Innovation Week activities will be dispersed throughout the year in 2020.
City council has endorsed a work plan that will see half- and full-day innovation-themed events being held several times a year. A staff report states the first of three proposed events will take place in late February or early March 2020, with the timing of subsequent events being dependent on project work plans, venue availability and topical interest.
“While attendee response to previous Innovation Week offerings has been generally positive, negative feedback contained in post-event surveys has been directly related to scheduling challenges associated with attending so many events concentrated into one week a year,” said the report.
Up first in 2020 is an Innovation Forum, which would be held in partnership with Public Services and Procurement Canada’s office of small and medium enterprise, and would provide start-ups and entrepreneurs with information on federal and provincial funding opportunities and featured speakers throughout the daylong event.
In cooperation with New Westminster Chamber of Commerce and New Westminster Fire and Rescue Services, the city is considering an emergency planning and disaster response event to highlight the importance of emergency preparedness. The city may also team up with Douglas College on a Hackathon for Good, which would bring together social, cultural and technology sectors to develop innovative approaches to supporting urgent social problems.
A number of other innovation-themed events are also being considered in New Westminster. Stay tuned.
