, linked to and frequently-cited media brands

on the Internet.

Arianna ’ s topic:

The Brave New World of the “ N ew Media ” : How Social Media

Has Revolutionized the Communications Landscape



MORNING KEYNOTE :: NEIL PASRICHA, THE BOOK OF AWESOME

Neil Pasricha, The Book of Awesome

www.1000AwesomeThings.com

Neil is the international bestselling author of The Book of Awesome, his award-

winning blog 1000AwesomeThings.com, and has been featured on CNN, MSNBC,

CBC, The New Yorker, WIRED, and The Huffington Post.

Sometimes the simplest things in life can bring us the most happiness. The cold

side of the pillow, finding money in your coat pocket, and snow days are only a few

of the things Neil Pasricha thinks are awesome. His book, The Book of Awesome

is a #1 international bestseller currently being released in Australia, Canada,

France, Germany, Holland, India, Korea, New Zealand, the UK, and United States.

Neil ’ s topic: Four Steps to Being Awesome



LUNCH KEYNOTE :: NORA YOUNG, CBC RADIO’S SPARK

Nora Young, CBC Radio ’ s Spark

www.cbc.ca/spark

Nora Young is the host and the creator of Spark, CBC Radio’ s national

radio show and podcast about technology and culture. She was the

founding host of Definitely not the Opera, where she often discussed

topics related to new media and technology. Her work has also appeared

online, on television, and in print. Nora blogs at norayoung.ca, and does

the indie podcast The Sniffer with her friend and colleague, Cathi Bond.

When away from the online world, Nora loves teaching yoga, being in

nature, and cycling.

Nora ’ s topic: Trees, Meet Forest: Making Meaning in the Data Boom



TECH EXPO SHOWCASE :: FEATURING...

PRESENTED BY




AM BREAKOUT SESSION :: BALLROOM F

TERRY S. STUART, CIO, DELOITTE CANADA

GROWING INNOVATIVE CULTURES AND COMPANIES

Innovation models that work for large companies and

small companies.

Identifying signals of innovation

How to identify market creating opportunities

through innovation

Ascertaining the potential success of innovation

How start-ups can be innovative

Using Innovation to redesign the product development

process

Increasing product sales through new innovative

products

Standardizing processes to increase margins

Ideation

Deep dives to address core business problems

Engaging diverse groups to collaborate on

About Terry

Terry is Deloitte Canada’s Chief Innovation Officer; a member of the firm’s Global

Innovation Network and also leads the firm’s Financial Services Consulting

practice. With more than 20 years of experience, he has spent a considerable

amount of time working in a variety of industries including the public sector. From

an innovation perspective, Terry has led projects around the world in terms of

driving innovation and more specifically has helped organizations benchmark their

innovation capabilities, use innovation approaches to solve fundamental business

problems, and design and implement integrated innovation programs.


AM BREAKOUT SESSION :: BALLROOM BC

PANEL: HOW TO AVOID FAILURE IN THE MOBILE MARKET

The mobile market represents a potentially enormous and fast growing opportunity

to businesses. But simply building an app and getting it into an app store isn’t

enough. You need to have a mobile strategy, and choose your approach and tools

carefully. The panel will share their experiences in achieving success in the mobile

market, and what pitfalls await business leaders and developers in this exciting

space.

MODERATOR: MARK MCARDLE

DAN SILVIESTRU, RIM

FOUNDER, TINYHIPPOS

DAVE BULLOCK,

FONGO INC.

DEREK TING,

CO-FOUNDER AND

CEO, ENFLICK


AM BREAKOUT SESSION :: BALLROOM A

MIKE WINTERFIELD, PRESIDENT, RANDSTAD PROFESSIONALS

EMPLOYER BRANDING: A KEY WEAPON IN THE WAR FOR

TALENT

As the world transforms into the new

playground for employers looking for the best

talent, it’s critical for organizations to look at

employer branding from a broader perspective.

After measuring company perceptions and

identifying the criteria that is important to

Canadian job seekers and the working

population, Mike Winterfield, President of

Randstad Professionals will provide a clearer

picture of one of the most important HR issues

in the upcoming years.

Winterfield will take a closer look at how Canadian companies attract and engage the

talent they need. At a time when employers are struggling to attract and retain quality

talent, a strong employer brand is a considerable asset. He will provide valuable insight

into current jobseeker’s perceptions and will explore a company’s ability to attract and

retain the best talent in Canada’s competitive marketplace.

You may be surprised to discover what different demographics are looking for in an

employer and how that affects the way you are trying to attract talent. Find out if your

strategy is geared towards the wrong candidates and what you can do to attract the right

ones.

About Mike

In his role as President of Randstad Professionals, the country’s largest professional Staffing

and HR services provider, Mike Winterfield is responsible for all of the Randstad

Professionals brands that span across Canada and include: Randstad Technologies,

Engineering, Accounting, Finance, HR, Sales and Marketing. Mike has held a number of

roles including working directly with clients and job seekers, speaking at industry events

and acting as a board member for non-profit organizations.


PM BREAKOUT SESSION :: BALLROOM F

RICH BENDIS, PRESIDENT AND CEO, INNOVATION AMERICA

CREATING A VIBRANT INNOVATION ECOSYSTEM

About Richard

Mr. Bendis is a distinguished and successful entrepreneur, corporate executive,

venture capitalist, investment banker, innovation based economic development

(IBED) leader, international speaker and consultant in Innovation and Economy

Building.

Mr. Bendis currently serves as the founding President and CEO of Innovation

America (IA), a Global Innovation Intermediary focused on accelerating the

growth of the entrepreneurial innovation economy in America. He is also serving

as the interim CEO for BioHealth Innovation inc., a Central Maryland innovation

intermediary.

Mr. Bendis is recognized as a global expert

on what it takes to build a vibrant Innovation

Ecosystems. His talk will focus on Global,

North American and Canadian trends and

best practices on growing Innovation

Economies and how these trends relate to

the Waterloo Region.

He will also discuss the roles

that Government, Academia, Foundations

and most importantly the Private Sector can

and should play in supporting an Innovation

and Entrepreneurial driven regional

economy.


PM BREAKOUT SESSION :: BALLROOM BC

MIKE ROSSI, CO-FOUNDER/VP BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT, AND

MOHEN HADRIADFARD, CO-FOUNDER, SWEET TOOTH

EXCELLENCE IN CUSTOMER SERVICE: THE FORGOTTEN

MARKETING STRATEGY

With company and brand reputations more transparent than ever, the importance of

managing your company's customer service has never been more crucial. Join

Mohsen and Mike to learn about ways in which companies can identify the channels

which can have the most dramatic effects on reputation - and build a solid strategy

for customer service which can fuel dramatic growth.

Topics covered:

- Importance of Reputation

- Customer Service as a Culture

- Interaction and Reputation Channels

- Net Promoter Score (NPS) as a Gauge

- Building a Customer Service Strategy

About Mike

Mike Rossi is an expert in the area of customer service,

and consumer loyalty and retention. With experience in

designing and optimizing customer loyalty programs for

hundreds of multi-channel businesses, Mike is committed

to helping businesses build loyal customers through

powerful and engaging strategies. Mike has developed

internal processes for both client and partner interactions

at Sweet Tooth, which has driven company growth in

addition to client/partner retention and satisfaction rates.

He has a BSc in Physics from the University of Waterloo, and he holds both a private

pilot license and a glider instructor rating.

About Mohsen

Mohsen Hadianfard is an expert in the areas of

customer service, and customer experience

management. Leveraging his background in customer

service management at both Apple and RIM, Mohsen

has established customer service methodologies which

have made Sweet Tooth a leader in its industry. Mohsen

is responsible for - and has successfully scaled - all

aspects of Sweet Tooth customer service including

response time management, talent management, and

public image resulting from customer experiences.

Mohsen has a BASc in Software Engineering from the University of Waterloo.


PM BREAKOUT SESSION :: BALLROOM A

MAGGIE HARMON, OPERATIONS AND CLIENT SERVICES, THE

BRAND, ART AND TECHNOLOY STUDIO

WALKING THE WALK: ALIGNING YOUR INTERNAL AND

EXTERNAL BUSINESS FOCUS

In this session you will explore the importance

of communication consistency to the long-term

viability and success of a business. Through an

examination of various case studies you will

learn how to identify a brand personality, and

how to ensure that visual, written, and spoken

communication supports the primary business

goals of the brand and the company.

This presentation will cover the basics of what a

brand is, what happens when there are

communication inconsistencies internally,

externally, and in combination, how to avoid

the biggest pitfalls in managing your brand

within your business, and what this looks like in

real life.

About Maggie

Maggie Harmon has a B.A. from the University of California at Davis and a

J.D. from Santa Clara University School of Law. She has worked in both

litigation and transactional consulting, serving as general counsel for a

number of organizations, as well as leading operational management and

consulting practices. She is currently a partner with The Bat Studio where she

combines her skills managing internal operations and working with clients to

understand the what, where, why and how of their brand with a particular

emphasis on aligning internal functioning around the broad goals and brand

communication of the corporate entity.



























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TLC 2012 The Digital Book