The largest international in-person gathering in Toronto in more than two years opens today, bringing an estimated 35,000 visitors to the city.
The opening ceremonies for Collision, dubbed North America’s fastest growing tech conference, will get underway at 6 p.m. tonight at Exhibition Place’s Enercare Centre.
The sold-out event runs until Thursday.
Part of a series of technology conferences that include Web Summit in Europe and RISE in Hong Kong, the 2022 edition of Collision will feature more than 900 speakers, 1,500 startups, 1,200 journalists, and 850 investors from more than 140 countries. Further, more than 120 trade delegations will participate in Collision to explore business opportunities with an international audience.
“This event is an important opportunity for people to engage with decision-makers, learn more about Canada’s innovation community, and see firsthand why Toronto’s tech community is the fastest growing in North America.” Toronto Mayor John Tory said in a news release.
Among other things, the city said Collision will help Toronto engage with potential foreign direct investors who are considering relocating and expanding their operations here and across Canada to generate local tech jobs, promote international trade and partnerships with local and national companies to encourage local business growth and opportunities. They also said it would encourage venture capitalist investment in Toronto.
The City of Toronto will be hosting a pavilion at Collision. The booth is set to open on Tuesday, June 21 with Tory as well as partners and tech stakeholders in attendance to “foster new opportunities for businesses in Toronto,” the city said in the release.
Tory, in recognition of Collision, has also proclaimed June 20 to 24 as Digital Infrastructure Week.
During the pandemic, Collision was hosted online twice, bringing 25,000 and 40,000 attendees respectively together virtually.
