Collision CEO Paddy Cosgrave poses for a photograph in Toronto, Wednesday, June 21, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Christopher Katsarov
VANCOUVER – Global technology conference Web Summit is headed to Vancouver next May with a new North American iteration of the event.
Other versions of Web Summit have taken place in Portugal, Brazil and Qatar and the same organizers are behind the Rise conference in Asia and the Collision event Toronto has hosted since 2019.
Organizers say Web Summit Vancouver will take the place of Collision, which is being held in Toronto next week.
They did not immediately respond to a request for comment about whether Collision will continue elsewhere.
While events from parent company Web Summit have drawn in buzzy speakers like AI godfather Geoffrey Hinton and celebrities including Seth Rogen, many have also criticized host countries for handing over millions to the firm run by Irish entrepreneur Paddy Cosgrave.
A press release from Web Summit says Destination Vancouver expects the new B.C. event to generate $172 million in direct spending and $279 million in overall economic impact for British Columbia over three years.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 12, 2024.
