On May 14-15, Canada 3.0 will link sought-after industry experts with business leaders, IT decision-makers and entrepreneurs, offering them proven business-growth strategies
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TORONTO, April 10, 2013 /CNW/ - Netflix CEO Reed Hastings is the latest speaker to join the TED Talk-caliber roster of presenters at CDMN Canada 3.0 2013, which is organized by the Canadian Digital Media Network. Canada 3.0 is the annual culminating event for CDMN's world-class commercialization activities like international soft landings, sharing of best practices, online collaboration and access to expertise and research that enables Canadian digital media companies to succeed at home and abroad.
This two-day long conference for business leaders and IT executives celebrates Canadian achievements in the commercialization of digital media, defined as information and communications technology (ICT) and mobile innovations. It also provides attendees with the tools to grow their businesses, and make powerful connections to prospective partners and clients. To create more points of interaction, this year, CDMN Canada 3.0 has added 65 mentoring lunches that will give attendees exclusive access to proven, Canadian entrepreneurs who understand how to effectively do international business, grow a business and improve productivity through the deployment of digital media.
"Canada has an abundance of talented people with creative ideas, but can, and must do a better job commercializing those ideas so that all Canadians can prosper from the jobs and wealth that are the byproduct of a successful digital economy," says Dr. Kevin Tuer, CDMN Managing Director. "The CDMN's purpose is to accelerate this process, and our Canada 3.0 conference combines key learning from our more than 20 regional commercialization hubs across Canada, with insights from leading international experts to help the next generation of entrepreneurs succeed."
CDMN Canada 3.0 2013 will be held on May 14 and 15 at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre. Now in its fifth year, CDMN's Canada 3.0 goes beyond social media marketing to discuss a range of issues from entrepreneurship to talent, and attracting investment to gamification with ideas coming from business elites, government representatives and academic leaders. CDMN Canada 3.0 2013 will be the site of the inaugural CDMN Moonshot Awards presentation. Nominations for the awards, established to recognize Canadian companies that create jobs and wealth for Canada through innovation in digital media, are being accepted until 11:59pm ET on April 12, 2013.
SPEAKERS
CDMN Canada 3.0 speakers includes Reed Hastings, CEO, Netflix; Suneet Singh Tuli, CEO of Datawind (a Canadian company that are makers of the low-cost Aakash 2 tablet that has potential to revolutionize the developing world's education system); and, Jason Townsend, NASA's Deputy Social Media Manager (who will be appearing via telepresence). Other speakers previously announced include Chris Anderson, best-selling author and former Editor-in-Chief of Wired magazine, Jane McGonigal, game designer, futurist and best-selling author, and Lane Merrifield, co-founder of Club Penguin. Emcee Amber Macarthur will run the show and guide attendees through a variety of featured sessions. Canada 3.0 delegates can also attend presentations by GRAND AGM keynote speakers, CBC broadcasters Terry O'Reilly and Jian Ghomeshi.
FEATURED BREAKOUT SESSIONS
CDMN Canada 3.0 sessions will focus on the five primary contributing factors to achieving the CDMN's Moonshot goal, announced at CDMN Canada 3.0 2010: that anyone can do anything online in Canada by 2017. Sessions in the connectivity stream will cover issues such as mobile payments and a workshop on the infrastructure to harness big data. Productivity sessions will tackle topics including how to use technology tools to drive productivity and profitability. Content sessions, including a series of Corus Entertainment-sponsored rights management workshops will centre on the development and delivery of digital media and how technology influences the creation and consumption of content. Access to Talent sessions will cover topics like successful international business, feature founders of successful Canadian businesses that have experienced Y Combinator and returned to Canada to grow their businesses, how women in tech can and should "Lean In." Access to capital sessions will look at topics relating to funding a business for growth. The Canada 3.0 Soapbox is still gathering user ideas for conference programming on day two: add your ideas and vote on topics at http://ideas.canada30.ca
Mentoring Lunches will allow attendees to learn proven business approaches straight from the source by signing up for one of 65 mentor lunches that provide open and direct access to director-level or above Canadian digital media experts like Susan Cranston - Assistant Vice-President, Group Small Business Marketing & Advisor Services, Manulife Financial; Alia Lachana - Director of Innovation and Business Development, TVO; Norm Clare - VP Marketing Technology Strategy, Quarry Integrated Communications; and Ted Hastings - CEO & President, Rebellion Media, Inc.
At the end of the conference, Digital Media Hot Spot Tours will take attendees out of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre to explore first-hand Toronto's best digital hubs including MaRS Discovery District, Ryerson's Digital Media Zone, Huffington Post/AOL Canada and Corus Entertainment's Corus Quay.
Participants have also the exclusive opportunity to attend the conference kick-off on Monday, May 13: the Canadian premiere of SIDE by SIDE, a film produced by Canadian superstar Keanu Reeves that documents the science, art and impact of digital cinema through interviews with industry heavyweights like Martin Scorsese, Steven Soderbergh and George Lucas. Sponsored by TVO, the film will be followed by a live Q&A with the film's co-producer Justin Szlasa, who will be speaking with TVO commissioning editor, Jane Jankovic about the seismic impact the digital revolution has had on the film industry and what takeaways there are for other industries still navigating the transition. Seating is limited and tickets are available only to Canada 3.0 delegates through the conference's online community.
WHO SHOULD ATTEND?
IT decision-makers at small, medium and large enterprises looking to connect with prospective partners, resources, mentors, and investors in order to build traction in Canada and internationally, drive operational efficiencies, successfully scale a business and/or expand into new markets.
For one or two-day tickets and sponsorship details visit http://canada30.ca.
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; Network & Mentor Sponsors, Waterloo Stratford Campus; Workshop Sponsor, Corus Entertainment; Workshop Sponsor, Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada; Charging Station Sponsor, Front Street Capital; Media Sponsors, Backbone and TechVibes; Film Screening Sponsor, TVO.
About the Canadian Digital Media Network
The Canadian Digital Media Network (CDMN), a federal Centre of Excellence in Commercialization and Research (CECR), 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.
CDMN, Canadian Digital Media Network, and Canada 3.0, and the CDMN and Canada 3.0 logos are trademarks. Trade names of other companies used in this announcement are registered trademarks and/or trademarks of appropriate companies.
Video with caption: "Emcee Amber Mac on CDMN Canada 3.0 2013". Video available at: http://stream1.newswire.ca/cgi-bin/playback.cgi?file=20130410_C4143_VIDEO_EN_25409.mp4&posterurl=http://photos.newswire.ca/images/20130410_C4143_PHOTO_EN_25409.jpg&clientName=The%20Canadian%20Digital%20Media%20Network&caption=Emcee%20Amber%20Mac%20on%20CDMN%20Canada%203%2E0%202013&title=THE%20CANADIAN%20DIGITAL%20MEDIA%20NETWORK%20%2D%20Netflix%20CEO%20Reed%20Hastings%20joins%20speaker%20lineup%20for%20CDMN%27s%20Canada%203%2E0%20conference&headline=Netflix%20CEO%20Reed%20Hastings%20joins%20speaker%20lineup%20for%20CDMN%27s%20Canada%203%2E0%20conference
Image with caption: "CDMN Canada 3.0 2013 takes place at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre, May 14 & 15. Visit www.canada30.ca for more information. (CNW Group/The Canadian Digital Media Network)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130410_C4143_PHOTO_EN_25403.jpg
Image with caption: "Canada 3.0 is the annual culminating event for CDMN's world-class commercialization activities like international soft landings, sharing of best practices, online collaboration and access to expertise and research that enables Canadian digital media companies to succeed at home and abroad. (CNW Group/The Canadian Digital Media Network)". Image available at: http://photos.newswire.ca/images/download/20130410_C4143_PHOTO_EN_25391.jpg
SOURCE: The Canadian Digital Media Network
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