Silicon Valley North attracts the leading hospitality industrys conference June 26-29
Suppose I asked you to conjure up an image of a ‘tech hub.’ In that case, I imagine your mind might place you in the streets of Silicon Valley, rife with sprawling university-like tech campuses and unicorn start-ups causing a stir amongst technologists, investors, and consumers. Perhaps, your mind may jump to other global leaders in tech, such as London, UK, Beijing, New York City, or even Tel Aviv – but would Canada make that list? It certainly should.
Canada is known for many things; sprawling mountain landscapes, an unforgiving winter season, polite citizens, francophone culture, and much more. But nestled in between the Beavertails, hockey games, and cottage weekends, visitors and locals may notice something else: its growing tech scene. According to LinkedIn’s Workforce Report for Canada, the great white north is now outpacing the U.S. with its growth in its tech workforce over the past 12 months. Moreover, Canadian venture capital investment increased by 215 percent to C$14.2 billion last year, and the BDC predicts investments in this sector to continue accelerating over the next five years. As described by author Aly Gillani, “Tech companies in Canada are very well positioned to ride out what could be an extended period of uncertainty, capitalizing on the changes through a lens of opportunity and emerging stronger when the turbulence subsides.”
The Toronto tech scene, in particular, is alive and well, with the city ranked as one of the fastest-growing tech markets in North America. In fact, the Toronto-Waterloo Corridor (the 112 km stretch between the cities of Waterloo and Toronto) is the second-largest technology cluster in North America, behind only the aforementioned Silicon Valley. This notorious corridor is home to more than 15,000 tech companies (including 5,200 start-ups) and 16 post-secondary institutions. Between 2014 and 2019, the city of Toronto experienced a 36.5% increase in tech talent growth, and that number is growing with each passing month.
It should come as no surprise, then, that Toronto was selected as the destination for HITEC 2023, as hospitality professionals from around the world are set to soon descend upon the city in pursuit of the latest and greatest hospitality tech innovations. As industry patrons know, HITEC presents an incredible opportunity to celebrate industry evolution and growth, network with colleagues and segment leaders, witness exciting new product demonstrations, and get an in-depth look at emerging tech trends set to transform the industry. Those brands exhibiting at the renowned convention will be granted the unique opportunity to showcase their products and services while connecting directly with high-level professionals and key decision-makers in the industry.
Among some of the foremost contenders that come to mind when considering the innovative Canadian forces moving the needle, we have Nobul, a Toronto-based open digital marketplace connecting home buyers and sellers to real estate agents, and Hopper, the world’s fastest-growing mobile-first travel marketplace. Book4Time, which will be featured at this year’s HITEC, has also revealed itself as a notable leader in the Canadian tech space. As I write this, the cloud-based spa management platform for the world’s top hotels and resorts reportedly uses more Forbes 5-Star rated spas than any other vendor. Canada is also home to Jonas Hospitality, a family of technology brands serving the hospitality industry that utilizes cutting-edge technology solutions to meet critical business needs. Planaday, on the other hand, is a Canadian company hard at work reimagining (or perhaps better stated, reinventing) the traditional hotel concierge with an easy-to-use, digital, mobile, and customer-centered process. Not a bad line-up of innovative brands, eh?
If you are attending HITEC Toronto, please check out these key players in the global hospitality technology ecosystem and our city's many other sights and attractions. If you ask me (in my totally unbiased opinion, of course), Canada is the perfect stomping ground for such an affair. As a Torontonian, I am proud to live in a city with a vibrant tech landscape and an appetite for innovation. I look forward to connecting with you at HITEC in Toronto this June.
About Alan Young
A seasoned business and technology visionary, Alan Young is the Co-Founder of Puzzle Partner, a leading marketing firm focused on the hospitality and travel technology industry. He is recognized for his provocative insight into how emerging technology impacts industries and how leaders can better connect with their customers and employees for sustained growth. Alan also sits on several hotel and travel technology advisory boards and is known for his ability to turn difficult concepts into easy-to-understand ideas that drive meaningful outcomes and actions.
He is a respected thought-leader, battle-tested consultant, mentor, and sought-after keynote speaker on the topics of business strategy, growth, transformation, and innovation. Alan focuses on increasing business awareness and believes that everything hinges on the power of communication and effective storytelling.