THIS WEEK IN TECTORIA

A community blog celebrating Victoria's booming tech sector

CONTACT THE TECTORIA BLOG

Got a cool story about technology and creativity in Victoria? Email stories, tips, pictures, links and anything of interest to Tessa Bousfield at: tectoria@viatec.ca

B-Side – For Those in the Know

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We are excited to announce a new marketing effort designed to continue to raise awareness of the local tech sector. Starting today, every concert ticket distributed by Atomique Productions will feature an ad promoting Tectoria and a new web site that will be launched next week.

The campaign, we are calling The B-Side of the Ticket, will run for the next two years and aims to get every concert goer in the city to learn more about Tectoria and the amazing Imagination Economy we all benefit from. B-Side will have its finger on the pulse of Victoria events and venues that are creative, original and inspiring – and perhaps a little hard to find. We will also feature contests for tickets to upcoming shows as a way to keep people coming back to learn more about the cooler things around town and how technology is shaping our community.

The idea comes from the days when vinyl (with two distinct physical sides) – featured record company favourites on the A-side and ‘filler’ on the B-side. Filler like: I Am The Walrus, Ruby Tuesday, Unchained Melody, Maggie May, Born on the Bayou, Hey Hey What Can I Do & many others.

The B-Side, as you can see, was a place that true fans learned to pay attention to. The parallel, as we see it, is simple. The old vinyl B-Side, like the Victoria tech sector, represents something not everyone is aware of. We recognize the B-Side for what it is: a place for creatives, innovators, leaders & those that can produce original & inspiring work.

Those in the know always check the B-Side. Stay tuned for next week’s big launch.

Discover Tectoria 2013 – Your Insider’s Guide

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Ladies and Gentlemen: Start your Engines…… and robots, and video games, and smoke shows, and………. Oh man this is gonna be epic.

Pay attention and we’ll give you a heads up, an insider’s scoop, if you will, on what to expect, when to be where, what not to miss, and how to win some PRIZES!

Where is this event anyway?

Discover Tectoria is happening at The Crystal Gardens at 713 Douglas St.

What do I need to bring?

We’re raising money for the VIATeC Food Bank Challenge in support of Victoria’s Mustard Seed, so this is how it works.  Everyone falls into one of the following categories.

  • You’re in the know, and you, therefore, downloaded a free ticket.  Great! Please bring your ticket, on paper or your phone, and one non-perishable food item with you.
  • Unfortunately, you missed the download, and don’t have a free ticket. Please bring two non perishable food items with you, then sign up for our newsletter so you don’t miss the next one. http://eepurl.com/Jlq99
  • Unfortunately, you missed the download, don’t have a free ticket, and didn’t bring a food item or cash to donate. Come on people! #TechFansGiveCans. But yah, you’re probably still a good person, so we’ll let you in anyway.  Or, you could sing us a song? It’s just a suggestion.

Anyway, moving on:

When should I show up?

The event runs from 11am – 6pm, but if you’d like to be a wee bit more strategic, pay attention to the following:

  • The Keynote speeches by Bob McDonald and Ann Makosinski begin at 3:15pm. If you’ve registered for these speeches, you’ll want to arrive a few hours before that to ensure you see all of the exhibitors as well.
  • Camosun College Presents Mr. Wizard Rocketsauce Show – 11:15am, 12:45pm, 2:00pm
  • Coding for Kids by Mozilla – 12:00pm, 1:15pm
  • If you don’t have tickets to the keynote speeches, I’d highly recommend heading to the event around 2:30pm. You know, ’cause the lines might be a little shorter.

What’s there to do besides the scheduled presentations above?

There’s absolutely nothing to do or see besides the above events.  ARE YOU CRAZY?? There’s so much to do and see:

  • More than 70 exhibitors
  • The Innovation Showcase (all the big, shiny, cool stuff that can’t fit in a booth)
  • Tectoria Video Game Lounge – 19 Victoria gaming companies set to blow your mind
  • and SO MUCH MORE – Check it all out here, if you actually need more motivation

Post, Tweet, Click, and Sign Up your way to Prizes

Here are the keys to walking away a winner:

  • Our social media accounts are going to be in full force, tweeting, posting, tagging, Instagramming and much more. For the latest, up to the second info, and to see what everyone at the event is talking about, log in often, and contribute to the #DiscoverTectoria conversation.  And please, please, please, take a ton of ridiculous, off the wall, insane pics to share with us.
  • To win any of the prizes, you must have signed up for the This Week in Tectoria Newsletter. 
  • Today is the launch of @Tectoriagram – our new Instagram account.  To celebrate, we’re giving away a prize for Best Tectoriagram photo at the event.  Don’t forget to mention us!
  • The hashtag for today’s event is #DiscoverTectoria and we’re giving away a prize for most creative tweet.  Don’t forget to mention us (@VIATeC) and include the hashtag!

Keynote Speakers:

Bob McDonald

Loved by audiences across Canada for making complex scientific issues understandable, meaningful, and fun, Bob McDonald is in high demand. A fixture in broadcasting for more than 30 years, he is currently the host of CBC Radio’s Quirks & Quarks, the award-winning science program that is heard by 500,000 people each week. He is the author of numerous bestselling books, and a member of the Order of Canada.

In addition to hosting Quirks & Quarks, McDonald is a regular reporter for CBC TV’s The National. As a writer, he has authored three science books, and contributed to numerous science textbooks, magazines, and newspapers, including The Globe and Mail. His latest book is Measuring the Earth with a Stick.

McDonald has been honoured for his outstanding contribution to the promotion of science within Canada. He is a recipient of the “Michael Smith Award” from the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council; the “Sir Sanford Fleming Medal” from the Royal Canadian Institute; and the “McNeil Medal” from The Royal Society of Canada. He also won a 2008 Gemini Award for “Best Host in a Pre-School, Children’s or Youth Program or Series.” He holds six honorary doctorates from Canadian universities.

Ann Makosinski

You may recognize Ann as the 15-year-old Victoria student who won top prize in Google’s annual global science fair this year. Makosinski, whose entry was chosen from among thousands to represent Canada at Google’s global fair in California, created what she dubbed ‘The Hollow Flashlight,’ to show how humans can be a source of thermal energy.

Just last week Ann was also chosen by Time Magazine as one of the 30 People Under 30 Changing the World. She’s only half way to 30 years old!

Ann will speak about her experience at Google’s science fair and how she first came up with the idea of making the flashlight. There will also be a Q&A period where members of the audience can ask Ann their questions.

Food, Glorious Food

A great event needs great food. We’ve got not one, not two, but three of Victoria’s most popular food trucks parking right out front of the Crystal Gardens.

Leave your lunch at home.

Are you coming to Discover Tectoria Today? What are you most excited for? Do you have any questions?

Post your comments, questions, and concerns below.

And if you’re at the event, swing by and visit us at the VIATeC table.

by Steve Hof

Your Free PR Opportunity Awaits

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Hello People of Tectoria!

Your friends at VIATeC have decided to start sharing all of the great stories that Tectoria has to offer. Whether you’re a startup entrepreneur, an Accelerator program mentor, a college student with a grand idea, a teacher with an inspirational tale, or simply a Victoria resident who’s been positively influenced by our number 1 sector, LET US KNOW!!!!

How do you let us know? Great question.  In a perfect world you’d type up a 150 – 650 word article, attach it and a few pictures to an email and send it to us.  From time to time, however, we will have time to interview people and write the articles for them.   Did I emphasize ‘from time to time’ enough?  But seriously folks, we want to promote you, your business, and how you fit into the Tectoria story.  YOU, however, have to take the first step.

So, if you’d like some free PR, please send your stories and pics to me, Steve Hof, at steve@pikomarketing.com.  PIKO does a lot of marketing work for VIATeC and our offices are actually here in VIATeC’s Accelerator Building at 2659 Douglas St.  So next time you’re in the neighbourhood, feel free to come introduce yourself and ask us any further questions you may have.

Cheers!  Now let the storytelling begin!

by Steve Hof

Front page treatment for MetaLab’s Andrew Wilkinson

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Boulevard CoverWhat’s going on here? A young Victoria tech entrepreneur on the cover of a lifestyle magazine! Andrew Wilkinson, 27, of MetaLab gets the cover boy treatment from Boulevard Magazine and inside tells the story behind the rise and rise of his company, an interface design agency founded in 2006. If you are fan of Tumblr, then you have probably encountered their themes. I have just one question for MetaLab – how does the unlimited annual vacation work?

 

Ford’s social media guru to speak at Victoria’s Social Media Camp

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Scott MontyIt’s excellent to hear that Victoria’s Social Media Camp is returning. This year’s event takes place on May 6, 7 and 8 with a fine array of speakers, workshops and networking opportunities already lined up.

The opening speaker will be Facebook marketing specialist Mari Smith and there will also be a series of awards handed out one evening. Scott Monty, Head of Global Social Media Communications at Ford Motor Company, is also lined up to speak. Monty was ranked by  Forbes as one of the top 10 influencers in social media. That’s quite a coup.

Ford have been very innovative in social media. Its Ford Fiesta campaign used crowd-sourcing and has been highlighted many times as a pioneering piece of marketing.

The Social Media Camp, which seems to grow each year, is aimed at small and medium sized business owners, students, entrepreneurs, executives and social media professionals.

TicTalking starts a conversation

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TicTalking screen shotThe latest social media innovation to emerge from Victoria is TicTalking. It appears to be a social media conversation platform – according to the company blog (which also quotes the author Henry Miller), “TicTalking helps you create new connections with people based on common interests. Built-in language translation software lets you connect on a deep, meaningful level with people all around the world.”

Peter Nieforth from TicTalking is currently at CES and courting the media, according to this article. “Today I’ve spent most of the day doing video and podcasts and just really being interviewed a lot,” he said.