True North Free Trade Forum 2022
2022-04-05 08:00 - 2022-04-08 17:00 (America/Halifax) | Online
The Ontario Government, in partnership with Canadian provinces and territories, is proud to host the True North Free Trade Forum, a unique virtual opportunity where companies and attendees will exchange ideas and explore new business opportunities in interprovincial trade.
Aimed at strengthening business ties across Canada to support economic recovery, the virtual True North Free Trade Forum 2022 will look at the challenges and opportunities presented by COVID-19, as well as how increasing pan-Canadian trade could add up to $84 billion to Canada’s GDP.

Financing Options to Fuel Your Tech Company’s Growth
2022-04-05 10:00 - 11:00 | Online
Join BDC, IGNITE Atlantic and Digital Nova Scotia for this webinar where they will discuss how your tech start up or scale up can gain access to capital to support your company growth. In addition, they will chat about weighing the pros and cons of debt and equity financing at different stages of company growth.
After this webinar you will:

Know how to find the optimal funding mix for your stage of company growth
Learn about the pros and cons of debt and equity financing
Learn about BDC’s full suite of financing options, tailored to support tech companies at every stage of growth

Thriving in Today's Digital-First World
2022-04-05 14:00 - 17:00 | Online
Join us for IDC Directions 2022 Canada to explore the most relevant topics in the Canadian technology and business space, and gain access to actionable guidance from IDC’s brightest minds to help you thrive in a digital-first Canada with trust, scale, and impact.
How will the Canadian IT industry transform and innovate, while also continuing to deliver on the growing demands from consumers and end-users? Entire industries are now looking to intelligently leverage more technology, data, and cloud capabilities to drive operational efficiencies across their organizations. In fact, more than 60% of IT executives in Canada indicated that they are now expecting technology spending to increase in the next few years, showing signs of improvement in the technology sector and the economy post-COVID-19.

10 Low-Effort Ways to Improve your Social Media Presence
2022-04-06 10:00 - 11:00 | Online
Social media is constantly changing, but the reason for it is not. People go on social media to connect and stay informed. It’s time to stop chasing the next new thing and bring it back to the basics of building relationships online. In this presentation, I will give participants 10 ways they can improve their social media presence and create real and lasting connections online.

Introduction to Natural Language Processing
2022-04-06 12:00 - 15:00 | Online
Join ACENET for a brief introduction to Natural Language Processing (NLP).
How do computers understand language? It seems impossible that zeroes and ones could ever add up to words that humans can understand, but machine language has come a long way in the past few years. Let us take you behind the code to explain how machines simulate language comprehension, and why it’s a far more complicated problem than “bonjour = hello”. This talk is aimed at an audience who is not necessarily familiar with computers or language comprehension, but would like a primer to the field, and what it can realistically do. We will explain natural language processing from the perspective of machines that cannot understand words, but capture semantic meaning by processing data.
This session will take place on:
Thursday, April 6th – 12:00pm – 3:00pm (Atlantic time)
You do need to have a laptop with a Mac, Linux or Windows operating system (not a tablet, Chromebook, etc) on which you have administrative privileges, as you will need to pre-load specific software packages.
Participants must register using their institutional / organizational email address (not a personal email, ie. gmail)
Instructions for how to join will be sent out one day prior to the start of the event.

Supporting Rural Entrepreneurship - A Series with Futurpreneur
2022-04-06 14:00 - 15:00 | IGNITE Southern Office, 208 Main street, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, B5A 1C8, Canada
About this event
We partnered with Futurpreneur to host a series highlighting successful rural entrepreneurs, and all of the resources available to other rural entrepreneurs!
Kicking off our first session is David Saulnier, Founder of JD Composites. David is a shining example of the innovations that are grown within rural entrepreneurship. During this session, he will dive into a brief history of JD Composites, and talk about the benefits and opportunities that lie within rural entrepreneurship.
If you’re an aspiring entrepreneur or currently working on your business, we would love for you to join us!
This hybrid session will be hosted in person at IGNITE Yarmouth and streamed on Zoom.
Bring a friend, and share within your network!

1,000 to Zero: Taking The Stress Out Of Your Emails.
2022-04-06 15:00 - 16:00 | Online
April is Stress Awareness Month and there’s perhaps nothing more stressful folks than e-mails. It’s endless. Just when you think you’re done for the day, more comes in. It’s always on your mind. So we thought it’d be a great time to learn how to delete your emails and start over again
At some point, you’re not going to write that person back. So give yourself a break and start over! But how? That’s where Victoria Smith comes in. She’s the author of “Stress Less in 90 Days: Your Guide to Beat Burnout, Build Resilience and Actually Enjoy Your Daily Life.” and on April 6th, she’ll be sharing her tips and insights to getting your emails and setting up systems so our emails stress us out less in future.

The Atlantic Security Conference (AtlSecCon)
2022-04-07 - 2022-04-08 | Halifax Convention Centre, Nova Scotia, Canada
The Atlantic Security Conference (AtlSecCon) is a non-profit, annual, information security conference located in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada. Established in 2011, our goal is to provide quality information security education and training at an affordable cost.

QueerTech Qareers Virtual Fair
2022-04-07 12:30 - 2022-04-08 19:00 | Online
Are You Looking for Your Next Job? – Don’t Miss The Next QueerTech Qareers Virtual Fair!
Working For The Future: Preparing Our Community For Tomorrow’s Jobs!
As we look at the future of work and technology, we know that talent and skills will always be at the center of building the best companies. Get prepared for the jobs of tomorrow starting TODAY by joining us at the next edition of the QueerTech Qareers Virtual Fair.
On Thursday, April 7th (11:30-18:00 Eastern) and Friday, April 8th (11:30-17:00 Eastern), we will connect you with amazing tech employers from across Canada already building the best teams for tomorrow. Join us for great conversations about the future of work, workshops hosted by hiring companies, and some great networking. Bring your authentic self and help us queer the tech ecosystem!
Hiring companies include: RBC, Chrome, Loopio, Rogers), OroHealth, OSEDEA, Transit.app

Exploring opportunities in rural communities
2022-04-07 14:00 - 15:00 | Online
The urban-rural divide in Canada describes disadvantages for rural communities in terms of economic growth, population density, income distribution, career opportunities, quality of life, etc. Yet while the global pandemic resulted in unprecedented job loss in 2020, rural areas have seen the fastest overall employment recovery.
Furthermore, while only 18% of the current population in Canada lives in rural areas, research conducted by Brookfield Institute for Innovation + Entrepreneurship predicts that rural areas will achieve rapid population growth in the coming years. As a result of COVID-19, employee and job seeker’s preferences are changing and Canadian’s are choosing greener spaces over big cities. This will foster rural communities with more diversity and lead to greater employment and training opportunities for the future of work.
Join leaders as they share their personal and organizational experiences and learnings on how organizations and job seekers can identify and explore opportunities to build meaningful careers and work in rural communities:

Tara Mascarenhas, Director of Programs, SOI Foundation
To be Announced
To be Announced

Introduced by Luke Nixon-Janssen, Director, Marketing & Business Development, Magnet and moderated by Chantal Brine, CEO, EnPoint, we invite you to the next installment of the Building Future Ready Communities: Virtual Tour series on April 7, 1-2 PM EDT for community building and an inspirational panel discussion and Q&A!
If you are unable to join us live, sign-up anyways and you’ll receive instructions on how to access the recording afterwards

Online Workplace Culture Workshop: Intercultural Skill Sets and Organizational Success
2022-04-12 14:00 - 15:30 | Online
Immigrants bring skills, experiences and perspectives that can make your workplace more competitive and responsive to your market. We’ll offer you the tools, examples, and personal support your organization needs so immigrant colleagues can shine!
Our workshops are highly interactive with breakout rooms, Google Jamboards, and other activities to engage participants.
In this 90-minute workshop for staff, managers, and directors, we help you get beyond “cultural fit,” engage with skill sets specific to intercultural situations, and enhance your capacity to guide your workplace culture.

What Does Engineering As A Co-op Student Look Like At TribalScale
2022-04-12 15:00 - 16:00 | Online
Join us to learn more about life at TribalScale and how we mentor our co-ops to become successful Engineers!

Niche Down, Cash Up
2022-04-13 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
FREE Masterclass Reveals How to Use the “D.R.T.” Method to Finally Break Free of Overwhelm… Reclaim Your Time… and Scale Like a Boss. This simple 3-step process helps you create a rock-solid niche, where you’ll increase sales, get more qualified leads, and grow revenue… without overwork or overwhelm!
In Niche Down Cash Up you’ll discover…

The #1 lie taught to women by universities, mentors, and gurus keeping them trapped in an endless cycle of hustling for less money, less time, and less freedom… and how to break free of the grind with one simple change in the way you do business.
Working harder than everyone else is the only way to be successful in business, right? WRONG! In fact, this way of thinking will sabotage your business success and lead to burnout. Join the masterclass to find out what you should do instead.
Why women often get trapped in an endless cycle of overwork and overwhelm… and the three-step D.R.T. process you MUST follow to get clear… get focused… and get paid.
How to cash in while spending MORE time with your family. Eleanor reveals how she cut her client hours 67% while earning more than ever before – and you can, too!
When to use the “tolerance exercise” to let go of the things that don’t serve you without feeling fear, anxiety, or resistance. Once you use this powerful technique you’ll open the floodgates to more opportunity, time, and freedom.
How to escape the “Chasm of Lost Opportunity” that keeps you stuck pouring every hour of the day into client work instead of scaling your business… and how to free up time to get the clarity you MUST have to scale your business like a pro.
The biggest mistake that forces women to choose between their needs, desires… and even their family to grow their business. Here’s how to break free of this outdated thinking and build a business where you control your time and focus.
How to use the “Brené Brown Litmus Test” to help you get crystal clear on your perfect niche… and once you do, nothing will stand in the way of radical growth in your business.
How to find the courage to say NO to clients and projects that no longer light you up, so you can say HELL YES to your next level of growth. When you do this the right way, you’ll become so in-demand people will practically beg for the chance to work with you.

Leveraging Business Automation To Grow Your Business:
2022-04-14 10:00 - 11:00 | Online
In this webinar, we will explore the five core elements needed to successfully automate your business and give you back the valuable time you are wasting. We will show you the systems and processes we use in our business and how they can work for you.

Third Wednesday - April 2022
2022-04-20 17:00 - 18:00 | Nova Scotia, Canada
Save the date! Follow our social media for more details

SEO Brunch - April 2022
2022-04-25 13:00 - 14:00 | Online
Join us for SEO Brunch, an invite-only peer group of SEOs (and SEO adjacent professionals) on the last Monday of every month. Learn valuable SEO tips & share knowledge with a group of like-minded individuals!
What is SEO Brunch?
SEO Brunch is a meet-up of people who are interested in Search Engine Optimization. The community varies from professionals who have worked in the space for a long time to those new to the industry.
Some regular attendees include:

seasoned SEO professionals
affiliate marketers who generate a large portion of their traffic and sales from organic search
new-to-the-industry marketers tasked with improving their companies organic visibility
business owners that want to improve traffic to their website
professionals with other marketing specialties who want to align their approach to SEO
those that are always curious and want to learn

The Public Sector Innovation Show – Atlantic
2022-04-26 08:00 - 17:00 | Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel, 1919 Upper Water St, Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 3J5, Canada
In Atlantic Canada, accelerating digital transformation is happening across the public sector – organizations are collaborating and involving industry partners in the design of processes by actively soliciting ideas, gathering feedback, and co-creating better public service solutions.
When we work together with organizations and experts across a wide range of departments, we can turn ideas into real solutions and make them available for citizens. For the Atlantic public sector, this opens the door to reimagine a future in which all citizens have access to the benefits and opportunities of the digital economy.
The Public Sector Innovation Show – Atlantic is a one-day event designed to provide inspiration, tools, and information for public sector leaders to drive overall growth in their departments and the region. This conference will give the community an opportunity to meet each other and have meaningful conversations with some of the leading innovative ‘doers’ in Atlantic Canada.
Event WebsiteAgenda

WTWT: How to Build a Social Media Plan that Works
2022-04-26 16:00 - 18:00 | VOLTA, 1800 Argyle Street #Unit 801, Halifax, NS, B3J 3N8, Canada
It’s 2022 – social media skills are an absolute must for getting the word out about your business. Unfortunately, many businesses are posting on social media without a plan of action to turn all that time and effort into an increase in their bottom line. When you decide to post on social media without a plan, it’s like throwing spaghetti on a wall and hoping it sticks. It’s messy, inconsistent and unappealing.
In most cases, the individual is unaware of how their social media presence is affecting their business on a daily basis. They aren’t aware of how creating an organized plan for their social media presence can help them increase their sales and reach a larger audience.
In this workshop we will teach you:

How to create a daily/weekly/monthly social media strategy, including what platforms perform best
How to create a social media campaign
How to create authentic content (and the types of content available)

The Post Pandemic - State of the Halifax Tech Sector - Overview and Networking
2022-04-26 19:00 - 21:00 | Tapestry Beer Bar, 833 Sackville Drive, Sackville, Nova Scotia, B4E 1S1, Canada
And we are back and live in person….. Presentation and discussion on the state of our local tech community, post pandemic. Lots of positives but certainly some challenges.

Versatility 2022 – Versa’s annual user conference!
2022-04-27 - 2022-04-28 | Online
This is an exceptional opportunity to

Engage directly with other large enterprises using Versa – hear about their SASE/Multi-cloud journey.
Hear from Versa leadership about our strategy and vision!
Engage with Versa subject matter experts!

The New Word of Mouth: Leveraging Customer Reviews
2022-04-27 10:00 - 11:00 | Online
A happy customer used to share their experience with an average of twelve friends. In today’s world of Social Media that number can reach hundreds or thousands locally and globally. Word of mouth in the digital age is a double-edged sword. Join Yazeed Sobaih from Haylo Branding + Marketing to learn how to navigate the challenges and opportunities in leveraging online customer reviews. As a business owner and marketer, you will learn:

How to request authentic yet subtly guided reviews and testimonials from your customers
How to harness and share customer reviews across all your channels
How to respond to challenging reviews and reward potential ambassadors

HackerX – Halifax N.S. (Full-Stack)
2022-04-27 18:00 - 20:00 | Online
You’re Invited to hire at a HackerX virtual recruiting event
Our invite-only recruiting events for developers happen in 175+ cities globally and has a community of over 100,000+ members. We’ve hand-picked some of the top developers in your city so you don’t have to. Virtually meet face-to-face with qualified developers and make your next great hire.
Virtual Format
Events start off with opening remarks from the organizer and sponsor followed by our networking sessions which are organized in rapid-interview format so you’ll be automatically matched with a new candidate every 5 minutes. This ensures the maximum value from a virtual event so you get to interview as many candidates as possible.

#70: A not-so-advanced approach to Advanced Custom Forms with PK Son
2022-04-27 19:00 - 21:00 | Online
Event Details:
For many, using ACF can sound overwhelming, but considering how even the free version available on the WordPress repo is highly functional, and how many page builders have integrations, it is not too difficult to build a website that is less susceptible to break even on client handover.

Halihax April Social Event!
2022-04-27 19:00 - 23:00 | Good Robot Brewing Company, 2736 Robie Street, Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada
About this event
It’s been a long time since we’ve been able to connect with the community in person. We had to scrap our social event in September so let’s make this a great one! Join us for some lightning talks on the topic of “what was the last thing you broke” hear from our community members as they recount the last thing they broke and how they were able to fix it. Database lost in production? Large scale bug deployed? Blew a budget? Plenty can go wrong!
This will be a fun social event and we can’t wait to see you all there! This event will be hosted at The Good Robot Brewing Company with snacks and refreshments provided by Halihax, and our sponsors.

UX Salon Halifax: Product Discoveries
2022-04-27 20:00 - 21:00 | Online
What we’re about
UX Salon Halifax is a group that gathers to inspire and entertain one another. Join us if you’re interested in collaborating with others and contributing to ideas on User Experience and Design.
What is a Salon? A salon is a regular gathering of people under the roof of an inspiring host, held to increase the knowledge of the participants through conversation.

How To Stand Out As A Coop Student (Resume/Profile & Interview Tips)
2022-04-28 10:30 - 12:30 | Online
Join us to learn more about How To Stand Out As A Coop Student and hear some tips on improving your Resume, Portfolios and LinkedIn Profiles

Annual State of the Municipality with Mayor Mike Savage
2022-04-28 11:00 - 13:30 | Halifax Convention Centre, Nova Scotia, Canada
As Nova Scotia approaches the one-million population mark, the city looks and feels much different than it did a decade ago. We are achieving sustainable, progressive growth, creating new opportunities for young people and attracting more people from more places to Halifax. Together with our partners at Halifax Chamber of Commerce, we invite you to hear Mayor Mike Savage address the challenges and opportunities of growth in Halifax.

Advantage Women's Empowerment Conference
2022-04-29 09:30 - 17:00 | Holiday Inn Sydney, 300 Esplanade, Sydney, Nova Scotia, B1P 1A7, Canada
Hosted by the Cape Breton Regional Chamber of Commerce, Advantage is a full day of inspiration and empowerment for women, by women working in or for businesses on Cape Breton Island. Advantage is presented by Scotiabank.
Advantage Women’s Empowerment Conference will be held at the Holiday Inn Sydney Waterfront on April 29,2022. The doors will open at 8:30 am and the events starts at 9:30 am and runs until 5 pm where it will be followed with a cocktail hour.

Ocean of Data Challenge: One Port City Begins
2022-05-02 16:00 - 23:30 | Online
About this event
Halifax Port Authority, PSA Halifax, COVE and DeepSense are are hosting the third Ocean Data Challenge. This free event will kick off on Monday, May 2nd at 4pm ADT with an introduction to the Challenge, presentations from experts, and the chance to ask questions to help idea exploration. Participants submit their video presentation on Monday, May 16th and the winners are announced on Friday, May 20th.
Recently PSA Halifax acquired the Fairview Cove container terminal, and now owns both the Fairview Cove and the Atlantic Hub container terminals in Halifax, making our port unified like few others. The Port of Halifax now has one terminal operator, one railroad operator, and one port authority. This change helps Halifax become a One Port City and will create new opportunities for our community.
This Data Challenge will invite participants to imagine new ways to drive port efficiency and sustainability, and to help us better understand and communicate the benefits of being a single container terminal operator port. We are inviting students at post-secondary institutions across Atlantic Canada to use ocean data to examine how we can drive urban port sustainability through this Challenge.
The challenge is broken down into three Challenge Streams: On the Water, Around the Water and On the Terminal. Individuals and teams will be asked to choose one stream and provide interdisciplinary ideas for helping understand the benefits of being a single container terminal operator port. Each stream can be used to explore different types of data, for example: “On the Water” can explore how we can better understand vessel movement or optimization, “On the Terminal” can include train and truck activity, and “Around the Water” can include movement of containers, trucks and train.
Challenge Stream #1 Theme: On the Water
How will the change to a single terminal operator port impact vessel operations? How can we optimize vessel operations with a single terminal operator?
Challenge Stream #2 Theme: On the Terminal
What efficiencies can be realized on terminals? What new opportunities are created through having one terminal operator, one railroad operator, and one port authority? Not sure what exactly happens at a shipping terminal? Check out this playlist with some great explainer videos.
Challenge Stream #3 Theme: Around the Water
What opportunities do we see as a result of being a single operator port? How do we optimize truck movements? What new opportunities might arise from a consolidation of container terminal operations? How can our city and port grow harmoniously?
Who should participate?
The best ideas come from interdisciplinary teams, so we invite those studying Computer Science, Engineering, Biology, Sustainability, Business, or any other programs! As long as participants are students who are registered full or part-time at an Atlantic Canada post-secondary educational institution or graduated from one of those institutions in the past 12-months. You can go solo, or work with a team of up to five people. The Challenge kick-off will take place on Monday, May 2nd at 4pmADT and streamed online, with a recording uploaded the next day. Please ensure you read the Official Rules below.
The Rules

Competitors must own rights or have written permission from the owner for all software demonstrated in the competition.
Your submission could be as simple as just a single really insightful bar chart. Or maybe you will use machine learning to build a prediction. Surprise us! Judging will be based on the potential for impact, originality, and creativity.
Competitors can work solo or on teams of up to 5 members.
Competitors are not allowed to submit projects containing confidential information
Required to use one source of public data, noting the source of the data in the presentation or within infographic, visual or slides
Must be a current part-time or full-time student of an academic institution in Atlantic Canada (New Brunswick, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, or Newfoundland and Labrador) or have graduated from one of these institutions in the past 12 months.

Back to Business: Yarmouth and Acadian Shore Region Package and Experience Development Workshop
2022-05-03 09:00 - 16:00 | IGNITE Labs Yarmouth, 208 Main St, Yarmouth, Nova Scotia, B5A 1E1
Time to get back to business! Tourism Operators start preparing for the return of travel at this insightful one-day workshop.
About this event
Join Yarmouth and Acadian Shores Tourism Association, Ignite Atlantic, the Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia, and Tourism Nova Scotia to learn how to create and promote travel packages and experiences, and raise awareness of your business. Participants will have an opportunity for one-on-one experience coaching and can enter their experience idea in Ignite Atlantic’s Pitch Competition, with prizes to be won! Lunch provided.
In this workshop, we will share:

Insights about traveller preferences from Tourism Nova Scotia’s market research
Best practices for creating and delivering experiences and packages
Marketing tactics to help grow your business
Tourism updates from your region

Presenters include:

Melanie Lowe, Tourism Development Advisor at Tourism Nova Scotia
Lisa Dahr, Tourism Industry Association of Nova Scotia
Malcolm Seaboyer, Yarmouth and Acadian Shores Tourism Association
