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Why mesh?

By business stream, marketing stream, media stream, mesh conference, mesh news, mesh14, News, society stream, The Archives

Topics_200x200Lee Odden, at TopRank Online Marketing, recently wrote a blog post on “what makes a business and marketing conference great“.  Lee is someone we all respect here at mesh and spoke at our meshmarketing12 conference.

You can check out his full article here!

In light of Lee’s article, we thought it was time we gave you that gentle nudge needed to put mesh on your calendar- May 27&28.

Here is what you need to know!

mesh is Canada’s premiere digital conference discussing what’s next for business, media, marketing and society.

Why come to mesh?

If you want to share in what is happening and affecting the digital landscape in Toronto, you will be at mesh.

If you want to connect with people, not just from your own social or business circle, but smart, tech savvy folk with an eye on what’s happening over the digital horizon, you will be at mesh.

If you want to be inspired on how to be better, smarter and faster at your job–not just today but in the future, you will be at mesh.

With over 1100 hours of networking and learning packed into two days, there is lots of mesh goodness to be had. We understand it may be hard to “escape” the office for a conference, so we made sure that our locations are easy to access in case a meeting can’t be rescheduled and we’ll have plenty of wifi so that you can workshift* your way through the conference.

We also understand that you may not be the one who ultimately decides your workday schedule. Therefore, we have added a how to convince your boss (or you) with a few more information with this fact sheet.

What to expect

Content in Context

mesh presents its content in a few ways.

From the main stage, big broad strokes inspire with conversations that will blow your mind and make small puffs of smoke come out of your ears. Keynotes and one-on-one conversations include enterprise digital marketing, the state of funding in Canada, smart cities, big data, startup stories and disruptions.

Hands on workshops that will allow you to go back to your “desk” with more tools in your toolbox and more ideas to action. From the 3D web to hyper-local marketing to civic tech, there will be a combination of take-aways for now and lots for what you’ll be working on next.

And then there are the curated panels. We have assembled the innovators, disruptors and knowledge experts around several topics in our four streams. These sessions are mesh’s best kept secret. The mesh team thinks of the sessions that they want to showcase and then we seek out the talent who can deliver it. Then, to ensure that the inspiration is threaded through the conversation, we select our moderators who we know will help us tell the story. Ultimately, this is how we ensure that these sessions will rock. Smart engaging people with different outlooks and unique perspectives come together to discuss how digital is changing the world we live, work and play in.

Breaks, Food & Socializing

No need to bring a lunch box to mesh. We make sure our breaks are long enough for you to fill up on drink, food and conversation.  In fact, we have seen ideas and even businesses be born in the hallway conversations that take place at mesh.  And, maybe the most telling, we know a few folks that pay the ticket price just to network/socialize and rarely even attend a session (crazy–right!).

The Village, Demo Alley & more mesh goodies

As we prepare for your arrival, we thought we’d also share a few of the great things that makes mesh special. Our mesh village is central to any mesh. Here is where you will connect with our sponsors, head over to demo alley (the home of our hosted startups), checkout the newest addition—our mesh general store and pickup your access pass to mesh.

Next week, we’ll be releasing the mesh14 version of our mesh app. We encourage you to download the app that we’ll send you an email link so you can get fully connected. The app will not only give you mesh14 details in the palm of your hand, but we’ve planned a few surprise additions ensuring that your conference experience will be that much better with the app.

So, like Lee asks in his article, “The challenge is, with so many conferences to choose from, which events provide the best return on investment?” We think that mesh14 is definitely worth the investment of $499 (until May 23 or until this ticket block is sold). It’s time to get yourself to mesh. Register here today!

*learn more about workshifting with Robyn Bews, David Potter & Amber MacArthur on the afternoon of May 28 in a session called, “Workshifting: Mobile, Cloud, Teleworking & Other Business Disruptions.

 

 

 

mesh announces new keynotes and presenters

By business stream, marketing stream, mesh conference, mesh news, mesh14, News, society stream, The Archives

With just under a month before the ninth mesh conference kicks off in Toronto, May 27 and 28, the organizers announced the latest round of outstanding keynotes and presenters at this year’s event:

SocietyKeynote_NHarbisson

Neil Harbison redefines wearable tech, literally. Neil is a Catalan contemporary artist, composer and cyborg activist best known for his ability to hear and perceive colours outside of human vision. He was born with achromatopsia, a condition that only allows him to see in grey scale. In 2013, Neil had an antenna surgically implanted that now allows him not only to perceive colour as sound but to connect live to the colours that others can see. He’ll be talking about new communication possibilities that go beyond our traditional senses.

BusinessKeynote_BWertz      BusinessKeynote_JMacDonald

Boris Wertz is one of the top tech early-stage investors in North America and the founding partner of version one ventures. His impressive portfolio includes over 50 successful consumer Internet and enterprise companies, including Clio, Flurry, Frank & Oak, Indiegogo, Top Hat and Wattpad. Boris is also a board partner with Andreessen Horowitz and one of the founders of start-up accelerator GrowLab.  He and Jevon MacDonald, co-founder and general manager of GoInstant, will discuss the state of startup funding in Canada and where they believe it should be heading.

“We’re thrilled to have two prominent Canadian entrepreneurs, talents and investors on the stage in Boris Wertz and Jevon MacDonald,” says mesh co-founder Stuart MacDonald.

ClosingKeynote_DMcColl  ClosingKeynote_DBradfield-

Darren McColl in conversation with David Bradfield (closing keynote) – Darren (Daz) is co-author of Storyscaping; Stop Creating Ads, Start Creating Worlds (April, 2014) and chief brand strategy officer of SapientNitro, a new breed of agency redefining storytelling for an always-on world. He and David will discuss how to create an intelligent story system rooted in a creative organizing idea, that’s fueled by innovative technology and creates more meaningful brand-consumer connections. This session will help you activate much of what you’ve learned over the course of the conference.

Other presenters include: Erin Bury, 88Creative, Berry Wellman, NetLab, Melissa Shapiro, WattPad, Jean-Luc David, Alertly and more.

See the full line-up of speakers and the schedule.

Stay tuned for more news!

The Web as a Gym for the Brain

By mesh13, society stream

Highlighting a mesh13 society panel

Over the past decade, we have studied and learned more about memory and cognitive function. We have come to understand the brain is a muscle that can be trained. Using this knowledge, we have been creating tools that can help us combat aged-related memory loss as well as those brought on by an array of health factors ranging from depression and thyroid conditions to Alzheimer’s disease. The Web has offered opportunities that let us explore and improve our collective “brain health.”

In a session called “The Web as a Gym for the Brain,” we’ll explore the virtual playground through the ideas and innovations of Cogniciti’s Veronika Litinkski, SharpBrains’ Alvaro Fernandez and Vivity Labs CEO Michael Cole.

Veronika Litinkski created and launched Cogniciti. While brain health can be measured in a variety of different ways, the startup is a unique science-based digital brain health platform to address concerns specific to the aging process. The platform leverages the wealth of research on memory and cognitive function amassed by Baycrest Hospital’s’s interdisciplinary team. When it is ready for general use, the report will tell you if your overall cognitive abilities are within the normal range for your age, or whether further assessment by your doctor is advised. The report will also provide information about factors known to be associated with cognitive health, such as health conditions, medications, or changes in your mood, as well as information about how to maximize your cognitive and brain health.

Alvaro Fernandez is the CEO of SharpBrains.com, an independent market research and think tank tracking health, education, and productivity applications of neuroscience. Alvaro is the editor-in-chief of the industry report “The Digital Brain Health Market 2012-2020: Web-based, mobile and biometrics-based technology to assess, monitor and enhance cognition and brain functioning,” and the co-author of “The SharpBrains Guide to Brain Fitness,” recognized as a “Best Book” by AARP.

Michael Cole is the CEO of Vivity Labs, creators of Fit Brains. The Fit Brains Trainer app was downloaded more than 1.5 million times in the first 60 days of launch. The online brain fitness platform combines casual brain games, personalized tracking and customized recommendations with a motivational rewards system and a variety of social features. The team has seamlessly blended entertainment, science and technology to create something fun for anyone looking to keep their brain sharp!

Veronika, Alvaro and Michael have been creating tools, sharing information and building organizations so our brains work better and memory lasts longer. All, in their own way, ensuring we have places online to better understand our minds. On May 15, we will look at how the Web is playing a key role in the brain training and fitness marketplace by giving consumers more ways to get active.

To learn more about our speakers, please click on their links below:
Veronika Litinski (Cogniciti)
Alvaro Fernandez (SharpBrains)
Michael Cole (Vivity Labs)