We embraced risk, and it changed everything.

It’s tough to pinpoint exactly when we realized that risk-taking and innovative thinking was at the heart of Edmonton, but once we did, we embraced it and never looked back. Now, we celebrate the energy and confidence of our communities because we know they’ve pioneered, and continue to elevate, our reputation as a hub where groundbreaking ideas take-off and new industries come to life.

Recognizing the power of our entrepreneurial community, investments have been made in infrastructure and programs to support start-up and scale-up industries. Edmonton Economic Development Corporation (EEDC) has been instrumental with the establishment of Innovate Edmonton, TEC Edmonton, Startup Edmonton, the Advanced Technology Centre, and the Edmonton Research Park.

“Startup Edmonton was born out of a passionate community of leaders in technology and entrepreneurship. Over the past nine years, we have witnessed incredible growth and are seeing more founders, mentors, investors, and students engage with the opportunities afforded to them by the inclusive and hands-on approach of our work.” – Tiffany Linke-Boyko, CEO, Startup Edmonton. Find her on LinkedIn.

These organizations, backed by the City of Edmonton, have been instrumental in forming our innovation corridor. This is a network of places where innovation, entrepreneurship, the arts, creativity and vibrant urban life intersect. It reaches through downtown from the University of Alberta to NAIT and is a catalyst for growth and creative partnerships.

Recent major health advancements like the Edmonton Protocol, a breakthrough treatment for Type I Diabetes, has spurred on Edmonton’s Health City Initiative (HCI). HCI accelerates health technology and research in cardiology, oncology, transplantation, and virology, and is a key piece of the innovation corridor.

The innovation corridor also fuels Edmonton’s impressive artificial intelligence research. Recognized globally, we were selected for Google DeepMind’s first international office and the U of A’s Alberta Machine Intelligence Institute, known for their staggering range of AI projects, was one of only a handful of schools to receive Pan-Canadian AI Strategy funding from the Canadian government in 2017.

As a part of EEDC, Edmonton Tourism and the Meetings and Conventions team has the advantage of sitting down the hall from leaders of the innovation corridor. This means we know the latest trends from our city’s incubators and are up to date on research emerging from our finest academic institutions. We use that knowledge to connect you with the right person to collaborate with to transform your meeting or convention into a truly thought-provoking and eye-opening experience.

“Edmontonians are inventive, open, and we know that a good idea can go a long way on its own, but when we come together to collaborate and innovate that good idea becomes something even more remarkable. When you come here, you feel that.” – Anna Look, Director, Meetings and Conventions. Find her on LinkedIn.

Edmonton has always been all-in, whether it’s for attracting conferences, start-ups, investments, or any partnerships that benefit our city. With the whole city behind us, it’s easy for us to take risks, which makes it even easier for us to make amazing experiences happen.

Article compiled by Edmonton Tourism, a division of the Edmonton Economic Development Corporation