Last year, Fireside Conference brought together almost 100 members of the tech community for a summer camp-style retreat featuring tech talks from speakers, set against the background of roasting marshmallows and nature.
Between September 9, 10, and 11, Fireside Conference is back featuring the tech talks it’s known for, featuring activities like water skiing at Camp Walden’s private lake, a “camp-style” pitch competition and hackathon, and a camp-wide Olympiad featuring drones and flip cup. The all-inclusive (that’s booze and food) event is 45 minutes away from Bancraft, Ontario — meaning there’s no cell phone service. But that’s exactly what makes the event so successful, according to Fireside’s organizers Steven Pulver and Daniel Levine.
“We had no idea how incredibly impactful #firesideconf could be when we eliminated PowerPoint presentations, microphones, cell phones, and Internet. Given the feedback we received from last year, we’re more excited than ever that this goal of ‘disconnecting to connect’ is a fundamental pillar of #firesideconf,” said Pulver. “This year we are doubling down on our approach when it comes to programming by taking incredible advantage of our 750+ acre green space and private lake venue.”
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Confirmed speakers (though more speakers will be confirmed in the coming weeks) include:
Jeff Keni Pulver, co-founder of Vonage / Internet Pioneer
Brenda Halloran, Mayor of Waterloo, 2006-2014, currently CEO of WEK Effect
Sanjay Singhal, Head of 500 Startups Canada
Mike Katchen, CEO of Wealthsimple
Julie Perofsky, VP, Customer Strategy at Influitive
Georgia Dow, Senior Editor, iMore.com
Ted Graham, PWC Canada’s Innovation leader
Attendees also have the chance to sit with Fireside’s sponsors and partners, including City of Toronto, StartUp HERE Toronto, OMERS Ventures, TechToronto, and Lighthouse Labs.
“As far as we know, we’re the only tech conference in the world without technology. You simply cannot create a sustainable, vibrant and world-changing community when your heads are buried in your devices all weekend,” said Pulver. “We live in the moment. There’s no live tweeting or snap stories. This creates an incredibly immersive experience for attendees that results in a truly transformative weekend that ultimately builds and strengthens the innovation landscape.
While early, early bird tickets have already sold out, BetaKit has the hookup — use the promo code BETAKITEARLY, and 10 lucky people have the chance to get the early, early bird price.
Fireside tickets also come with a little extra — Fireside Conference is hosting an event featuring Jeff Pulver, co-founder of Vonage, will be in Toronto from New York to talk about his entrepreneurial journey.
