BC Business
What to put on your business agenda in February 2018
IAP2 BC DEEP DIVE 2018—VANCOUVER ISLANDThe West Coast chapter of the International Association for Public Participation (IAP2) Canada is hosting a seminar in collaboration with the Canadian Public Relations Society’s Vancouver Island branch (CPRS-VI). The event is geared toward helping PR professionals deal with the media. War stories will be shared, and participants will have the chance to practise their elevator pitches in a supportive environment. Hotel Rialto, Victoria; February 7 $10-$20
SCIENCE OF COCKTAILSScience World transforms itself into Vancouver’s “largest cocktail laboratory” for a night, when more than 25 bar stations helmed by Vancouver’s top bartenders will showcase the science that goes into crafting modern cocktails. Attendees will also get to pick over hors d’oeuvres from some of the city’s most accomplished caterers. VIP tickets offer perks like lounge access, valet service and premium drinks by Class Canada Champion bartenders Jenner Cormier, Lauren Mote and Grant Sceney. While the kiddos will have to stay home for this one, funds from the event will go to helping more than 8,000 students from underserved schools in the Lower Mainland visit Science World on a class field trip this school year.Science World at Telus World of Science; February 8 $159, $289 VIP
BUILDEX VANCOUVER In its 29th year, Buildex is Western Canada’s largest conference and exhibition for the interior design, architecture, property management, construction, real estate and renovation industries. The gathering hosts some 600 exhibits and more than 70 seminars, attracting 14,000-plus attendees annually.Vancouver Convention Centre; February 14 to 15 $25 to register, seminars individually priced
CRYPTOASSETS CONFERENCEThe first of its kind in Vancouver, the one-day seminar will focus on blockchain and cryptocurrencies, giving attendees an idea of what they should expect from the current crypto revolution. Speakers have a wealth of knowledge in the cyptocurrency field and come from all over the world. Former Amazon.com Inc. developer Kevin Small will be on hand to showcase his 3D blockchain visualizer. Vancouver Convention Centre; February 13 $1,899
PITCH FOR THE PURSE FINALEFinalists will pitch at the Odlum Brown FWE Gala before an audience of 600-plus business leaders and entrepreneurs. Each of the three finalists will be paired with a mentor to perfect their pitch before the finale. The gala audience will select the winner of the $25,000 prize for best pitch. Fairmont Hotel Vancouver; February 15 $350, $5,000 for premium table of 10
THE CAMPBELL REVOLUTION? POWER, POLITICS AND POLICY IN BRITISH COLUMBIA“I think it’s always interesting when people write books and they never talk to you when they are talking about you, but that’s a choice they obviously made,” Gordon Campbell told the Globe and Mail about this book, which analyzes his 10-year tenure as premier of B.C. The “people” Campbell is talking about are editors J.R. Lacharite and Tracy Summerville, as well as 11 other political scientists who offer up different takes on separate eras of Campbell’s reign. Topics include his involvement with BC Hydro and the 2010 Winter Olympic Games. McGill-Queen’s University Press 368 pages; $34.95 (paperback); $110 (hardcover)
CANADIAN FAILURES: STORIES OF BUILDING TOWARD SUCCESSFailures of all shapes and sizes are discussed in this collection edited by Alex Benay, chief information officer for the government of Canada, but you can be certain of one thing: they’re Canadian through and through. Benay oversaw chapters by 10 authors from the Great White North, and the stories are as different as they are interesting. From a professor’s takedown of Canada’s Indigenous policy to a speech gone terribly wrong, these tales will make you feel much better about yourself. Dundurn Press Ltd. 232 pages; $20 (paperback)
INVEST LIKE YOU GIVE A DAMN: MAKE MONEY, CHANGE THE WORLD, SLEEP WELL AT NIGHTIt surely won’t be long until economics professors are assigning readings from Marc de Sousa-Shields’s latest, in which the financial adviser and entrepreneur speaks directly to investors of all kinds. There are separate chapters for Generation Xers, millennials and those who are a tad older (that section is harshly titled “Saving for Retirement and the Grim Reaper”). Even financially adverse readers will enjoy themselves, as pop culture references pop out of every page, including nods to Batman, TV show Friends and Hillary Clinton. And hey, they might even learn something in the process. New Society Publishers 226 pages; $18.99 (paperback)