Conference Agenda
7:15 a.m.
Keynote: The Productivity Imperative: What AI Means for Canada’s Competitive Future
11:45 a.m.
8:15 a.m.
Opening Remarks and Welcome
Kick off Advance Manitoba with a warm welcome and a look at what’s ahead for the day.
Emcee:
Canada’s productivity challenge is creating new urgency around innovation and adoption. This session explores what AI means for Canada’s economic future, where the biggest opportunities may lie, and why competitive advantage will depend on how businesses rethink work, value creation, and growth.
15 mins.
15 mins.
Dr. Joel Blit
45 mins.
8:30 a.m.
Margaux Miller
Speaker:
Associate Professor of Economics, University of Waterloo
Senior Fellow, Centre for International Governance Innovation
Panel Discussion: From Productivity
to Performance: Building a Tech-Forward, People-Centred Business
Technology alone does not create stronger organizations. This conversation explores the leadership, culture, and workforce conditions that help businesses turn new capabilities into better performance while strengthening the human judgment, creativity, and adaptability that remain essential to success.
Global Tech Event MC and Moderator,
MAM Media
Moderator:
9:15 a.m.
60 mins.
Sean
Hogan
Dr. Archana Krishnan
Dr. Mina Nouredanesh
Tracy
Gromniski
Panelists:
Senior Research Director, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Break and Networking
Take a break, connect with fellow attendees and continue the conversation.
Lunch and Interactive Garden
Recharge over lunch and explore the Interactive Garden while connecting with fellow attendees.
10:15 a.m.
Session Leader:
30 mins.
More Information Coming Soon
Marwa Abdou
1:30 p.m.
60 mins.
10:45 a.m.
60 mins.
60 mins.
Plenary Session
Registration, Breakfast, and Networking
More information coming soon.
Speakers:
TBD
Breakout description coming soon.
Speaker:
Antonio Cianflone
President,
Pizza Hotline & InterrexAI
Afternoon Keynote: More Information Coming Soon
Speaker:
Alfredo Tan
Chief Digital Information Officer,
Canada Goose
Board Director, UNICEF & iGaming
Breakout Round 1:
Who Owns the Value? AI, Data, and Competitive Advantage
As AI becomes part of everyday business, decisions about data, intellectual property, vendors, and organizational knowledge will determine who captures the value. Explore what leaders need to consider today to protect and strengthen tomorrow’s competitive advantage.
Nicolas Joubert
Partner,
MLT Aikins LLP
Danielle Graff
Partner,
MLT Aikins LLP
The Customer is Changing. Is Your Business?
Customer expectations, behaviours, and channels continue to evolve. Using tourism as a real-world lens, this session explores how the customer journey is changing and where businesses may need to rethink experience, engagement, and value to stay relevant.
Speaker:
Cody Chomiak
Vice President, Marketing
Travel Manitoba
2:30 p.m.
Break and Networking
Take a break and connect before the final breakout sessions of the day.
2:45 p.m.
Breakout Round 2:
Create Faster. Know What Matters.
Emerging tools are changing how content, images, campaigns, and ideas are created. Explore how businesses can take advantage of new creative capabilities while protecting brand, quality, ownership, reputation, and human judgment.
Speaker:
Lesley Klassen
Senior Manager of AI Services & Initiatives,
New Media Manitoba
Test Before You Transform
You do not need a perfect strategy before you start learning. Explore how businesses can run safe, contained experiments, test new ideas, limit risk, and gather enough insight to make better decisions before committing to larger investments.
15 mins.
60 mins.
Speaker:
Cameron Bergen
CEO,
mode40
60 mins.
4:00 p.m.
Networking Reception
Continue the conversation and connect with fellow attendees at the networking reception.