🌟 2016 Report to Community: Strength in numbers

Today we're celebrating the beginning of our 126th year as your Calgary Chamber, and what better way to do that than releasing our 2016 Report to Community?

This year we're shaking up the traditional model of delivering our Report by making it into its own website. That's right, the whole thing is online and paper-free!

🎉 The 2017 Onward Summit

📅 June 5 & 6, 2017    📍 BMO Centre

Two half-day sessions that bring together some of the smartest minds in business, innovation, technology and global trends. Discover cutting-edge ideas that will move your business forward and keep you one step ahead.

But above all, it's about experiencing the future.

Here's some of the incredible speakers you'll hear from:

• Salim Ismail, Chairman, ExO Works / Founding Executive Director, Singularity University
• Dirk Ahlborn, CEO, Hyperloop Transportation Technologies
• Debbie Landers, VP Cognitive Solutions, IBM Canada
• Ryan Holiday, International Marketing Juggernaut

Expanding your influence

[Reminder] Send a letter to your MLA on Alberta's Workplace Legislation Review

We've created an easy way for you to send a letter to your MLA to voice your business' concerns on the changes being made to Alberta’s Labour Relations Code (LSC) and Employment Standards Codes (ESC).

Use one of the buttons below to submit a quick letter to your MLA.

The letters urge our policymakers to consider the implications that these changes may have on Alberta’s competitiveness, and the need for greater consultations.

Letters are due by 4:00 pm today, April 18, 2017.

Connect at upcoming events

[Next week] Get an intro to the Chamber's CEO Peer Mentoring programs

📅 April 27, 2017   🕒 3:30 pm – 4:30 pm   📍 Calgary Chamber

As the entrepreneurial leader of a growth-oriented company, you often don't have the benefit of drawing on the collective experience of a board of directors—a group that's seen it all before, and can help you navigate the tough stuff.

The Calgary Chamber's CEO Peer Mentoring programs can help you with that.

In this introductory session, learn how an ongoing CEO roundtable could help your business grow quickly and be more successful as you find your tribe and develop a meaningful business network.

Expect the unexpected: Crisis communications for entrepreneurs

📅 May 2, 2017    🕒 1:00 pm – 3:00 pm    📍 Calgary Chamber

Let’s face it: sometimes bad stuff happens. Whether it’s a flood, a fire, a product malfunctioning, or an employee committing a crime, there are certain scenarios you can’t prepare for.

So how do you plan for the unexpected?

Join us, along with Ben Morgan, Public Relations & Crisis Communications Leader with the City of Calgary, and the Calgary Emergency Management Agency (CEMA), to take a deep-dive into how to strategically pilot your business through a crisis.

🆕 Speed networking with Date Night

📅 May 2, 2017   🕒 6:00 pm – 8:00 pm   📍 Trolley 5 Brewpub

Join Date Night and the Calgary Chamber for a dynamic evening of speed networking. Manage who you connect with based on our pro matching system to minimize the awkwardness of juggling business cards at your typical networking event.

Grab a beverage, and get ready to mingle with new people and expand your network.

Business After Hours at Sante Medical

📅 May 3, 2017   🕒 5:30 pm – 7:30 pm   📍 Sante Medical

You only get one chance to make a first impression – Sante Medical specializes in helping people do just that.

At our upcoming Business After Hours, you'll have a chance to network with some of Calgary's finest business leaders as you take a peek behind the curtain of one of the city's largest medical aesthetic clinics.

Join us for this unique opportunity to amp up your first impression.

Uncovering innovation opportunities: Understanding your business environment

📅 May 4, 2017    🕒 9:00 am – 12:00 pm    📍 Calgary Chamber

Traditional business thinking is that disruptions to your company's operations must be avoided at all costs. We want to turn that thinking on its head.

Instead of a threat, disruptions are an opportunity. In this half-day session, you'll get tangible tools to understand your business environment, anticipate disruption, and evaluate adjacent opportunities and unmet customer needs.

Strong corporate governance: Canada's global advantage

📅 May 4, 2017    🕒 11:30 am – 1:30 pm    📍 Calgary Petroleum Club

With cases of corruption, corporate fraud, and instability showing up in the media, corporate governance is now top of mind for many business owners. 

Simply put, good corporate governance is a competitive advantage. So what are the best practices?

Join us to hear from Rahul Bhardwaj, President and CEO of the Institute of Corporate Directors, on best practices around corporate governance, and the link between strong governance and Canada’s economic growth.

Rev: It's all about professional development for entrepreneurs 

📅 May 11, 2017    🕒 8:30 am – 4:00 pm    📍 Calgary Zoo

Join 300 of Calgary’s fastest-growing companies for a full-day entrepreneurial growth conference, packed with real learning opportunities laser-focused on driving sales, using market research, tech trends and innovating to drive productivity.

You'll hear from speakers like:

• Jill Belland, award-winning journalist and founder of Barre Belle, on being your strongest self while running a growing business.
• Jim Dewald, Dean of the Haskayne School of Business, on staying innovative but with a purpose.
• Kevin Fedun, Senior Director of Sales & Operations at ATCOenergy, on being your own value architect.

Tips to grow your business

🚀 Ignite: Accessible innovation, for business owners like you

Building innovation into your business doesn't have to be daunting. It's about finding a new opportunity for your business. It's making a new idea reality. It's about bringing a new product to market.

Sounds good, right? That's what the Ignite programs are here for!

Digital tip: 10 cybersecurity threats you should know about

Hardware and software drive modern businesses, enabling massive jumps in productivity while driving down costs. However, the very technology that enables your business – your entire IT infrastructure from the boardroom to the shop floor – has the potential to be hijacked.

From network infiltration and ransomware, to whaling and supply chain attacks, cybersecurity threats are a battleground for your data and your money. But if you understand them, you can learn how to protect your company.

What we're reading...

• How companies are already using AI
• The Michele Romanow guide to investor pitches
• Varcoe: Calgary out fishing for federal infrastructure bank, other economic trophies
• 3 surprising ways to unlock your creativity
• Organizational revolutions through idea hacking

Member insights

Chamber member: Fairmont Palliser

Built in 1914 as Calgary's Grand Canadian Railway Hotel, the Fairmont Palliser stands today as an elegant and sophisticated Alberta landmark conveniently situated near the city’s business and financial district.

While they are known for offering distinctive accommodations in elegant surroundings, the Fairmont Palliser also brings dedicated expertise to conferences, meetings and banquets. Reflecting the expectations of a world-class city, their professional meeting facilities are supported by a comprehensive array of professional and state-of-the-art services.

Members save more on fleet management with the exclusive Petro-Canada SuperPass

The Petro-Canada SuperPass fleet management program gives you the power to control expenses and puts valuable information at your fingertips. The kind of information that helps give you more control over the costs that impact your bottom line.

As a Calgary Chamber member, you save 2.0 cents/litre on gasoline & diesel and get a 20% discount on car washes at all Petro-Canada retail locations.

From our partners

Alberta – U.S. Trade Summit

📅 May 2 – 3, 2017   📍 Calgary TELUS Convention Centre

The trade relationship between Alberta and the U.S. has never been more important – or more unpredictable. Now is the time for companies with existing or planned cross-border business to take a hard look at challenges and opportunities. 

At the Alberta – U.S. Trade Summit, you will hear expert panelists discuss the current political and economic environment, and gain insights to help your business look ahead with greater certainty. This is also a unique opportunity to build partnerships with other export-focused business leaders from Alberta and the U.S. 

Celebrating business: Driving innovation in a time of change

📅 May 30, 2017    🕒 8:30 am – 1:00 pm    📍 Bella Concert Hall

Best of Calgary's Business Day is a showcase and celebration of what makes our city great. They're bringing together a collective of people and businesses that have one thing in common: a love for our city.

Hosted by Dave Kelly, enjoy a day of thoughtful conversation around the importance of innovation in business during a time of change.

Community leaders