GROW Conference Moves to Whistler

Whistler | BCBusiness
After four years in Vancouver, Grow Conference 2014 will relocate to Whistler.

High profile technology and entrepreneurship event will relocate from Vancouver to Whistler for its fifth year

Grow Conference, an annual event focused on technology, startups and entrepreneurship, will be held in Whistler, B.C., after a four year run at the Vancouver Convention Center.

This year’s event will focus on the “Internet of things”, which is well suited for Whistler, says Debbie Landa, the founder of Grow Conference and Dealmaker Media.

Landa points to B.C. companies such as Recon Instruments and Mojio, which have bolstered the province’s startup scene as a nascent hotbed for connected technology.

The rise of connected devices hasn’t been all sunny in B.C.; the controversy stirred by BC Hydro’s internet-connected smart meters continues to bog the utility.

Whistler has also become a satellite startup hub in its own right, with entrepreneurs lured by its high degree of connectivity, infrastructure and promise of an outdoor lifestyle.

The venue will be the Fairmont Chateau Whistler, recently the host of TEDActive 2014. Around half of the conference will take place outdoors with plans to host sessions up the mountain at gondola-accessible venues. The conference will stay in Whistler for the long term, says Landa.

Landa believes there’s an opportunity for Whistler to emerge as a technological hub, in the same way resorts in the U.S. like Sun Valley and Aspen have played host to major industry gatherings.