July 6, 2020
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Collision 2020, dubbed “North America’s fastest growing tech conference” and originally scheduled to be held in Toronto, Ontario, shifted to a completely virtual format due to the COVID-19 pandemic and was branded as “Collision From Home 2020”. The 2020 conference drew over 32,000 attendees from more than 140 countries.
Although virtual, the conference was distinctly “Ontarian”: The Ontario Government and a delegation of over 65 companies showcased Ontario’s innovation on this international stage. The Provincial Government also offered an international program, which featured 22 digital sessions to over 500 international companies and technology buyers who were interested in taking advantage of the business opportunities in the province. Ontario is North America’s second largest IT hub, home to over 300,000 tech workers and 23,000 firms who are world leaders in artificial intelligence, fintech, cybersecurity, and digital media.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was one of over 600 speakers who attended Collision from Home. During the conference, Trudeau discussed the Canadian Government’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes initiatives such as the Canada Emergency Response Benefit, the Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy, and various travel restrictions.
Notably, Trudeau highlighted the importance of the technology sector in developing and implementing measures to help protect Canadians from COVID-19.
“We knew, first of all [that] science and data and technology was going to be the key to getting us through this,” he said. “So we created a lot of space to listen to our experts [and] listen to science.”
The Prime Minister also discussed the vital role of technology companies such as Shopify and Blackberry in developing a nationwide mobile app for COVID-19 contact tracing, which was announced by the Federal Government in June.
Ontario is a leader in technology sector – it is a global centre for innovation and technology, and is home to two of the largest start-up centres in the world – Toronto and Waterloo. The province also hosts the operations of industry leaders such as Amazon, IBM, Cisco, Google, and Spotify.
Even as the conference was forced to move to a digital format, Collision From Home nonetheless helped international buyers discover the diversity of technologies and services in Ontario, and highlighted the province’s growth and innovation.
Author: Farrah Kudus
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