Best Buy Canada hosts first-ever Best Buy Life & Tech Wearable Tech Expo and Fashion Show

Celebrities, star athletes and notable personalities celebrate next generation tech

TORONTO, Sept. 8, 2015 /CNW/ - Today, Best Buy Canada took over Yonge-Dundas Square to host the first-ever Best Buy Life & Tech Wearable Tech Expo and Fashion Show. Throughout the day, guests enjoyed an interactive look at the latest in wearable technology from nearly 30 exhibitors showcasing everything from health and fitness, life-logging cameras, smartwatches, wearable audio, gaming, virtual reality, gesture control, and even baby and pet tech.

The free event included two wearable tech fashion shows, panel discussions with industry experts, a live musical performance put on by The House of Marley, and more. Guests were also among the first in Canada to experience the HTC Vive truck and demo the virtual reality system by HTC and Valve, as well as brand new gear from Motorola, among others.

Celebrities:

Additionally, guests were offered the chance to meet and interact with celebrities, athletes and musicians throughout the day, including professional basketball players, Patrick Patterson, who captivated fans at The House of Marley wearable audio display, and James Johnson at the Blast Motion Shooting Clinic; Elvis Stojko, Olympian, race car driver and Muse brain-sensing headband super-user; and Canadian PGA golfer Jason Helman who offered demos of Zepp's swing analyzers. Guests were also treated to a free live concert by celebrated Jamaican reggae and hip-hop artist, Ky-Mani Marley, on behalf of The House of Marley.

Electrifying wearable tech fashion shows:

The Best Buy Life & Tech Wearable Tech Expo included two fashion shows featuring some of the trendiest wearable technology products alongside an exclusive capsule collection designed by Canadian designer and winner of Project Runway Canada Season 2, Sunny Fong of VAWK. Models and celebrity guests strutted the runway, including Minecraft YouTube stars MrWoofless and PrestonPlayz rocking the Gameband Minecraft Bracelet and ended with Phoebe Dykstra, former TV host and veejay, showcasing Bellabeat smart jewelry.

Dazzling demonstrations:

Guests experienced interactive demos and unique activations around Samsung's latest Gear VR and Gear S smartwatch, life-logging video with iON Cameras SnapCam, and Basis, Intel Company, smartwatches, all available exclusively at Best Buy in Canada. Other unique products featured include TomTom's Runner Cardio GPS Watch, a fitness and GPS tracker, Blast Motion's sensors for sport, smartwatches from Garmin and blood pressure monitors, activity trackers and other health tech from iHealth and Withings and more. A real head-turner was the HTC Vive truck that made its one and only stop in Canada to offer guests the chance to be among the first in the country to experience HTC's Vive virtual reality system.  Several other products debuted at the event, including Motorola's Moto 360 Collection, the brand's second generation of smartwatches, available for pre-order beginning Sept. 8, exclusively at Best Buy in Canada.

Panels:

Four exclusive panel discussions with industry experts and celebrity guests were held throughout the day on topics such as: an overview of wearable tech and its growing popularity, how this new technology elevates health and fitness, the rise in virtual reality and gesture control and how wearables impact the world of sports and entertainment. Panelists included Elvis Stojko, Rohan Marley, director of The House of Marley, former CFL player and son of the legendary Bob Marley, and Tom Emrich, wearable tech expert and founder of We Are Wearables. For a full schedule and list of the participating panelists, click here.

Visit http://bit.ly/Sept8BestBuy for more information and join the conversation online:

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Event hashtag: #LifeandTech

About Best Buy Canada, Ltd.

As a wholly owned subsidiary of Best Buy Co., Inc. (NYSE:BBY), Best Buy Canada Ltd. is one of Canada's largest and most successful omni-channel retailers, operating the Best Buy, Best Buy Mobile and Geek Squad (www.geeksquad.ca) brands. With nearly 200 Best Buy and Best Buy Mobile stores across Canada, and an expanded assortment of lifestyle products offered through BestBuy.ca, Best Buy is a leader in Total Retail, catering to customers how, when, and where they want to shop. Best Buy Canada is committed to making a positive impact in the community with programs and partnerships that support youth to connect with technology to advance their education. For more information visit BestBuy.ca.

SOURCE Best Buy Canada

Image with caption: "HTC Vive Truck and virtual reality headset make Canadian debut at Best Buy’s Life & Tech Wearable Tech Expo and Fashion Show. The HTC Vive will release through Best Buy Canada and BestBuy.ca in the near future. (CNW Group/Best Buy Canada)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20150908_C7343_PHOTO_EN_492126.jpg

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