|
What's Inside
Letter from ED
The "perfect storm" of November
What a month: The merger...the pre-launch of our 2010 BC Digital Media Showcase… planning the annual holiday party on December 15, the unexpected demand to deliver a WOW experience at the 2010 BC Pavilion for Digital Media at the Vancouver Art Gallery (in less than 50 days), some international business travel to Israel and Netherlands and the start of planning for Vancouver International Digital Week in May 2010...
Those were just a few of the extraordinary items that piled on top of all the regular events, activities and strategic initiatives that create value for our members. Here are a few highlights of what kept your ED and association busy over the past month:
- A great evening and a sold out house on Monday, November 2, at Mobile Monday Vancouver (www.momovan.com). We heard two elevator pitches and I moderated a panel on the use of social media by our community during the 2010 Winter Olympic Games;
- Met with Robert Fine, Director of Economic Development with Central Okanagan Economic Development Commission (www.investkelowna.com) and discussed how to build a better relationship between them and WINBC/DigiBC;
- Our colleagues at New Media BC produced an excellent event called The FUSION Forum on Nov. 5, 10, 12 & 13 (www.thefusionforum.com). I was honored to be a judge for the mobile applications section;
- Paul Lee, Co-founder of Vanedge Capital (www.vanedgecapital.com) and I accepted invitations to the second annual Cellcom Conference at the modern University of Tel Aviv from November 15 to 18. We made presentations on digital media and mobile and met with business executives, investors, and more than 20 Israeli start-up companies including Cellerium, Vyond, Mominis, 2P2D, iDomoo, Adkit and others;
- On my way back from Tel Aviv, I visited our friends in Amsterdam who organized the Dutch mission to the Vancouver International Partnering Forum (VIPF) earlier this year. While there, I met with Chris Rowley, our Canadian Trade Commissioner, with representatives of MoMo Amsterdam, and with five of the most promising digital media companies at an incubator in one of the coolest places in the capital city. My warmest thanks to Sandra at www.handelsroute.nl for organizing my tour;
- I also had the pleasure of meeting the PICNIC team (www.picnicnetwork.org) and invited them to bring their successful PICNIC Salon event (tried and tested in New York) to Vancouver in May 2010 for our digital week;
- Started planning Vancouver International Digital Week. We have more than 15 national and international conferences, summits, and specialized events interested in joining this exciting event in May 2010. More details to come in our next newsletter;
- On November 26, we held our second, sold-out BC Wireless Health Forum. There is a brief item in this newsletter if you want to know more about it.
- On November 27 I was invited to a reception with Minister Iain Black, Minister of Small Business, Technlogy and Economic Development, and the new VC members of the BC Renaissance Capital Fund: Vanedge Capital, Yaletown Venture Partners, Wesley Clover, and Tandem Expansion Fund.
- On December 1, 2009, DigiBC – The Digital Media and Wireless Association of BC was officially incorporated. Stay tuned for details on our ambitious plans to turn our industry into a world class power house.
Please note that our initial December 10 preview and launch of the 2010 BC Digital Media and Wireless Showcase has been moved to December 15, to precede our annual holiday party for members and friends of WINBC and New Media BC – now DigiBC.
If November seemed like a perfect storm of activity, can you imagine what February is going to be like? The Olympics will be here in 64 days, 1537 hours, 92274 minutes or 5536451 seconds – give or take a few seconds. Are you ready?
Happy Holidays to all our readers!
Michael Bidu
Executive Director, WINBC
DigiBC Holiday Party - December 15
Come and celebrate the holiday season with your wireless and digital community. Good food, drinks, entertainment and door prizes at the Granville Island Brewery. WINBC/New Media BC Members: $25.00, Non-members: $40.00.
BC Demo Day II – video content available
 On October 22, more than 130 attendees watched 24 presentations from new Showcase & Service applicants, including such companies as: Next Level Games, airG, XOMO Digital, RxNetworks, Verrus and more. Bruce Sharpe and his team at Singular Software have edited all the video footage. Review your own presentation or see what you missed: http://brucesharpe.blogspot.com.
November MoMoVan – Social Media
 On November 2nd we invited local experts from both traditional and social media to explore how we can use the attention created by the 2010 Winter Olympic Games to our own benefit, to promote our industry and tell our stories. We especially looked at how to use our talent, our expertise, and our innovative technologies to engage the world. Panelists included Hunter Madsen from Canwest, Jeremy Dunn from Laura Ballance Media Group, David Tedman from Invoke Media and Dana Dansereau from Cossette Communications.
Highlights included:
- The notion that participation from our community is the key to changing perceptions about BC and Canada. To be effective, social media needs us to be involved: As Vancouverites and members of the tech community, we all have a role to play to communicate what we do and why it is important.
- There are huge opportunities for our industry with the non-accredited media, as they do not have rights to Olympic content and so are looking at stories on the periphery of the Olympics. These are the people we need to engage because they will be the ones writing the stories about us and what we are doing. We need to make their lives easier, get them info as fast as possible and push ideas at them about stories they need to look at.
- The use of our BC 2010 Wireless & Digital Media Showcase and Services to promote the world-class creative industry we have in BC and to connect, share and generate content using our participant Showcase & Service companies.
BC Wireless Health Forum II
Our second BC Wireless Health Forum on November 26 enjoyed a full room at Sutton Place Hotel, where we continued our look at the wireless health space in BC and at the opportunities now available both in Canada the US. The event featured:
- Scott Michaels from Atimi Software detailed how to get attention for health applications for the iPhone and various platforms available for wireless healthcare. Johnson & Johnson recently selected Atimi to develop its CareConnector iPhone project.
- Rizwan Kheraj from NRC-IRAP spoke about the incredible US demand for e-health expertise and technology from Canada and how to access the $19B available in e-health stimulus funds. Download his full presentation.
- Johanne Mattie from the Technology & Product Evaluation Group at BCIT spoke about the e-Health Accelerator aimed at helping SME e-health vendors better understand the strengths, weaknesses and usability of their products.
The forum was capped by a panel discussion on mobile health, featuring representatives from four companies who accompanied WINBC to CTIA Wireless & IT 2009 in San Diego in October:
 For an overall view of the current state of e-health, you can download the Harris Report: "Taking America's Pulse on Mobile Healthcare - Consumers and Physicians Rate a Range of Concepts." The report details a study conducted by Harris about the acceptance of Mobile Healthcare among US patients and physicians.
It's Official – DigiBC gets Incorporated
After months of discussions and negotiating, DigiBC became a legal entity on December 1, 2009.
The new Digital Media and Wireless Association of BC will represent more than 22,000 people in 1,300 companies that generate combined annual revenues of $4 billion. We have been working closely with New Media BC on a number of events, especially the BC Wireless & Digital Media Showcase project, which opens on December 15 under the brand name VX (Vancouver Experience). B2B trade and investment opportunities associated with the VX program will be a huge focus for the new association in the days leading up to the opening of the Olympic Winter Games in February 2010.
Sneak Preview - BC 2010 Digital Media and
Wireless Showcase, Robson Square - Dec 15
 There are just 10 Mondays to go until the opening of the 2010 Winter Games. On December 15, 2009 our own 2010 Wireless and Digital Media Showcase will have a preview of its programming at Robson Square. This event – by invitation only – is for our sponsors, partners, supporting organizations and participating companies.
The soft launch will preview what has been developed so far, and what is still to come. Branding for the project will be unveiled and there will be a sneak preview of our new VX Conversations videos featuring several of our industry's innovators. This is the first opportunity to see the VX Digital Directory and B2B match-making system as well as to test drive VX Connect, which includes XOMO Digital's mobile app.
Vancouver is the Wireless Wonder!
 It's only December, but the buzz is already building: WINBC, its members and its community were featured in a National Post article on December 1, 2009. The article looks briefly at the history of our wireless sector and at the province's strong heritage in mobile data. It traces the wireless story from the mid-1980s with companies such as MDA and Motorola, and looks at the sale of MPR Teltech, which helped create the innovative groundswell of wireless companies that exist today. By the early 1990's, about 40 companies, including Glenayre, Vienna Systems, Nokia, Spectrum Signaling, and Sierra Wireless were doing business as part of an evolving wireless cluster centered around Vancouver.
Today BC has 250 wireless sector companies, employing 6,000 people and generating $1 Billion plus annually. In the article, our E.D., Michael Bidu, noted that "our cluster is very strong on the software and services side…we think that's where the market is going, and we feel that we're in the right place at the right time to take advantage of that."
In the future, wireless companies in B.C. will drive further into vertical markets, signaling the industry's maturity. And for firms preoccupied with the burgeoning mobile applications sector, the next few years hold huge potential. Read the full article by Danny Bradbury.
BC Wireless Industry News
The Vancouver Sun Reports: BC Government Announces $55M for Four Venture Capital Funds
Vancouver, BC, November 30, 2009 — The Vancouver Sun reported today that the British Columbia government has committed $55 million to four venture capital funds. More
Sierra Wireless AirCard USB 307 Modem Launches On New Telefonica HSPA+ Network in Spain
Vancouver, BC, November 23, 2009 — Sierra Wireless today announced the Sierra Wireless AirCard® USB 307 modem is now available in Spain for the new HSPA+ mobile broadband network operated by Telefonica. More
Vecima's 3.5 GHz WiMAX Solution Deployed by Major Canadian Oil Production Company
Vancouver, BC, November 4, 2009 — Vecima Networks announced that WiMAX equipment designed and manufactured by them is being installed by a major Canadian oil production and distribution company. More
Simba Technologies Releases New ODBC SDK
Vancouver, BC, November 4, 2009 — Simba Technologies announced today the release of SimbaEngine ODBC SDK 8, a new ODBC toolkit for easy development of ODBC drivers, JDBC drivers, OLE DB drivers and ADO.NET providers for both SQL-enabled and non-SQL data sources. More
Tranzeo Receives US$5.4M Purchase Order for the Indonesian Market
Vancouver, BC, November 3, 2009 — Tranzeo Wireless Technologies has received the first volume production order targeted for Indonesian operators worth US$5.4M to Tranzeo. More
Intrinsyc Software International, Inc.: Destinator 9 GPS Navigation Available on Android Market
Vancouver, BC, November 3, 2009 — Intrinsyc Software International, Inc. today announced that Destinator 9 is immediately available for purchase on the Android Market. More
Upcoming Events
December 2-4, 2009 - eAsia 2009, Colombo, Sri Lanka
eAsia 2009, is the annual international ICT development event with the objective of reinforcing technology and knowledge-centric growth and needs of Asia through capitalization of market economy and boosting human development. The 3 days event will focus on e-Governance, Digital Learning, e-Health, Telecentres and Emerging e-Technologies. eASiA 2009 will also host an exhibition featuring the best in cutting edge technology across Asia and beyond. For more information and to register: eAsia 2009
December 11, 2009 - Opportunities for Canadian Businesses in the U.S. Health IT Market Webinar
Free webinar. 1:00pm - 2:15pm EST. Find out how to access the $142.3 billion U.S. stimulus package. Canadian companies that have experience working with regional health authorities in Canada or on the Canadian Health Infoway (CHI) networked projects are well placed to bring their interoperable solutions to the U.S. market. Find out how your company can tap into the U.S. Health IT market and become more successful across the border. Please register by December 10, 2009. For more information and to register: Free webinar.
December 15, 2009 – Sneak Preview - BC 2010 Wireless and New Media Showcase, Robson Square, Vancouver, BC
On December 15 the BC Wireless and Digital Media Showcase will have a preview of its programming at Robson Square. This event – by invitation only – is for our sponsors, partners, supporting organizations and participating companies. The soft launch will preview what has been developed so far, and what is still to come.
December 15, 2009 – DigiBC Holiday Party, Granville Island Brewery, Vancouver, BC
Come and celebrate the holiday season your wireless and digital community. Good food and drinks at the Granville Island Brewery. 7:00pm-10:00pm. $25 members; $40 non-members. Register today: DigiBC Holiday Party.
February 25, 2010 – BC Wireless and Digital Media Day, Vancouver, BC
This is our day to showcase the talent and innovation that we have right here in BC to the world. It is on the last Thursday before the closing of the Winter Olympic Games and will be a day-long series of experiential events. There will be lots of opportunities for our community to connect with business leaders from around the world to discuss business and economic development initiatives beyond 2010. Stay tuned!
|
|
DIGIBC HOLIDAY PARTY |
Come and celebrate the holiday season with your wireless and digital community.
Granville Island Brewery
1441 Cartwright Street
7:00pm - 10:00pm |
 |
|
UPCOMNG EVENTS
eAsia 2009
International ICT development event
Colombo, Sri Lanka - Dec 2-4, 2009
Free Webinar
Opportunities for Canadian Businesses in the U.S. Health IT Market - Dec 11, 2009
DIGIBC
Holiday Party
Vancouver, BC - Dec 15, 2009
2010 Business Visitor Program
Opportunities for BC SMEs to connect with global brands and explore economic development
Vancouver, BC - Feb 8-28, 2010
|
© 2009 WINBC. All Rights Reserved.