City of Penticton is hosting a half-day economic outlook forum Nov. 8. File photo

City of Penticton is hosting a half-day economic outlook forum Nov. 8. File photo

Sell out expected for Okanagan FutureBiz economic outlook forum

First-ever event in Penticton will look at a wide range of topics

Organizers of the City of Penticton’s first-ever economic outlook forum are predicting a sell out.

Only 45 seats remain for FutureBiz Penticton, a half-day event on Nov. 8 featuring a wide range of topics including artificial intelligence, Blockchain, U.S. tariffs, housing, real estate and local economic insights.

FutureBiz Penticton is an initiative arising from the City of Penticton’s Economic Development Department and is a direct result of conversations with the business community over the last few years.

Related: Penticton’s FutureBiz offers economic outlook

“Businesses understand that change is coming, and it’s coming fast. But in the face of day-to-day business, it can be difficult to set aside time to look at the global economic shifts and relate them to the local scale,” said event organizer and City of Penticton Economic Development Specialist, Jennifer Vincent in a news release. “With FutureBiz we not only have an opportunity to hear from some extremely knowledgeable individuals, we can come together as a community of businesses, residents, and support organizations to consider these big-picture topics.”

The event takes place at the Lakeside Resort includes lunch accompanied by a local economic overview with Jonathan Baynes, CEO of the Penticton Indian Band Development Corporation, as well as City of Penticton Development Services staff, Anthony Haddad and Jennifer Vincent.

Other speakers include: Pierre Cleroux, Chief Economist with the Business Development Bank of Canada will be speaking on topics ranging from challenges related to labour shortages, to trade relationships with the United States. He will pose the question “Should Canadian businesses be optimistic or pessimistic regarding the current economic situation?” Cleroux will provide insights into how Canadian businesses could navigate the economy to position themselves for growth.

Nikolas Badminton is a well-known keynote speaker whose expertise lies in looking at the future. A presenter who has spoken to audiences at some of the world’s largest companies, he will be at FutureBiz to share his insights on how exponential technologies that enable big data analytics, automation through artificial intelligence, better citizen engagement, smarter city management, the sharing economy, and self-driving transportation are changing the world.

Looking more regionally, Andrew Ramlo, Vice President of Market Intelligence at Rennie Group will share his data and knowledge on the landscape of economic and demographic factors that have shaped the City of Penticton and its region, and what they mean for the future of the City.

Tickets can be purchased online at www.futurebizpenticton.com and must be bought in advance. The cost for those with active City of Penticton business licenses is $35 and $50 for all others.

Ticket price includes lunch, the forum and social event.


 

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Mark Brett | Reporter

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