BC Business
LEAD THE ART OF LEADERSHIP Most jobs don’t involve going to space or getting taken hostage–which is why astronaut Chris Hadfield and Captain Richard Phillips bring a unique perspective to leadership. Hadfield will talk about managing complexity and change, and Phillips, inspiration for the Tom Hanks film Captain Phillips about being hijacked by Somali pirates, will discuss leadership and team development. The speakers roster is rounded out by New York Times best-selling authors Gretchen Rubin (The Happiness Project) on habits and human behaviour; Liane Davey (You First) on team effectiveness and optimization; and Marshall Goldsmith (Triggers) on employee engagement and performance. Vancouver Convention Centre; September 14, 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. $499 to $899; theartof.com CELEBRATE EY Entrepreneur of the Year Awards Ernst & Young knows how to pick ’em, having celebrated some 10,000 entrepreneurs since launching Entrepreneur of the Year 29 years ago in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The program now exists in more than 150 cities in more than 60 countries around the world. This year’s Pacific region finalists will be revealed at the Pacific Awards gala and banquet (and profiled in the October issue of BCBusiness). The Pacific Entrepreneur of the Year will be one of five finalists for Canada’s EY Entrepreneur of the Year; the winner of that advances to the World Entrepreneur of the Year in Monaco. Vancouver Convention Centre; September 24. $265; ey.com/ca/eoy OPTIMIZE CALL TO ACTION CONFERENCE From Unbounce, a landing page builder for marketers, comes this two-day conference promising “actionable conversion insights from the world’s leading optimization experts.” It starts with an optional Sunday Funday and ends with a legendary after party. In between, there are speakers, presentations and discussions on how to push yourself to write sticky landing page copy; send emails that actually convert; and generate leads all day, every day. The conference winds up with a brutal panel critique of participants’ landing pages. Arts Club Theatre, Granville Island Stage; September 13 to 15. $989; calltoactionconf.com PLAY BREAKOUT WEST FESTIVAL This three-day multi-genre music industry event includes a conference, a music festival and the Western Canadian Music Industry Awards brunch and gala. Western Canadian musicians get to perform in front of more than 3,000 fans and 500 national and international industry professionals plus participate in workshops and discussions on topics that include emerging revenue streams in the new music business; touring and immigration; and branding and marketing. Delta Victoria Ocean Pointe Hotel Resort & Spa, Victoria; September 17 to 20. $245 ($225 if you skip the gala and awards); breakoutwest.ca LEARN ProjectWorld*Business AnalystWorld As you might expect for a conference aimed at business analysts and project managers, even the event program is clearly organized: topics for BAs on the left side of the page, for PMs on the right and for both in the middle. Two days of seminars followed by two days of workshops, with topics that include The 6 Stakeholders You’ll Meet in Project Hell and Your Design Is Only Mostly Dead. Vancouver Convention Centre; September 14 to 17. One day: $725 symposium, $945 workshops; two days: $1,130 symposium, $1,570 workshops; pmbaconferences.com READ
Leadership BS: Fixing Workplaces and Careers One Truth at a Time Forget what you’ve been taught about leadership–it’s all baloney, says Stanford business school prof Jeffrey Pfeffer. In this 272-page book, Pfeffer dissects the leadership industry, challenging accepted truths that leaders should be honest, authentic and modest. Based on social science, Leadership BS uses practical examples to demonstrate how to make workplaces function better. HarperCollins; Available in hardcover September 9. $36.99; harpercollins.ca ■