Conference Agenda
7:15 a.m.
60 mins.
Registration, Breakfast, and Networking
8:15 a.m.
15 mins.
Opening Remarks and Welcome
Kick off Advance Manitoba with a warm welcome and a look at what’s ahead for the day.
Global Tech Event MC and Moderator,
MAM Media
Margaux Miller
Emcee:
8:30 a.m.
45 mins.
Keynote: The Productivity Imperative: What AI Means for Canada’s Competitive Future
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.
Speaker:
Dr. Joel Blit
Associate Professor of Economics, University of Waterloo
Senior Fellow, Centre for International Governance Innovation
Panel Discussion: Building a Tech-Forward, People-Centred Business
New tools only pay off when people are ready to use them. This conversation looks at the leadership, culture, and team habits that turn new technology into better results, and keep human judgment and creativity at the centre of how the work gets done.
9:15 a.m.
60 mins.
Sean Hogan
Darion Ducharme
Tracy Gromniski - Moderator
Dr. Mina Nouredanesh
10:15 a.m.
30 mins.
Break and Networking
Take a break, connect with fellow attendees and continue the conversation.
10:45 a.m.
60 mins.
Plenary: From Curiosity to Capability: Where Canadian Businesses Stand
Canadian businesses are paying for AI now but the productivity payoff hasn't arrived. Adoption jumped from 6.1% of firms in 2024 to 19.2% today, yet the gains remain hard to find in the data. New research from Statistics Canada and Signal49 points to why: returns go to firms that were already strong on data and cloud, and to firms that match specific tools to specific tasks. Most firms are doing neither. They're rolling out general-purpose chatbots, the category with the weakest link to productivity growth, and layering them on top of existing work.
This keynote will examine who bears AI adoption costs, where productivity potential is strongest, and what sets successful firms apart. Attendees will gain an understanding of whether their AI investments target the right work and have the right foundations.
Session Leader:
Marwa Abdou
Senior Research Director, Canadian Chamber of Commerce
Lunch and Interactive Garden
Recharge over lunch and explore the Interactive Garden while connecting with fellow attendees.
11:45 a.m.
60 mins.
Keynote: From Insight to Action: Leading Through Transformation
Understanding the need for change is one thing. Leading it is another.
In this keynote and candid conversation, Alfredo Tan, Chief Digital & Information Officer at Canada Goose, will explore what it takes to turn ambition into execution in an era of rapid technological change. Drawing on his experience leading enterprise-wide digital, AI, and data strategy, Alfredo will share how organizations can build momentum, align people around a shared vision, and create the conditions for meaningful transformation.
12:45 p.m.
40 mins.
Speaker:
Alfredo Tan
Chief Digital Information Officer,
Canada Goose
Board Director, UNICEF & iGaming
1:30 p.m.
60 mins.
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.
Speaker:
Danielle Graff
Partner,
MLT Aikins LLP
The Customer is Changing. Is Your Business?
The way customers discover, evaluate and choose businesses is changing rapidly, and AI is accelerating that shift. Using tourism as a real-world lens, Cody Chomiak will explore how the customer journey is being reshaped, from AI-powered discovery and changing expectations to the growing importance of experience, trust and brand.
Drawing on lessons from an industry navigating constant disruption, this session will challenge businesses to think differently about how they show up, how they create value and what it will take to remain relevant as the next generation of customers (people and bots) change the rules.
Speaker:
Cody Chomiak
Vice President, Marketing
Travel Manitoba
The Trust Factor: What Should We Actually Be Worried About?
AI has become fertile ground for outrage, fear, and sweeping claims. Deepfakes. Fake content. Job loss. Bias. Hallucinations. Customers who supposedly reject anything touched by AI.
While concerns are real, some of the premise is overstated. And some distract from the decisions business leaders actually need to make.
In this candid conversation, Dr. Archana Krishnan and Pamela Wilton will separate legitimate trust risks from the noise. They’ll explore what makes people trust (and distrust) AI-enabled experiences, where human judgment still matters most, and how businesses can use emerging technology without sacrificing credibility, transparency, or the relationships their organizations depend on.
Expect a grounded discussion that challenges assumptions on both sides: neither dismissing the risks nor treating every AI concern as a reason to stop moving.
Speaker:
Dr. Archana Krishnan
Founder,
Theta Intelligence Analytics Solutions Inc.
Break and Networking
Take a break and connect before the final breakout sessions of the day.
2:30 p.m.
30 mins.
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.
3:00 p.m.
60 mins.
Speaker:
Lesley Klassen
Senior Manager of AI Services & Initiatives,
New Media Manitoba
Test Before You Transform
You don't need a perfect plan to start learning. See how businesses run small, safe experiments, limit the risk, and collect enough evidence to make better decisions before committing to a bigger investment.
Speaker:
Cameron Bergen
CEO,
mode40
Built. Tested. Learned
What does practical modernization look like inside a working Manitoba business? This session shares how Pizza Hotline has built a more technology-forward internal culture through experimentation, learning, and continuous improvement, and what other businesses can take from the experience. Attendees will hear how the organization has approached the adoption of AI in practice, from exploring opportunities and testing new approaches to understanding their value and impact over time.
Speaker:
Antonio Cianflone
President,
Pizza Hotline & InterrexAI
4:00 p.m.
15 mins.
Closing Remarks
Networking Reception
Continue the conversation and connect with fellow attendees at the networking reception.
4:15 p.m.
45 mins.