Delegate $250

Attend the Opportunity South Conference & Business Expo

Includes:
• One ticket for all conference events including keynote speakers and Lobster Feed networking dinner

Table of Eight $1,750

Attend the Opportunity South Conference & Business Expo with eight delegates

Includes:
• Eight tickets for all conference events including keynote speakers and Lobster Feed networking dinner

Vendors

If you have a product or service that you sell to business owners or employees you need to be a part of the Expo!

Throughout the Opportunity South Business Conference the business-to-business expo will give you the opportunity to showcase your goods and services to up to 500 business leaders and potential customers in a vibrant environment, highly motivated toward Southern Alberta business growth and opportunity.

Vendor: $500

Participation at Opportunity South Conference & Business
Expo Includes:

• Vendor table at Business Expo
• One ticket for all conference events including keynote speakers and Lobster Feed networking dinner
• Additional attendees half price (up to three)

​Register online to become a vendor

The Right Honourable Stephen Harper served as Canada's 22nd Prime Minister from 2006 until 2015.

During his time in office, Prime Minister Harper oversaw historic trade negotiations to expand Canada's commercial relationships including the conclusion of the Canada-Europe Free Trade Agreement, the Canada-Korea Free Trade Agreement, the Canada-Columbia Free Trade Agreement, a modernized Canada-Israel Free Trade Agreement and Canada's entrance into the Trans-Pacific Partnership.

Prime Minister Harper resides in Calgary where he is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Harper & Associates, a global consulting firm.

Million $ Marketing

If you've ever won a free coffee, a donut or even a television because you "rolled up the rim to win", you have Ron Buist to thank.

The former Marketing Director for Tim Horton's for 27 years, Buist helped turn a once little-known donut shop into one of Canada's leading franchises.

Buist is a marketing consultant and speaker who is now focused on sharing his secrets of success with retail and business organizations, business schools, senior executives and others through his presentations.

Terrific Teams

Lorne Rubis joined ATB as Chief People Officer in 2012, with a mandate to make ATB The Place to Work.

During his four-plus years in that role and working closely with the enterprise leadership team, ATB became widely recognized as one of the top companies to work for in North America.

Whether referencing leading team member engagement, trust scores, retention, or contribution, people inside and outside the company have touted ATB as a place to work, bank and fully associate with.

Lorne Rubis now serves as ATB's Chief Evangelist.

Richard Worzel is Canada's leading futurist, with a client list that includes such organizations as Coca Cola, Procter & Gamble, the U.S. Navy, the National Research Council, Rogers Media, Lexus, and Sun Life, among others.

Richard has written five best-selling books, including Who Owns Tomorrow, which reached the Financial Post's best-seller list in its second week of publication.

The future is his field of study, which means Richard isn't a specialist in a single subject, but instead a generalist with a broad knowledge of a wide range of fields.

Cannabis in the Workplace

Presented by Ed Secondiak of ECS Safety Services Ltd.

Legalization is coming. In this session you'll learn about what to expect as legalization comes into play, how your workplace will be impacted, and what you can do to keep your business safe and productive. 

Ed Secondiak is the President of ECS Safety Services Ltd., which he founded in 1995 after a long career in the RCMP. WIth extensive experience in undercover drug enforcement and expert court advisement, Ed has also had a long private career managing employee drug education training and consulting contracts around the world. 

Start with the End in Mind: 10 Questions to Create a Path to Success (Succession Planning)

Presented by George Virtue, CPA, CA and Jeff Clarke, CPA, CA of Avail CPA

Smart business owners understand that planning for success increases your chance of success. Having a strategic plan will help you reach your goals and be successful, yet where do you start? Chartered Professional Accountants and Partners at Avail CPA George Virtue and Jeff Clarke will take the mystery out of strategic planning with 10 thought-provoking questions to help you create your path to success. Questions like “why is your business important?”, “what will your business look like when it’s successful?”, and “what are the biggest challenges you have to overcome?” will get you ready for the success you deserve! 

George is the Managing Partner of Avail, a senior Avail Spark Strategist and an Accredited Mindshop Facilitator.  In addition to leading and managing Avail, George works with selected clients focusing on strategic planning, profitability improvement and management effectiveness. He is passionate about helping organizations develop and implement their vision, strategy and improvement plans.

Jeff is a Partner at Avail CPA with a focus on owner-managed businesses. As an Accredited Mindshop Facilitator and Avail Spark business consultant, Jeff helps business owners improve profitability, determine and measure key performance indicators, and grow their business. 

Is Your Business Ready to Trade?

Presented by Joey St. Pierre of Export Development Canada

The world of International Trade can seem intimidating, but with a little help and guidance you too can soon be profitably trading your goods or services in foreign markets. In this session you'll learn the essential steps you need to take in order to be trade-ready, and about all the resources that exist to make the process simple. Well, simple-er.

Joey St-Pierre is a Senior Account Manager with Export Development Canada (EDC) where he has spent 10 years of his career advising Canadian companies and structuring financial solutions in support of International growth opportunities. Joey is passionate about working with businesses across Southern Alberta and helping them explore opportunities in markets all over the world.  Joey holds a Finance Degree from the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa.  

EDC helps Canadian companies go, grow, and succeed in their international business. As a financial Crown corporation, EDC provides financing, insurance, bonding, trade knowledge, and matchmaking connections to help Canadian companies sell and invest abroad. EDC can also provide financial solutions to foreign buyers to facilitate and grow purchases from Canadian companies.

Virtual Reality in Business

Presented by Kris Hodgson of Lethbridge College

Learn how virtual reality is being integrated into businesses for marketing, journalism, gaming, education, and other industries. There are many incredible opportunities to embrace this new medium. Find out which may be a good fit for you. Love it or hate it, the VR space is growing. Will you be blazing a trail with this new technology or playing catch-up in a few years? 

Kris Hodgson is a Digital Communications and Media instructor at Lethbridge College. After recently completing his masters in Virtual Reality Storytelling through the U of A's Communication and Technology program (MACT), Hodgson is pursuing applied research through Lethbridge College to identify best practices in 360-degree storytelling in journalism by connecting with industry across North America.

Next Generation Marketing

Presented by Jedmarc Evangelista of Jedwin Media Inc.

Digital Marketing is the biggest game in town, but it changes fast with constantly evolving technologies and methods. In this session you'll get an overview of the current trends, tools, and methods in digital marketing and a peek at the next generation of tools and methods that are coming of age. 

Jedmarc Evangelista is the CEO of Jedwin Media Inc, a locally based, internationally active marketing firm that has been helping businesses run marketing programs that convert into big dollars since 2007.

The Future of I.T. for Businesses

Presented by Tevi Legge of ATB Financial

Big data and digital connectivity is changing how organizations do business. Learn about opportunities to move your business forward in an agile environment by enabling extended and timely collaboration in a cloud environment. 

Tevi Legge is the Director of Spark, a team created to re-imagine change management in agile and fast-moving digital environments. Spark is about igniting and accelerating progress as ATB Financial evolves in a digital environment and adopts new financial technologies. 

Employment Standards Changes

Presented by Wayne Petersen and Candice Braun of North and Company LLP.

This past spring the Provincial Government made significant amendments to the Employment Standards Code. These changes affect each and every employer and employee in the province, and therefore its very important that you understand the new legislation. In this session Wayne and Candice from North and Co. LLP explain the changes and what it means for you in your day to day life.

Wayne Petersen enjoys the challenging and interesting areas of municipal and employment law while also practicing in the areas of real estate, estate planning and administration, and business law. North & Company is very involved in communities all across southern Alberta and Wayne has always been very proud and involved with that aspect of the company.

In her practice, Candice Braun focuses on employment law, personal injuries, and general litigation. She also involves herself in the community, serving on boards and with associations. 

Doing Business with the Government of Canada

Presented by La Vona Parker from the Office of Small and Medium Enterprises 

The Government of Canada purchases approximately $20 billion of goods and services each year. This presentation will provide you with key information on how you can sell to the Government of Canada. This seminar will help you:

• Understand the procurement process
• Register in supplier databases
• Build relationships
• Search for opportunities
• Bid on opportunities

La Vona Parker is a Procurement Specialist with the Office of Small & Medium Enterprises (OSME) of Public Services and Procurement Canada. La Vona has been employed by the federal government for 19 years. She began her career with Health Canada as a Grants and Contribution Officer and moved to Public  Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC) in 2008 as a Procurement Specialist. In 2015 she joined OSME bringing a wealth of procurement and supplier engagement experience to the team. She is excited to help educate and inform suppliers on finding opportunities and to assist them in navigating the procurement system.  

Jennifer has been in the broadcasting industry for 29 years, both radio and TV.  TV viewing has changed recently  which has brought her to the Chamber of Commerce as our Office Administrator.  She also does Taxes in her ‘spare time’, but full time during tax season.

She is a graduate of the Broadcast Journalism Program at Lethbridge College and started at 1220 CJOC radio, when it was AM, in 1987.  She also did time in Edmonton at K-97 radio covering the news in our capital and was the news half of the morning show on Mountain FM in Canmore.

She started in television in Cranbrook, BC at Shaw Communications in 2005 where she was the reporter, editor, camera person, on-air host and held the title of Senior Producer after just 2 years.  They recognized her leadership abilities and was promoted in 2007 to return to Lethbridge, her hometown, as the Supervisor of the Central Region including teams in Medicine Hat, Lethbridge, Cranbrook and Castlegar.  In between all of these jobs she raised 4 children and ran a very successful DJ business for 10 years, which operated in Lethbridge, Canmore, Banff and Cranbrook. 

Trevor Lewington is the Chief Executive Officer for Economic Development Lethbridge.

Trevor Lewington is proud to work with a talented team that develops and delivers on initiatives to promote Lethbridge as an excellent place to live, work, visit, invest and do business. 

Trevor is engaged and involved in his community and currently, serves as the Deputy Mayor in the Village of Stirling where he resides. Trevor is also an active member of the Board of Directors for Ridge Country Housing Authority as well as intelligent Community Forum - Canada. 

Shannon Phillips is Alberta's Minister of Environment and Parks, Minister Responsible for Climate Change Office, and MLA Lethbridge-West.

Since taking office, Ms. Phillips has led the government's Climate Leadership Plan which is designed to diversify the economy, create new jobs and improve Alberta's health.