CDMN to welcome largest ever international contingent to Canada 3.0 2013

TORONTO, May 8, 2013 /CNW/ - Today, the Canadian Digital Media Network (CDMN) announced the largest ever international contingent attending Canada 3.0. The annual conference brings together business and government leaders from the Netherlands, Japan, Germany, Norway, and across Canada.

To highlight the international collaboration, Scott Fraser, Director General, Global Business Opportunities Bureau, Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada (DFAIT), will moderate a panel that discusses the importance of ICT and mobile technologies to each nation's economy, what industries benefit most from ICT and mobile, and how Canadian companies can best connect with international business leaders for partnership and problem-solving. The panel will include:

• Mr. Masaaki Tanaka, Deputy Director-General, Science & Technology Policy Bureau, MEXT (Japan)
• Simon Smits, Vice Minister for Foreign Trade, Ministry of Foreign Affairs (the Netherlands)
• Marcos Vinícius de Souza, Director - Secretariat for Innovation, Ministry of Development, Industry and Foreign Trade - MDIC (Brazil)
• Lars Hansen, Head of International Business Cooperation, Innovations-Zentrum Berlin Management GmbH, Internationale Incubator OWZ Berlin-Adlershof (Germany)

In the Grow Global pavilion as part of the Interactive Showcase at Canada 3.0, DFAIT is also hosting a 'Grow Global Hotspot' where Canadian companies can make valuable international business and government connections to help them take their business global. The Holland Lounge is also part of the Grow Global pavilion.

NEW SPEAKERS 
Also announced today, Canada 3.0 added two new speakers to its roster - Tom Jenkins, Executive Chairman and Chief Strategy Officer of OpenText Corporation, will provide a state of the nation on digital media in Canada and Michael Serbinis, CEO of Kobo Inc., will offer a Canadian success story as part of his keynote address.

MENTORING LUNCHES
Spaces are becoming increasingly limited for Canada 3.0 Mentoring Lunches. Canada 3.0 attendees are encouraged to pre-register for Mentoring Lunches with director-level or above mentors from TVO, LG, Manulife Financial, CBC, CTV, Transgaming Inc. and more. A full list of mentoring topics is available online and attendees are encouraged to sign up to secure their opportunity to learn proven business approaches straight from the source. Advance registration for the lunches closes Friday at 5pm ET, with only limited spots available for on-site sign up.

'SIDE BY SIDE' FILM SCREENING
CDMN has also opened free public registration for the Canadian premiere of SIDE by SIDE, a film produced by Keanu Reeves that documents the science, art and impact of digital cinema through interviews with Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh, George Lucas and more. The screening will be held on the evening of Monday, May 13 at the Scotiabank Theatre and acts as a kick-off to CDMN's Canada 3.0 2013. Sponsored by TVO, the film will be followed by a live Q&A with the film's co-producer Justin Szlasa. You do not have to be registered for Canada 3.0 to attend the screening. Seating is limited, so those interested are encouraged to register today.

EXCLUSIVE OFFER FOR CONFERENCE ATTENDEES
Conference attendees can also benefit from an exclusive deal with Mitacs, a national not-for-profit research organization that supports innovation by coordinating industry-university research projects with human capital development. Mitacs helps companies identify challenges and the talent required to move to the next level of development, and provides co-funding through the Mitacs-Accelerate Program. Canada 3.0 attendees are eligible for a discounted rate of $6,000 (from $7,500) which is then matched by Mitacs. The business development team will be onsite at Canada 3.0 on May 15 to answer questions about the program and match industry needs to academic researchers from GRAND that can help overcome their business challenges.

SPONSORSHIP OPPORTUNITIES
CDMN Canada 3.0 is made possible through the support of the following sponsors and partners: Lead Sponsor, OpenText; Official IT Media Sponsor, IT World Canada; Media Partner, Toronto Star; Network & Mentor Sponsors, Waterloo Stratford Campus; Workshop Sponsor, Corus Entertainment; Workshop Sponsor, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; Connect Sponsor, Canada Media Fund; Mentor Sponsor, Virtual Causeway; Video Partner, Angle Media Group; Charging Station Sponsors, Wavefront and Front Street Capital; Media Sponsors, Backbone and TechVibes; Film Screening Sponsor, TVO. Limited sponsorship opportunities are still available; contact Drew Carroll at [email protected] for more information.

About the Canadian Digital Media Network
The Canadian Digital Media Network (CDMN), a federal Centre of Excellence in Commercialization and Research, is dedicated to establishing Canada as a world leader in digital media (ICT + mobile) by creating and enabling connections and collaboration between entrepreneurs, companies, research institutes, government and intermediary organizations across the country.  CDMN helps bring more digital media solutions to market to create more companies, jobs and wealth in Canada.

Together, the Network provides access to the knowledge, connections, services and support that digital media companies need to successfully innovate and market themselves at home and abroad. Major initiatives include an exclusive online national collaboration platform; an online Research Portal that provides one-stop access to important information about key digital media issues; the CDMN Soft-Landing Program to drive Canadian success globally; National Tour events enable companies to go global; and CDMN Canada 3.0, Canada's only national digital media conference focused on the commercialization of innovation. Learn more at www.cdmn.ca or follow @CDMN on Twitter, join the Canadian Digital Media Network Group on LinkedIn, and like the Canadian Digital Media Network Page on Facebook.

SOURCE: The Canadian Digital Media Network

Ashleigh Cartier, Media Profile
416-342-1826
[email protected]