World's Largest Business Mentoring Event Set to Achieve World Record at Canada's Leading Innovation Showcase

Discovery 12 the country's best trade show and conference hosts the brightest talent, entrepreneurs and cutting-edge tech innovations, opens today

TORONTO, May 14, 2012 /CNW/ - With two consecutive Canada's Best Trade Show wins preceding it, Discovery 12 is ready to make it three in a row, bringing in a wish list of mentors—including Sir Terry Matthews, Bill Tatham, Albert Lai, David Teten, Rick Segal and Doug Cooper— and attempting to set a Guinness World Record with the World's Largest Business Mentoring Event Monday, May 14, 4:00-6:30 p.m.

Named Canada's best trade show for two years in a row, Discovery 12, hosted by Ontario Centres of Excellence, brings together entrepreneurs, industry, investors, academia and government all under one roof.  Spanning two days, (May 14^th and 15^th, 2012) the conference and show floor will be brimming with the latest in innovation featuring hundreds of exhibitors from various sectors including, digital media and interactive communications technologies, advanced health, manufacturing and cleantech.

For the very first time, as part of the Discovery Conference and Showcase, the World's Largest Business Mentoring event will be the first to set the "Most People Attending a Business Speed Networking Event - Single Venue" record. Canada's queen of networking, Donna Messer, author, speaker and trainer for ConnectUs Communications Canada will facilitate the event which will run in a speed-networking format.

"Discovery is all about sharing best practices, bringing people and ideas together," explains Dr. Tom Corr, President and CEO, Ontario Centres of Excellence. "Budding entrepreneurs will have a captive audience to question and learn from while seasoned business leaders and investors will see and experience the latest in innovation."

"Without a doubt, mentorship and collaboration are key to successful innovation," says Brad Duguid, Minister of Economic Development and Innovation. "Today's events demonstrate a clear commitment to developing an innovation economy in Ontario and lay the foundation for good jobs and prosperity in the years to come."

DAY 1 - Highlights of this year's event include:

□		Guinness World Record Attempt: The first-ever world record for the "Most People Attending a Business Speed Networking Event - Single Venue" will be attempted on May 14^th between 4:00 p.m. and 6:30 p.m.
□		Interactive Alley: a hands-on area featuring Ontario-based digital innovations including: PlayLabs, a company focused on teaching the next generation of leaders; Seneca College's innovative $25 computer and Mytrak's Biggest Losers secret weapon for living an active life
□		CEO Experts Panel moderated by Ian Portsmouth, publisher and editor of PROFIT Magazine will host a lively discussion with Kunal Gupta, CEO of Polar Mobile, Sir Terry Matthews, Founder and Chairman, Wesley Clover and Albert Lai, Co-Founder and CEO, Big Viking Games on what they did to make their businesses a success, the strategies they took and their unique perspectives on what they learned along the way
□		Learn about new opportunities in Bioenergy, bio-products and selective high-value species selection based on growth and yield rates in Extracting More Value from Trees

Other notable show highlights include:

□		Robot and UAV Playground: Attendees will have the chance to get up close and personal with a variety of robots and unmanned remote control vehicles, including a TurtleBot created by Clearpath Robotics
□		Experience the next generation in 3-D model rendering right in front of your eyes
□		Aeryon Labs: will be showcasing the Aeryon Scout, an easy-to-use, battery powered, real-time, unmanned aerial intelligence gathering system
□		Baanto Nytric Wall: from the makers of the world's largest and most intuitive multi-touch screen technology comes this revolutionary 128" X 48" interactive touchscreen experience that's set to change the future of touchscreen technology
□		Discovery Innovation Showcase - Explore over 200,000 sq. feet of new ideas, innovations and solutions in CleanTech, Health, Digital, Information and Communications Technologies, Advanced Manufacturing and more, that are shaping the future of Ontario

View Discovery 12's full agenda here.

Follow Discovery on Twitter at #ocediscovery and @OCEInnovation

About Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc. (www.oce-ontario.org)

Ontario Centres of Excellence (OCE) Inc. drives the commercialization of cutting-edge research across key market sectors to build the economy of tomorrow and secure Ontario's global competitiveness. In doing this, OCE fosters the training and development of the next generation of innovators and entrepreneurs and is a key partner with Ontario's industry, universities, colleges, research hospitals, investors and governments. A champion of leading-edge technologies, best practices and research, Ontario Centres of Excellence invests in sectors such as advanced health, digital media and information communications, advanced manufacturing and materials, and cleantech including energy, environment and water. OCE through its Centre for Commercialization of Research (CCR), an initiative supported by the federal government, also acts as a catalyst which allows innovative businesses to grow and achieve sustainable commercial success and global competitiveness. Ontario Centres of Excellence is a key partner in delivering Ontario's Innovation Agenda as a member of the province's Ontario Network of Excellence (ONE). Funded by the Government of Ontario, the ONE is Ontario's innovation system. The ONE is made up of regional and sector focused organizations designed to help Ontario-based entrepreneurs rapidly grow their companies, and create jobs. For more information visit www.oneinnovation.ca.

Shari Balga
Senior Manager, Media Relations
416-861-1092 x1034 / 416-873-1143
[email protected]