As the 2019 Penticton FutureBiz event draws nearer, the City of Penticton has announced the renowned tech leader and invited speakers who will be educating the attendees.
The event, which is hosted by the city’s Economic Development department on Dec. 4, is an economic forum that delivers relevant data and information to empower local entrepreneurs to be locally and globally competitive. On Nov. 7, the city issued a release that states Abigail Cabunoc Mayes of the Mozilla Foundation, the nonprofit behind the Firefox web browser, will be the keynote speaker.
“Mayes will speak about the health of the internet and how open practices are used in business today,” states the release.
“In our digital society, the internet has unlocked technologies and insights that power our businesses,” said Mayes, the working open practice lead at the Mozilla Foundation, in the release. “At the same time, we’ve seen mass data breaches, social media weaponized, and the manipulation of online news and ads. In this talk, we’ll look at findings from Mozilla’s open source Internet Health Report and look at how applying open source principles can dramatically increase a business’s reach and impact.”
READ MORE: Is your business ready for when disaster strikes? Find out at FutureBiz Penticton 2019
The theme of this year’s event is When Disaster Hits: Preparing for the Unexpected in Your Business and, according to a previous city release, is meant to “give business leaders the tools to identify risks and implement mitigation and response strategies. They’ll also learn how to react swiftly in the case of disaster, minimizing downtime.”
Other speakers at the event include Penticton Fire Chief Larry Watkinson and Deputy Chief Chris Forster, who will discuss “pre- and post-emergency planning and give a live demonstration.” Attendees will also learn how to secure and protect their business and its information from cybersecurity and privacy threats thanks to information security architect and consultant Garland Sharratt.
Allison Markin, the owner of communications consultancy All She Wrote, will also be speaking about “constructing a plan to communicate effectively during a crisis, therefore protecting brand reputation” while Greg Perkins of Liahona Security will speak about “tips involving crime prevention and security for your property and assets.”
Nicole Clarke of the Community Futures Okanagan Similkameen will also host a business consultation planning workshop and, at the end of the day, attendees will partake in a disaster simulation presented by Carla Taylor of the Canadian Red Cross.
The release states that the City of Penticton is excited to partner with the Canadian Red Cross and is thankful for its sponsors, BC Business magazine, Accelerate Okanagan, Business Development Bank of Canada (BDC), and Community Futures Okanagan Similkameen.
In the release, Brea Lake, CEO of Accelerate Okanagan, added, “We have supported over 220 entrepreneurs throughout the Okanagan and if there is one thing we’ve learned, it’s that the entrepreneurial journey is far from predictable. We find success lies in strong mentorship, community support, and a strategy that considers the worst-case scenario. We’re excited to support this event to help address challenges that entrepreneurs may face during their business journey.”
The event runs from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 4 at the Penticton Trade & Convention Centre and more information can be found at www.futurebizpenticton.com.
