Canada
CANADA : HI-TECH EVENTS ON THE GREAT FRONTIER
HOME TO SOME OF THE WORLD ’ S NORTHERNMOST CITIES , CANADA CONTAINS VAST WILDERNESS AND TECH HUBS IN EQUAL MEASURE . ORGANISERS CAN TAP INTO CANADA ’ S GROWING EXPERTISE IN CLEANTECH AND AI , WITH ACCESS TO THE VISTAS OF THE GREAT WHITE NORTH
Montréal
Montréal ’ s pedigree in advanced tech is clear . The UN Office for Global Artificial Intelligence ranked Montréal fourth in the world and first in North America for cities excelling in AI . Analysis by the Financial Times placed Montréal first in cities across North America best positioned for AI investment , topping San Francisco and New York . A combination of talent , low operating costs and an abundance of research institutes like ‘ Mila ’ make the city a high-performing AI hub .
It was thanks in part to a Canadian research paper that our current AI revolution exists at all . Researchers at the University of Toronto ran neural network tests on high-resolution images in 2012 , propelling the study of AI forward .
Much of this pioneering work is still done in Montréal today . Joelle Pineau , Meta ’ s vice-president of AI research and global industry icon , is headquartered there , at McGill University . Yoshua Bengio , scientific director at Mila , was given the Turing Award ( the ‘ Nobel Prize of computing ’) in 2018 for his work on deep learning . Despite not having the size or funding of major USA universities like Stanford , Canada consistently outperforms in AI and machine learning . Students and researchers flock to Montréal to be taught by some of the world ’ s leading deep-tech experts .
Montréal ’ s expertise is reflected in the wealth of AI and machine learning events hosted there :
• ALL IN – the largest AI-centred gathering in Canada , hosted at the Palais des congrès de Montréal
• E-AI – partnered with the Palais , E-AI unites the AI and entertainment industries
• World Summit AI Americas – America ’ s leading AI summit , officially partnered with Mila , with both Bengio and Pineau speaking at the 2024 event in the Palais des congrès de Montréal
Healthcare is another sector in which Montréal specialises . The city has hosted events like the 24th International AIDS Conference in 2022 , attracting 7,000 delegates , and the International Council of Nurses Congress in 2023 with 4,900 participants .
The impact of these events is vast . Major association events attract thousands of high-spending delegates , contributing to the $ 311m in economic impact generated by the 290 events hosted at the Palais . In 2022 , the 15th United Nations Biodiversity Conference
Above : Place Jean-Paul Riopelle , Montréal
alone generated $ 151m in total economic impact .
Calgary
In events and in history , Calgary is a story of energy . In 1914 , two entrepreneurs stumbled upon natural gas bubbling up from the ground in the town of Okotoks . This discovery birthed a booming oil and gas industry that turned Calgary into Canada ’ s energy capital .
Over 100 years later , Calgary events are still capitalising on that reputation . In 2023 , Calgary ’ s BMO Centre hosted two of the world ’ s biggest and most prestigious energy events . In June , it held the Global Energy Show , attracting 30,000 attendees , then in September it hosted the 24th World Petroleum Congress , with over 15,000 in attendance .
Now , however , Calgary is building an energy reputation in a new way . While the two major oil and gas events of 2023 suggest Calgary is doubling down on its fossil fuel fame , in fact , the reverse is true . Calgary ’ s World Petroleum Congress was held under the title ‘ Energy Transition - Path to Net Zero ’, and the city is embarking upon this path as a whole .
ISSUE 134 / CONFERENCE & MEETINGS WORLD / 23