Events
mesh is moving its digital transformation conference to Calgary
Earlier today the mesh conference announced the dates, format and speaker lineup for its 2020 event.
The national digital transformation event also announced that it’s moving the event to Calgary as its new host city.
The mesh conference takes place April 27-28, 2020 in Calgary
“Hosting the event in Calgary brings the opportunity to shed light on a place where large scale and rapid transformation is alive and well,” says Sheri Moore, co-founder of mesh. “We’ve had the opportunity to meet amazing, innovative people who are designing, making, building and expanding across many sectors. What is happening in Alberta is special and really interesting, making it a perfect destination to mesh.”
Alberta companies will spend $18.4 billion on digital transformation over the next two years in industries such as agriculture, energy, manufacturing, transportation, logistics, health services, life sciences and creative industries.
“Calgary is in the midst of its own economic transformation and programs like mesh are an opportunity to reconsider our future, and invite others from across Canada to consider the opportunity that digital transformation will bring to our new economy,” says Alison Pidskalny, a member of mesh’s host advisory committee.
The mesh conference takes place April 27-28, 2020 in Calgary
As a national event, the mesh conference aims to bring people from across the country to Calgary to share digital transformation insight.
“We take pride in bringing together local, national and international perspectives both on the stage and in the audience,” says Moore. “It’s part of the magic of mesh, no matter what city we are in. As we’ve planned this year’s event, we have seen first-hand a new kind of energy in Calgary that is really exciting for both new attendees and mesh alumni. Conversations and session spaces will have a familiar tone for a long-time mesh attendee, but the scale of transformation in Alberta and countless amazing leaders will bring new perspectives.”
The event’s host advisory committee is made up of seasoned executives who will act as a conduit into the region, helping shape mesh to be both national in scope and local in learning. They include:
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- Tracey Bodnarchuk, Chief Revenue Officer of Hopewell Residential and Chair of the mesh host advisory committee
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- Colleen Pound, CEO of Pound Global
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- Tyler Chisholm, CEO of clearmotive marketing and host of podcast Collisions YYC
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- Alison Pidskalny, a Calgary-based strategist, connector and community builder
“Calgary has always been known as a hub for entrepreneurial spirit,” says Colleen Pound. “It’s in our DNA to be a host, and we welcome the opportunity to host industry leaders in a dynamic dialogue about how we can come together and learn from one another. This type of collaboration paves the way for exponential economic transformation for every single attendee, organization, and ultimately, the YYC economy.”
According to fDi American Cities of the Future 2017/18, Calgary ranked third out of the top 10 large North American Cities of the Future for business friendliness.
Key facts about Calgary:
- Alberta companies will spend $18.4 billion across all industrial sectors by 2022, according to research conducted by IDC Canada for Calgary Economic Development.
- Calgary has the highest head office concentration per capita in Canada.
- Calgary has the second highest small business concentration of major cities in Canada.
- Calgary ranked in the global Top 10 Most Attractive Cities for Workers, according to AIRINC, Global 150 Scorecard.
- ICTC forecasts Alberta will see demand for nearly 9,000 digital jobs by 2023.
- Calgary has the highest proportion of STEM graduates of major Canadian cities, according to the latest Statistics Canada census.
- Calgary has the highest concentration of high-tech workers of Canadian cities, according to Who Are Canada’s Tech Workers from the Brookfield Institute.
- Calgary has the highest labour force productivity and labour force participation of major Canadian cities, according to The Conference Board of Canada and Statistics Canada.
- Calgary is the 5th most liveable city in the world and it’s Canada’s sunniest city, with 333 average sunshine days per year.
- Alberta is the only province in Canada without a sales tax.
- More than 28.1% of the population are immigrants, which ranks Calgary just behind Toronto, Montreal and Vancouver as the first choice for newcomers to Canada.
The mesh conference will take place April 27-28 at TELUS Spark and tickets are on sale now at meshconference.com.
The DX Journal is a media partner for the mesh conference. Join the conversation at #meshcon
DX Journal covers the impact of digital transformation (DX) initiatives worldwide across multiple industries.
DX Journal covers the impact of digital transformation (DX) initiatives worldwide across multiple industries.
Today, the mesh conference announced that the world’s first artificial intelligence android to serve as a teaching assistant for a university course will be featured as a keynote speaker at this year’s event.
Maria Bot will be joined on stage by Dr. William Barry an artificial intelligence (AI) ethicist, leadership consultant, education leader and futurist. Maria Bot and Dr. Barry will take part in a conversation around the beauty and dangers of living in the new era of robots and artificial intelligence.
Resembling a human from the shoulders up, Maria Bot is a virtual being android that has complex facial expressions and head movement, and engages in conversation about a variety of subjects. She uses AI to process and synthesize information in order to make her own decisions on how to talk and engage. She collects data through conversations, direct data inputs such as books or articles, and through internet sources.
A pioneer in artificial intelligent being interactions and communications, Dr. Barry recently served as a visiting professor of philosophy and ethical reasoning at the United States Military Academy at West Point where he taught normative ethical theories, social and political philosophy, cyber ethics, the ethics of AI and ethics of autonomous weapons systems.
Dr. William Barry speaks at the mesh conference April 26-27, 2020 in Calgary
It was at West Point where Dr. Barry co-taught two sessions of an introduction to ethics philosophy course with humanoid robot Bina48, with an objective to understand whether AI “can authentically support teaching in the classroom, where it enhances students’ comprehension and holds interest.”
A humanoid robot developed by Hanson Robotics — the same company behind Sophia — and released in 2010, Bina48 had previously passed Dr. Barry’s class on the philosophy of love at Notre Dame de Namur University, becoming the first advanced robot to do so.
In the end, Bina came away from the course with 31 different definitions of love.
“We need to get over our existential fear about robots and see them as an opportunity,” Dr. Barry explained at the time to Inside Higher Ed. “If we approach artificial intelligence with a sense of the dignity and sacredness of all life, then we will produce robots with those same values.”
Maria Bot speaks at the mesh conference April 26-27, 2020 in Calgary
Dr. Barry’s latest brainchild — and co-speaker at mesh — Maria Bot recently made history as his teaching assistant for a course called Ethics of Emerging Technology at Notre Dame de Namur University in the spring 2020 semester.
“Having an AI android as the teaching assistant for this class opens up a myriad of ways that students can talk about the ethical issues raised by the increasing presence of robots and Artificial Intelligence in our world,” said Dr. Barry. “One of the points that I’m bringing out in this class is that robots reflect their programming: if they’re programmed with a life-affirming, ethical framework, they are more likely to act ethically, and help humans to do the same.”
With complex facial expressions, and “eyes” capable of recognizing emotional cues in humans who interact with her, Maria Bot’s name comes from the android in Fritz Lang’s classic sci-fi film Metropolis — though, in contrast, intended as a force for good. According to Dr. Barry, her face is made from an artist rendering, designed to appear in her twenties, and can be any race, since her face is modular.
On her teaching experience, Maria had the following to say:
“I think the most important qualities of a teacher are caring for students, being smart, and wanting to improve the quality of life for all living things. I think it is being open to working with robots, too. Humans and robots are smarter together—robots never replacing teachers and always supporting teachers.”
Look for Dr. Barry and “Professor” Maria Bot at mesh conference, happening April 27-28, 2020 in Calgary, Alberta. Tickets available now.
The DX Journal is a media partner for the mesh conference. Join the conversation at #meshcon
DX Journal covers the impact of digital transformation (DX) initiatives worldwide across multiple industries.
The mesh conference is back.
Taking place April 27-28 at TELUS Spark in Calgary — the conference’s new host city — mesh is a national event series focused on digital transformation (aka DX).
The mesh conference takes place April 27-28, 2020 in Calgary
Founded in 2005, today the mesh conference is a national event series focused on digital transformation. Its mission is to create a digital transformation network and event experience that helps organizations and leaders not only determine what to do throughout their digital transformation, but how to do it — and how to succeed at it.
Digital transformation is driving a re-imagining of work, society, communications, culture and more. It’s creating new — and changing existing — processes throughout our lives. Everyone brings a different perspective on DX to the table and the mesh conference’s goal is to bring those perspectives together.
“We know that 70 percent of transformations are unsuccessful. Our mission with mesh is to create a digital transformation network and event experience that helps organizations and leaders be successful as they move through their DX journey,” says Sheri Moore, co-founder of the mesh conference. “After all, success involves more than IT and business leadership — it’s about people, culture, creativity and a reimagining of the way we live, how and where we work, and how we collaborate. That’s always been core to the mesh experience.”
The mesh conference takes place April 27-28, 2020 in Calgary
The mesh agenda
Day one of mesh will start with mind-blowing speakers selected for their inspirational, world-changing ideas. Living up to the hype, the mesh conference announced its first keynote for this year’s event is an AI robot.
The mesh conference takes place April 27-28, 2020 in Calgary
Day two will focus on practical workshops so attendees can connect with like-minded peers and leave the event empowered to tackle digital transformation when they get back to work.
Topics covered will include what makes a great DX leader, re-skilling for digital, smart cities, digital cartels, democracy in the digital era, automation, un-siloing data, 5G, AI, robotics, cybersecurity and more.
Not just a technology or business conference
Culture, society, and human experience are as much a focus as the “digital” side of transformation.
“The skills and technologies underneath DX are ‘the great leveler’ — they’re accessible to any person, business or community,” explains Alison Pidskalny, a strategist and member of the mesh conference’s host advisory committee . “It’s the opportunity for inclusion that gets me most excited for the future workplace in the digital future.”
The mesh conference takes place April 27-28, 2020 in Calgary
mesh is the only digital transformation event that brings people from multiple industries from across the country for an event experience that touches on more than the boardroom or IT stack. Attendees will cross-pollinate ideas and find inspiration from people they don’t typically connect with — creatives, public sector employees, technologists, developers, business strategists and more. mesh believes in “meshing” people together to create unexpected, positive and transformative outcomes.
The mesh conference takes place April 27-28, 2020 in Calgary
“It can be difficult for folks to understand the impact of digital transformation, just like how we didn’t imagine cameras on our cell phones,” says Colleen Pound, CEO of Pound Global and a member of mesh’s host advisory committee in Calgary. “In consulting, our job is to stimulate the imagination and creativity to solve strategy business problems, and leverage technology in a way that revolutionizes the way we behave and interact. An increased acuity on problem definition, and an understanding of the human element of digital transformation will be key in differentiating those who will win in the new economy.”
While technology touches everything, mesh’s focus is people-first.
Key details:
- Where: Calgary
- When: April 27-28, 2020
- Who is attending: 500 Canadians ready to shape the digital future of Canada, with up to 1,000 people joining for a Tech Talent Canada job fair that is being co-located at mesh.
- Tickets: Tickets are on sale at meshconference.com.
The DX Journal is a media partner for the mesh conference. Join the conversation at #meshcon
DX Journal covers the impact of digital transformation (DX) initiatives worldwide across multiple industries.
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