BC Business
Things to do and read this month to nourish the corporate mind and soul: geek out at a tech summit, graze at food expo, discuss designing for humans at the IA Summit, gather at a careers conference and read about why economics 101 is too simplistic
Organized by the BC Innovation Council, which promotes new technology to support industry, this year’s conference covers topics ranging from innovations in e-health data, autonomous vehicles and customer experience to what’s new in cleantech, agritech and aerospace. The 80-speaker lineup includes B.C. politicians (Premier Christy Clark, Minister of Technology, Innovation and Citizens’ Services Amrik Virk), tech entrepreneurs (JB Straubel, co-founder of Tesla Motors), academics, venture capitalists and more.Vancouver Convention Centre; March 14 and 15 $899; bctechsummit.ca
Last year more than 2,500 grocers, food producers and manufacturers flocked to this exhibition of fresh, frozen and refrigerated foods, snacks, beverages, ethnic specialties and gourmet lines. This year’s attendees can check out nearly 300 booths and 170 exhibitors on the 65,000-square-foot trade floor. Morning conference session and workshops give grocers and manufacturers tips on how to show and sell more effectively.Vancouver Convention Centre, March 20 and 21 Complete conference, trade show and Monday dinner: $635 member, $850 non-member; one day of conference and trade show: $330 member, $450 non-member; Monday dinner only: $165 member, $195 non-member; trade show only: $60 retailer, $100 non-retailer, members free; on-site prices may be higher; cfig.ca
The IA (Information Architecture) summit is organized by the Association for Information Science and Technology (ASIS&T), based in Silver Spring, Maryland, whose members (linguists, computer scientists, lawyers, educators and others) work in 50 countries. The theme of this year’s event is Designing for Humans, with a focus on such topics as ethics in technology and how to reconcile the rise of artificial intelligence with the needs and experiences of people.Hyatt Regency Vancouver; March 22 to 26 Main conference US$800, workshops US$200-$650; iasummit.org
It’s the 20th anniversary of the province’s largest such annual event, organized by the BC Career Development Association. Join more than 500 counsellors, education providers, community service agencies, and business and industry leaders from across Canada to explore new approaches to career development and learn about best practices across regions.Hyatt Regency Vancouver; March 27 and 28 $275 BCCDA members, $300 non-members, $325 at door; bccda.org
Forget what you learned in Economics 101, says James Kwak, a professor at the University of Connecticut School of Law and co-author of 13 Bankers and White House Burning. Kwak argues that economic models based on supply and demand are simplistic and often distorted, and he questions why they’re taken at face value so often. In this book, he looks at how the failure to reflect the complexities of our world has led to misguided policies that benefit the few to the detriment of the many.Penguin Random House Canada $34.95; penguinrandomhouse.ca