16 October | 18 January 2018 | Canada

#TCI2018

21st TCI Global Conference, 16-18 October 2018, Toronto, Canada 

“Collaborating to Compete: Clusters in Action”  "Unexpected connections"

On 16-18 October, 330 cluster experts from across Canada and around the world met in Toronto, Canada, for the 21st TCI Global Conference organized by the Institute for Competitiveness and Prosperity, an Ontario based economic think tank.

Participants from 37 countries were able to share success stories of Canada and the clusters of Toronto region, to learn about best practices from around the world and to create a forum for knowledge exchange and partnership development among international cluster leaders.

At the #TCI2018, participants were able to visit 11 different cluster immersion experiences which included Advanced manufacturing, Design, Emerging Tech, Energy, Financial Services, Food, Health, Innovation Ecosystem, Low-Carbon buildings, Transportation and logistics and Water. After lunch, participants were able to take part in mini-charrettes that used design thinking principles to explore ideas, share best practices in different regions and identify common challenges.

Day 2 included a day of keynotes and panels featuring world renowned experts that offered different insights around strategy for clusters, how to perform with inclusion, plans to drive innovation and investing in talent, among others. One of the highlights of the day was the panel about superclusters in Canada and European lessons learned with Minister Navdeep Bains and EU Ambassador to Canada Peteris Ustubs.

Day 3 EXCHANGE included 20+ interactive breakout sessions focused on Designing collaborative networks for innovation, Scaling up within a cluster ecosystem, Regional economic development and inclusive prosperity and Mobilizing talent and diversity. The day also offered for the first time a Global Matchmaking with over 80 C2C meetings to develop business relationships and find partners for their initiatives. Participants were encouraged to use less powerpoints to facilitate group discussion.

The TCI Network conferences are always a great opportunity for networking. #TCI2018 was not an exception, and delegates were able to share experiences, foster interactions and develop new partnerships. During three days, participants created new unexpected connections and shared their knowledge.

"This conference really blew me away as a first time attendee. It was great to be a part of a conversation that is operating at such a robust global level." "My number one conference for 2018." "As a first time attendee, I could not believe the international attendance and the networking opportunities."