Thursday May 31, 2012
8:00 am – 9:30 am
Calgary Chamber – Room 205
100 6th Avenue SW

The government relations landscape has changed. No longer is it a place where business can voice their concerns on issues affecting their business directly to government. Instead they need to form coalitions with other like-minded businesses to make their voice heard. 

Join us for a breakfast with Jason Hatcher, partner with Spotlight Strategies, one of Alberta’s premier boutique government relations and communications consulting firms. Over the past four years, Hatcher has been part of the team responsible for managing the last two winning provincial election campaigns. He also has extensive experience helping organizations develop government advocacy strategies.

The federal government tabled back-to-work legislation yesterday to put the brakes on the Canadian Pacific Railway strike. 

If passed the legislation would order 4,800 striking conductors, traffic controllers and engineers back to work.

The government has said that a prolonged strike could cost the Canadian economy $545 million a week, which is why they’re pushing for the legislation.  

Find out what an ongoing strike could mean for businesses in Calgary from Ben Brunnen, chief economist with the Calgary Chamber.

Friday June 1, 2012
11:30 am – 1:15 pm
Fairmont Palliser – Crystal Ballroom
133 9th Avenue SW

Sandra Peterson is one of the top female executives in the world.

Over the past 20 years, Peterson has worked across six diverse industries in high-profile positions that saw her running entire divisions for global brands such as Whirlpool, Nabisco and Merck-Medco. Throughout this time, she launched several new product lines and took on the challenge of launching new business units and building profits.

In 2010, Peterson became CEO of Bayer CropScience, one of the world leaders in crop production and seed technologies.

Join us for an informative conversation with this high-level CEO.

Treasury Board President Tony Clement blasted NDP leader Thomas Mulcair last week for his negative views on the oilsands.

Mulcair recently stated that natural resource exports, particularly from the oilsands, have driven up the Canadian dollar, hurting Central Canada’s manufacturing sector – a phenomenon he called “Dutch disease.”

But Clement took aim at Mulcair’s comments during an address to the Calgary Chamber on May 23, calling the NDP leader’s view point “reckless” and “irresponsible.”

Learn more about Clement’s talk.

Wednesday  June 13, 2012
12:00 pm – 1:00 pm
DeVry Institute of Technology
Room 201
2700 3rd Avenue SE

The format for this groundbreaking event differs dramatically from other networking events. Before each event, attendees are encouraged to contact us to tell us about their business, their challenges, and the type of people they’d like to connect with to overcome these problems and grow their business. With this information, we get to work placing people at each attendees table who will meet their networking needs. 

Ranil Herath, president of the DeVry Institute of Technology, will also share insights on everything from how to properly pitch yourself at a networking event to how to use social media networking tools and how to build business relationships that last for life.

Register for focused business networking at its best.

Since the global financial crisis which began in the United States in 2008 and spread throughout the world, the international community has been ramping up the rules and policies that oversee the operation of banks to make sure the problems that led to the last recession never happen again.

But this increased regulatory environment may actually be creating the perfect storm for next big economic bust.

Learn more about how recent regulatory reforms may be adding more risk into the financial system.

Thursday June 7, 2012
11:30 am – 1:15 pm
Westin Hotel – Britannia Ballroom
320 4th Avenue SW

Premier Alison Redford has signaled that one of her government’s first priorities will be to finish review of the First Nations Consultation Policy, which establishes the consultation expectations and requirements for industry when working with Aboriginal communities to develop natural resource projects.

This policy has been under review for some time and both industry and Aboriginal communities have voiced concerns over the existing guidelines. But very rarely have these two groups come together to provide their comparative perspectives, and share insights for engaging with one another throughout this process.

Join us for an informative panel discussion with representatives from these two sectors which will be led by Chuck Strahl, former federal minister of Indian and Northern Affairs Canada.

The Calgary Chamber is committed to helping our members overcome their greatest business challenges.

One of the ways we do this is through our advocacy work. The Chamber has a policy and government affairs department that works closely with our members to identify areas in government policy that are creating headaches for business. We then develop solutions to these problems that policy makers can adopt to improve Calgary’s business environment. 

Last weekend, a number of our policy ideas were presented and passed as resolutions at the Alberta Chambers of Commerce Annual General Meeting. 

Learn more about these resolutions and how the Calgary Chamber is making our city a great place to do business.

Wednesday June 6, 2012
8:00 am – 9:00 am
Calgary Chamber – Room 205
100 6th Avenue SW

The economy has been a hot topic of conversation since 2008, with events such as the subprime mortgage crisis and now the European debt crisis sending many economies throughout the world into uncertainty.

Given the far reaching impact of these events, it should come as no surprise that many businesses in Calgary remain unsure of how Alberta’s economy will hold up throughout 2012 and what they can do – if anything – to navigate the treacherous economic waters that may lie ahead.

Join us for a conversation with Ben Brunnen, chief economist with the Calgary Chamber, as he looks at the leading economic indicators from the beginning of this year, and provides insights into what these numbers mean for the rest of 2012.

Thursday, June 14, 2012
8:00 am – 9:30 am
Calgary Chamber
100 6th Avenue SW

Few companies – small or large – can successfully drive rapid, comprehensive change – even when the organization finds itself in an urgent situation that necessitates a major makeover in company-wide behavior. While leaders may understand the recipe for change, they struggle with the most important part of the process – getting their people on board.

Join us for a breakfast talk with Eva Klein, professor of human resources and organizational dynamics with the Haskayne School of Business, which touches on the key points of successful change management. 

Tuesday, July 3, 2012
8:00 am – 3:00 pm
Priddis Greens Golf & Country Club
1 Priddis Greens Drive

Find top CEOs and presidents from Calgary’s most respected companies together, trading mulligans and business tips, teeing off at one our cities most picturesque (and private) golf courses.

Some of the corporate executives who will be joining us include:

• Larry Baldachin, senior vice-president, Rogers Communications
• Kamel Beliazi, president and CEO, Bayer CropScience Canada
• James Cairns, vice-president of petroleum and chemicals, CN
• Jim Davidson, chairman and CEO, FirstEnergy
• Trevor Haynes, president and CEO, Black Diamond Group
• Ranil Herath, president and CEO, DeVry Institute of Technology – Canada
• Guy Huntingford, publisher, Calgary Herald
• Paul Kelly, president and CEO, First Calgary Financial
• Siegfried Kiefer, COO of energy and utilities, ATCO Group
• Ken King, president and CEO, Calgary Flames
• Bill McKenzie, president, BigRock Brewery
• Bruce Okabe, CEO, Travel Alberta
• Charles Ruigrok, interim president and CEO, ENMAX
• Sam Shaw, vice-president of natural gas policy development, Encana
• Larry Shelley, president and CEO, Coril Holdings
• Murray Sigler, president of Axia North America, Axia NetMedia Corporation
• Craig Wilkie, executive vice-president, Newalta

Reserve your space today.

Looking for the best seats in the stadium for Stampeders games? Calgary Chamber members have exclusive access to a limited number of platinum seats for the 2012 Stampeders season as well as individual games. For more information or to book these seats, please contact the Calgary Stampeders Corporate Sales Office directly at SeasonTickets@Stampeders.com.