Elevate to Cancel 2020 Tech Festival and Focus on Premium Digital Events

TORONTO, July 29, 2020 /CNW/ - Today, Elevate confirmed that it is canceling its annual tech and innovation festival to prioritize the health and safety of the community. The organization announced it will revisit producing large-scale global gatherings when it is safe to do so. It will continue to host a suite of world-class digital events that bring together global tech titans, thought leaders, government officials, corporate innovators and founders.

"Toronto's technology and innovation sector has been experiencing growth for the past few years thanks to organizations like the Elevate Tech Fest who have played a role in increasing our presence on the global stage. I look forward to seeing what the future holds for Elevate and I am confident that their events will continue to be important to the expansion of our tech and innovation sector," said Mayor John Tory.

Elevate Tech Fest is a homegrown success story, having grown exponentially from 4,000 attendees in 2017 to over 30,000 this past September, making it the world's fastest growing tech festival. The festival has welcomed global icons including Former First Lady Michelle Obama, VP Al Gore, business icon Martha Stewart, Shopify Founder & CEO Tobi Lutke, former Google CEO Eric Schmidt and many more.

"The unparalleled success of Elevate Tech Fest demonstrates the power of the Canadian technology ecosystem," commented Razor Suleman, CEO & CoFounder of Elevate. "None of this would have been possible without the support of hundreds of community & corporate partners, all three levels of government and the passion and hard work of the Elevate team."

Festival pass holders may request a full refund before August 31, 2020. However, Elevate is giving ticket holders the option of donating their ticket funds to four organizations working to dismantle systemic racism and advance Black, Indigenous and People of Colour in our communities. Elevate will match all donations and encourages ticket holders to take advantage of this program to help fight systemic racism.

To learn more about the Jean Augustine Centre, Get Real, The Gord Downie & Chanie Wenjack Fund (DWF) and Black Health Alliance and where your donation will go, or to request a refund,  visit https://elevate.ca/refunds/

About Elevate:

Elevate is a purpose-driven not-for-profit committed to uniting the world's innovators to solve society's greatest challenges. In partnership with the United Nations, Elevate offers year-round tech, innovation and sustainability programming via the Elevate Social Innovation Exchange and is proud to serve as the Canadian Headquarters for the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs).

SOURCE Elevate

Lisa Zarzeczny, Elevate, 416.892.3324, [email protected]