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Innovation Vineyard
CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES
» Thursday 21 January 2010 | 5 pm
» The Bohemian Café, 524 Bernard Avenue
An informal afternoon hour showcasing ideas
and people in the Okanagan creative economy. Join us as Douglas MacLeod leads a session which will show how, through high quality design, cloud computing, resource positive development, social networking and helping small businesses commercialize their ideas, we can become one of the most innovative regions in the country.
» $2 at the door. Refreshments are available at a modest cost.
» Seating is limited, please reserve yours HERE
Expert Shows Five Ways to Innovate
An idea may lead to an invention, but it cannot be called an innovation until it is commercialized. The marketplace turns an invention into an innovation. It is only when technological know-how is developed, sold, distributed and used that it becomes an innovation. Some ideas are a technical success, and may even be patented, but can't be sold. The road from idea to marketplace is often long and uncertain.
On Thursday, January 21th at 5 pm the ongoing weekly Okanagan Institute Express series starts a new year at the Bohemian Café by presenting Innovation Vineyard: Challenges and Opportunities . Join us as Douglas MacLeod leads a session which will show how, through high quality design, cloud computing, resource positive development, social networking and helping small businesses commercialize their ideas, we can become one of the most innovative regions in the country.
We won't become more innovative by doing the same things we've always done. Here in the Okanagan we have companies that are pioneering new approaches to doing business and their experiences suggest five ways that our valley could play a leadership role in addressing this issue:
1. Using high quality design is the easiest, fastest and most economical way to increase your bottom line through innovation.
2. Cloud computing is the idea that small and large companies can tap into enormous computing resources at a data centre via the Internet but only pay for what they need and use. This leads to the concept of "software as a service" where you access only the software you want when you want it. Companies across the country could save thousands of dollars a year by embracing this approach.
3. Every community has embraced the idea of sustainability and being carbon neutral but to play a leadership role we need to move ahead of the crowd. The valley could pioneer the idea of being "resource positive" which means that we develop buildings and communities that generate more energy than they consume and purify more water than they use.
4. Social networking can also be used to foster innovation. Innocentive (www.innocentive.com) is a global website where companies can post research problems and individuals can suggest solutions for cash rewards from $5000 to $1 million. There is no reason why a similar service could not be set up for Okanagan-based companies.
5. Most important of all, however, we need to recognize the importance of small business in driving innovation. Too often we hear of the need to pick "winners" and focus investment in large population centres and facilities while ignoring the fact that in British Columbia more than 90% of our technology companies are small businesses.
These five ideas are not the only ways to innovate but they are ideas we could build on right here, right now. A few years ago we branded the Okanagan as the "Silicon Vineyard" but given the wealth of talent, creativity and entrepreneurial spirit in the region, now is the time to re-brand it as the Innovation Vineyard.
 Douglas MacLeod was recently appointed to the position of Associate Dean, Science, Technology and Health at Okanagan College. Before that, he was Executive Director of the Okanagan Science and Technology Council (OSTEC) during 2008-09, where he built partnerships between industry, government and academic institutions to help Okanagan companies research, develop and commercialize new products and services. Previously, he was the Executive Director of the Canadian Design Research Network, a consortium of academic institutions and industrial partners dedicated to promoting innovation in design, research and policy. MacLeod has bachelor's degrees in Architecture and Science from the University of Toronto, a master's in Environmental Design from the University of Calgary and is a PhD candidate in the Computational Media Design program in Environmental Design at the University of Calgary. A registered architect (California), he is a recognized expert in the areas of eLearning, sustainable design and in advanced technologies such as computer-aided design, social media, online knowledge management and virtual environments. His doctoral research is focused on the social construction of cyberspace. He has extensive post-secondary experience having taught graduate and undergraduate students at the University of Toronto, the Banff Centre, the University of California - Los Angeles, the University of California - San Diego and the University of Calgary. "Douglas is a rare and valuable find for Okanagan College," said Dr. Dianne Crisp, Dean. "He brings a unique combination of experience, education and leadership to the College and is highly regarded by the community and those who have had the opportunity to work with him."
FOR MORE INFORMATION AND TO REGISTER ONLINE CLICK HERE
Innovation Vineyard: Challenges and Opportunities takes place at the Bohemian Café. This marks the 122nd event the Okanagan Institute has held since the Express series got underway in July 2007.
Express has played host to many Okanagan luminaries, including former deputy secretary general of Amnesty International Derek Evans, artists Lee Claremont and Gary Pearson, BC Book Award nominee Don Gayton, CBC Literary prize winner poet Harold Rhenisch, distinguished editor and author Jim Taylor, poet and professor John Lent, animator and filmmaker Jim Cliffe, community activist Don Elzer, dancer David LaHay, architect Jim Meiklejohn, culinary artist and writer Heidi Noble, broadcaster Marion Barschel and others from a wide range of creative fields.
ArtsCare Roundtable Information and Planning Sessions
Wednesday January 20, 5pm - Okanagan College, KLO Campus, Room H107
For more information, click HERE
ArtsCare at the Okanagan Institute. For information and to join: www.sage-ing.com
The Okanagan Institute is a group of creative professionals that has gathered around the goal of providing events, publications and services of interest to enquiring minds in the Okanagan. We partner with individuals, organizations, institutions and businesses to achieve optimal creative and social impact.
Our mission is to ignite cultural transformation, catalyze collaborative action, build networks and foster sustainable creative enterprises. We invite the participation by all members of the creative community.
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