VEC Networked Business Bootcamp

Helping businesses connect online and identify local resources.

In today’s always connected culture, niche networks and targeted social apps are enabling businesses to connect close-to-home to:

build relationships with clients, suppliers, and business support services,
leverage local skills or knowledge and locate the best talent,
share tools, space, and resources, and
optimize workflow within their teams and with outside contractors.

Networked Business Bootcamp will help businesses connect socially, identifying the online tools, in-person networks, and local support services that can enhance their operations.

AGENDA:

8:30 am	Breakfast	Arrive, Register, and fill the tank!
9:00 am	Keynote	How do you capitalize on the sharing economy to find new resources in your neighbourhood? How do you find top talent and capitalize on the expertise in your local network? Futurist Nikolas Badminton will uncover how the modern networked business can work in new ways and can leverage modern sharing technologies to empower businesses, reduce costs and empower employees.
9:30 am	Bootcamp Session	Groups of businesses will be curated according to business challenges and work with professional mentors to learn about the online tools and strategies that can be used to solve them. Mentors include individuals from BrainStation, Hootsuite, Riipen, Picatic, DinnerPartyYVR, and more!
10:30 am	Keynote	How do you capitalize on the intelligence, skills, and insights of your neighbours? How do you source goods, services, food, money, space or transportation within your neighbourhood? Chuck Hamilton will uncover how niche online networks and local online social movements are improving the collective intelligence of business communities, fostering collaborative innovation, and changing the way we source the resources needed to launch a new product or service.
11:00 am	Bootcamp Session 2	Groups of businesses will be curated according to business challenges and work with professional mentors to learn about the online tools and strategies that can be used to solve them. Mentors include individuals from BrainStation, Hootsuite, Riipen, Picatic, DinnerPartyYVR, and more!
12:00 pm	Panel	Tools to Get Noticed. Featuring funders and members of the press, this panel will explore how an online social presence can be used to garner attention and build credibility.
12:30 pm	Lunch
1:15 pm – 1:45 pm	Workshop	The Importance of Market Research, presented by Small Business BC How much money are your customers willing to spend? What motivates them to buy? How do you attract more of your best clients? These questions and more will be addressed by Mark Eversfield in this micro-keynote on primary and secondary market research tools and techniques, including: Creating effective and productive search strings online, Identifying key sources of data and effective methods for collecting data, and Automating your search for information and third party research.
8:30 am – 2:30 pm	Startup Alley	Connect with start-up support services, funders, and local online tool providers on site.