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Web Summit in Vancouver, Canada from May 27 – 30, 2025 (it was formerly the Collision Conference in Toronto)

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Here’s more about the Web Summit in Vancouver, Canada from May 27 – 30, 2025,

“The world’s premier tech conference” – Politico

In May 2025, thousands of international entrepreneurs, investors, media outlets, and leaders will gather at the Vancouver Convention Centre for our newest event: Web Summit Vancouver.

What is Web Summit Vancouver?

The Guardian called us “Glastonbury for geeks”, the Atlantic [magazine] “where the future goes to be born”, and Inc. “the best technology conference on the planet”.

This year, we’re excited to welcome the world’s tech community to the first Web Summit in North America. Vancouver [emphasis mine] is ready.

The tech world will gather in Vancouver

Web Summit Vancouver will take over from Collision in Toronto [emphasis mine], continuing our mission to connect the global technology ecosystem. Vancouver is one of the world’s most beautiful cities, with a flourishing tech community that connects the Americas, Asia and the Canadian West Coast.

…

So they’ve rebranded ‘Collision’ in Toronto as the ‘Web Summit’ for the move to Vancouver?

A May 22, 2025 news item on DailyHive.com provides information that looks like it was regurgitated from the organizer’s news release,

Over 100 of the world’s top leaders in tech will be attending the highly anticipated Web Summit Vancouver next week, and it’s not too late to get your ticket.

Web Summit Vancouver will take place from May 27 to 30 [2025] and is known as the “Olympics of Tech.”

…

Some notable speakers include:

  • Jay Graber – CEO, BlueSky
  • Brad Smith – Vice Chair and President, Microsoft
  • Max Lytvyn – Co-founder, Grammarly
  • Gary Marcus – Professor, scientist, bestselling author, entrepreneur, and AI contrarian, NYU
  • May Habib, Co-founder and CEO, Write [s.b. Writer]
  • Raquel Urtasun – Founder and CEO, Waab [s.b. Waabi]
  • Qasar Younis – Co-founder and CEO, Applied Intuition
  • Laura A. Clayton – President, Corporates, Thomson Reuters
  • Nicole Parlapino – Chief Marketing Officer, Tubi
  • Neil Patel – Founder, Neil Patel Digital
  • JaVale McGee – 3x NBA Champion, Olympic Gold Medallist, Grammy Nominated Producer
  • Peter Montopoli -Chief Tournament Officer, Canada FIFA World Cup 2026 [emphasis mine]

…

The event is organized by Web Summit, which also holds large-scale technology conferences worldwide in cities like Lisbon [emphasis mine], Rio de Janeiro, and Doha. Vancouver’s event will be the first Web Summit in North America.

It’s not just global names that will be attending, as over 300 B.C. companies [emphasis mine] will be showcased, highlighting how important the tech sector is to the province’s economic and innovative growth.

…

The cheapest ticket (from the https://vancouver.websummit.com/tickets/attendees/ webpage) is $835.00 CAD including tax. You will be allowed to wander around for four days. Not included are: Speaker lounge access, Fast-tracked registration, Evening receptions, Meeting spaces, Delicious catered food and drinks, or Access to all exhibition floor lounges. In short, more money = more access.

$$$ and other matters

The promise is that there will be some sort of economic benefit to the local economy. The promise is made over and over again in the June 2024 coverage of the announcement that the Web Summit was coming to Vancouver.

This June 12, 2024 article by Kenneth Chan for the Daily Hive provides what seems to be an insider’s view of the announcement,

It is now confirmed that the massive annual Collision Conference, one of the world’s largest tech conferences, will be leaving Toronto for its new home of Vancouver in 2025.

…

It is deemed to be North America’s fastest-growing tech conference, with over 40,000 attendees from more than 130 countries. The conference assembles high-profile individuals from around the world, bringing together thousands of international thought leaders in tech, unicorn founders, investors, startups, and media.

“Vancouver is ready to welcome the world. We’re a young, energetic city full of opportunity,” said Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim in a statement today.

“Nowhere is that more obvious than in our thriving tech scene, where we’re advancing leading edge technology like virtual reality and augmented reality. Vancouver is attracting highly skilled people from around the world drawn here by our lifestyle, incredible natural surroundings, and the chance to be part of something exciting.”

This follows a concerted effort by levels of government and the business and tourism community to woo event organizer Web Summit to keep the event in Canada, and choose Vancouver as the conference’s new permanent home.

The effort was led by local tourism authority Destination Vancouver, in partnership with the federal government’s Pacific Economic Development Canada (PacifiCan), the Government of British Columbia’s Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation, the City of Vancouver, and local tech industry leaders, including the Frontier Collective.

Web Summit is also behind other major tech conferences such as Web Summit Lisbon [emphasis mine], Web Summit Rio de Janeiro, Web Summit Doha, Rise Hong Kong, and MoneyConf Dublin.

The decision to move Collision Conference to Vancouver also comes as a big nod to the city’s tech industry, which has seen wildly exponential growth over the past decade to become one of BC’s largest economic sectors in terms of the number of jobs the industry supports, with many of these jobs being high paying.

“We can’t wait to gather the tech world in Vancouver and take over the city next year. Last month I flew to Vancouver to check out the city and meet Mayor Ken Sim and Destination Vancouver. I was so blown away by its beauty and tech scene. It’s the perfect place to bring the tech world,” said Paddy Cosgrave, CEO of Web Summit.

“Similar to Lisbon [emphasis mine], Vancouver and British Columbia might seem like the underdogs at first, but the energy and drive to build on an already very fast-growing technology ecosystem blew me away.”

…

Destination Vancouver estimates Web Summit Vancouver will produce substantial local economic spinoffs, with nearly $57 million in direct spending and over $93 million in overall economic impact for British Columbia in its first year [emphasis miine].

Throughout its life in Toronto, starting with the inaugural Toronto conference in 2019 and the event’s post-pandemic return in 2022 and 2023, the event had a cumulative three-year local economic impact of $189 million [emphases mine].

…

“We knew Vancouver was the right place for Web Summit,” said Royce Chwin, president and CEO of Destination Vancouver. “A transformational event of this calibre will continue to build our reputation as an exceptional host city and sharpen Vancouver’s global destination competitiveness.”

…

Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) [emphasis mine] will host its 2025 International Convention from July 3 to 6 [2025] at the Vancouver Convention Centre and BC Place Stadium. This will be AA’s first International Convention in a decade, as the 2020 convention in Detroit was cancelled due to the pandemic. The convention is held once every five years in a new destination, and about 50,000 attendees from around the world are expected for the first convention in a decade in Vancouver.

…

I will get to Lisbon later. First, I’d like to know how they derived the numbers for the economic benefits they’re claiming for Toronto and how they’ve used that information to make estimates for Vancouver and British Columbia. I’d also like to know who benefits? As for the Alcoholics Anonymous gathering, it seems like an odd addition (other than it’s another large gathering) to Chan’s article, which was titled “Collision Conference moving to Vancouver from Toronto in 2025.”

Then, there’s the June 12, 2024 Destination Vancouver news release, which adds little information but does provide Mayor Ken Sim’s full quote,

…

“Vancouver is ready to welcome the world,” said Mayor Ken Sim. “We’re a young, energetic city full of opportunity. Nowhere is that more obvious than in our thriving tech scene, where we’re advancing leading edge technology like virtual reality and augmented reality. Vancouver is attracting highly skilled people from around the world drawn here by our lifestyle, incredible natural surroundings, and the chance to be part of something exciting.”

…

I’m not sure what the mayor knows about Vancouver technology scene given that he’s an accountant by trade and is an entrepreneur who founded Nurse Next Door (a home nursing business) and Rosemary Rock Salt (a bagel business). As far as I’m aware there’s not a single person with a science/technology degree/background on city council.

Waiting almost a week to make its own announcement Web Summit issued a June 18, 2024 news release with a few interesting additional details,

…

In the last two years, Web Summit has introduced three brand new events, including Web Summit Rio in South America, which has gathered more than 60,000 attendees in its first two years, and Web Summit Qatar in the Middle East, which drew 15,000 attendees in its first year.

Web Summit’s flagship event in Lisbon is set to bring more than 70,000 attendees from 150-plus countries to Lisbon this November. In total, participation at Web Summit events has increased by 51 percent since 2022, and by the end of the year, our 2024 events will have drawn more than 160,000 attendees.

Web Summit aims to bolster this growth further as it takes over Vancouver in May 2025. With more than 11,000 tech companies, technology has become the fastest-growing sector in the province [emphases mine]. The tech sector is growing at twice the rate of the overall economy, and Vancouver ranks first in high tech job growth in North America. Home to six unicorns, including Dapper Labs, Blockstream, Trulioo, LayerZero Labs, Visier, the city also hosts major tech companies Salesforce, Apple and Amazon.

…

“We are now in four continents and have every intention to bring something to Africa very soon, as we continue our ambition to connect the tech world and build meaningful and lasting communities around the world,” he [Paddy Cosgrave, founder and CEO of Web Summit] added.

…

Destination Vancouver anticipates that Web Summit Vancouver will generate CA$172 million in direct spending and CA$279 million in overall economic impact for British Columbia over three years. Web Summit’s direct economic impact can be worth €200 million annually in cities such as Lisbon, where it hosts its flagship event.

Web Summit has played a critical role in bolstering the tech landscape in its host cities and countries. Since Web Summit’s arrival in Lisbon, the Portuguese startup economy has grown significantly, influencing many young startups to relocate to Lisbon and major companies such as Mercedes, Revolut, and Google to open offices there.

…

Over 300 BC tech companies being showcased when there are over 11,000 in the province? It must have been an interesting (money, personal contacts) selection process.

How much are we paying for this economic windfall?

A June 19, 2024 article by Josh Scott for BetaKit.com gives readers a sense of some of what went into luring Collision/Web Summit to Vancouver, Note: Links have been removed,

BetaKit has been tracking Vancouver as a possible Collision destination for over a year since reporting on the myriad issues casting doubt on the conference’s long-term viability in Toronto. Last week, following prodding from BetaKit, Web Summit confirmed that Vancouver reached a three-year deal to host a rebranded event dubbed Web Summit Vancouver, funded by up to $14.8 million CAD combined from the federal, provincial, and municipal governments. The first Web Summit Vancouver will be held at the Vancouver Convention Centre from May 27 to 30, 2025.

“Knowing that we have this incredible tech scene that doesn’t seem to be really known in some corners of the world, this was a perfect opportunity to marry what we do in terms of building the visitor economy and Web Summit, which is truly an experience,” Destination Vancouver president and CEO Royce Chwin said during a June 14 event hosted by KPMG celebrating the successful bid.

The celebration carried into Collision’s opening night on June 17 at the Frontier Collective “Vancouver Takeover” event, which featured Web Summit head of Asia Pacific Casey Lau [emphasis mine], Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim, tech leaders from across the country, including the people behind the winning bid. “Vancouver is literally taking Collision from Toronto to the West Coast,” said Ali Clarke, the event’s MC.

“The cool thing about Collision is most people outside of tech—in fact, almost everyone outside of tech—don’t have a fucking clue as to what’s going on, but they will because we have three years to wave the flag,” Sim said on stage [emphasis mine]. That flag, he said, represents that Vancouver is “open for business,” understands tech, and has a strong and growing innovation ecosystem.

Speaking on stage alongside Sim at the Vancouver Takeover, Lau said, “It’s just a fantastic city and I think that it’s a great backdrop for a conference, and what is going on in Vancouver is great for people to see.”

“We’re just really happy that we’re able to keep [the event] in Canada because it was leaving the country,” Sim told BetaKit in an interview following his remarks, pointing out that Vancouver beat other possible host cities, including international candidates like Mexico City. Sim previously told BetaKit that the priority was keeping the conference in Canada, a sentiment that Chwin echoed in his own comments to BetaKit.

In an interview with BetaKit, Lau singled out Vancouver’s growing tech ecosystem, beautiful natural landscape, proximity to the San Francisco Bay Area, and Sim’s support for the tech sector as some of the factors that brought the tech conference west.

…

Last summer [2023], investigative reporting from BetaKit revealing the extent of municipal support for the original Collsion Toronto bid, as well as the ask to renew for another three years at a much higher price, kickstarted a national debate on government support of international ventures versus home-grown alternatives. This time, the supporting governments have been proactive in disclosing how much has been committed to bringing the conference to Vancouver, as well as its value proposition relative to local events like INNOVATEwest.

…

The City of Vancouver is providing Web Summit Vancouver with up to $1.6 million over three years, including a $250,000 first-year cash grant via Destination Vancouver, waiving permits worth up to $355,000 annually to host events in city-owned outdoor areas, and up to $75,000 in-kind annually to offset safety and running costs incurred for providing those venues.

Through PacifiCan, the Government of Canada is providing Web Summit Vancouver with up to $6.6 million over three years. The Government of BC has also pledged $6.6 million over three years to the event.

These federal, provincial, and municipal commitments total up to $14.8 million over three years, less per year than the $6.5 million BetaKit previously reported Collision was receiving annually in Toronto and a far cry from the north of $40 million over three years that BetaKit previously reported that Collision had once sought to stay in Toronto.

…

Web Summit Vancouver 2025 is expected to be much smaller than Collision 2024. While the parties involved are not yet willing to share attendance expectations, the event will need to contend with the same issues that undermined Vancouver’s original push for Collision—namely, the city’s lack of hotel space.

…

Nearly six months after resigning following his controversial statements about the Israel-Hamas war on social media, Web Summit co-founder Paddy Cosgrave returned as CEO this April. Asked how Cosgrave’s behaviour and association factored into the process, Chwin indicated that the economic and socioeconomic impact of an event like Web Summit Vancouver “outweighed” the controversy associated with Cosgrave.

For his part, during a press conference today at Collision, Sim said, “I do want to thank Paddy, you, Casey, [and] your entire Web Summit team for giving us the opportunity to host Web Summit and to show the world why Vancouver is the best city on the planet.”

Asked what tangible impact he expects Web Summit Vancouver to have, Sim told BetaKit that the numbers are evolving but noted he anticipates “hundreds of millions of dollars” of investment into the local economy and more tech organizations to set up shop in the city, among other benefits.

…

Casey Lau (emphasized in the article) shows up again in another article further on. As for how much this Web Summit will cost Vancouver, there’s more coming in the next section.

I recommend Scott’s June 19, 2024 article; it provides an insightful read.

A local critique

A June 14, 2024 article by Dan Fumano for the Vancouver Sun newspaper offers more detail about just what taxpayers will be spending and how this web summit was secured,

The two former schoolmates [emphasis mine] embraced tightly and slapped each other’s backs.

“We did it. We did it,” said Casey Lau [emphasis mine], head of Asia Pacific for Web Summit, one of the world’s top tech-conference organizers. As Lau hugged Ken Sim [emphasis mine], with whom he attended Vancouver’s Churchill Secondary School decades ago, he told the now-mayor: “I’m super-proud of the city.”

Lau and Sim were among a crowd of excited government officials and business people at an event Friday in KPMG’s downtown Vancouver office tower, toasting the week’s news: Web Summit is coming to Vancouver for three years starting in 2025, slated to bring tens of thousands of delegates and hundreds of millions in economic impact for the city.

Getting the event to the West Coast required a lot of behind-the-scenes work among different levels of government and private-sector actors — and at least $14 million of public funds.

…

This was interesting, from Fumano’s June 14, 2024 article,

The event, formerly known as Collision Conference and sometimes described as “the Olympics of tech,” was held in Las Vegas in past years, and then New Orleans, and most recently in Toronto from 2019 until this year’s [2024] edition, which later this month marks its final time in Canada’s most-populous city before moving west next year.

“The Toronto deal was ending,” explained Lau, who is now based in Hong Kong [emphasis mine]. “I said: ‘I know this guy in Vancouver,’” meaning Sim, “and then that’s how it started.”

It didn’t happen overnight. Sim said he has had his eye on bringing this event to his hometown since soon after being sworn into office in late 2022.

Sim, an entrepreneur before getting into politics, is a major booster of Vancouver’s tech scene. He seems to love big business conferences and international events [Note: Remember Peter Montopoli, a Web Summit Vancouver 2025 speaker from the Canada FIFA World Cup 2026 organization, which will hold some of its World Cup soccer matches in Vancouver? See this November 19, 2022 article “Who’s going to Qatar for the FIFA World Cup?” by Bob Mackin for more about Sim, attendance at meetings, and the world cup], especially those that shine a spotlight on Vancouver and boost the city’s international profile. When the news broke earlier this week about Web Summit Vancouver 2025, Sim was in London for a tech event there. [emphases mine]

…

Regarding the London Tech event, from the https://www.showsbee.com/fairs/40328-London-Tech-Week-2024.html,

London Tech Week 2024 Shape the Future Uniting global tech to drive sustainable innovation Dates: Monday, June 10, 2024 – Wednesday, June 12, 2024

London Tech Week is a global celebration of tech, uniting the most innovative thinkers and talent of tomorrow in a week-long festival. Showcasing how tech is transforming business and society, London Tech Week drives thought provoking conversations around innovation, diversity and transformation, providing a platform for the tech ecosystem to come together to drive change.

And there’s this from the 2025 London Tech Week homepage,

London Tech Week is where the UK’s biggest businesses, most creative innovators and smartest investors converge with global tech leaders. For over 10 years it has been a meeting place where strategies are set, policies are announced and business gets done.

Why did the mayor of Vancouver (accountant and founder of a home nursing business and bagel business) need to attend the 2024 London Tech Week and how did it or will it benefit the city and provincial economy?

According to a December 15, 2024 article by Dan Fumano for the Vancouver Sun newspaper, Mayor Ken Sim had a very high rate of absenteeism from city council meetings (2022 – 2024),

…

Since being elected in October 2022, Sim has been [sic] missed 36 per cent of council votes — not attending in person or online. [emphasis mine]

That is more than double the rate of his predecessors, Kennedy Stewart and Gregor Robertson. Stewart, mayor from 2018 to 2022, was absent for 16 per cent of votes. Robertson, mayor from 2008 to 2018, missed 14 per cent between 2016 and 2018, the only part of his time in office for which figures were available.

…

Where is the value for people in Vancouver? *ETA May 25, 2025: When Mayor Sim went to Quatar for a World Cup game? From Mackin’s “Who’s going to Qatar for the FIFA World Cup?,”

“Just two weeks after being sworn-in [emphasis mine], [first time ever elected to public office] Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim is jetting off to Qatar to enjoy the FIFA World Cup. … Neither Toronto Mayor John Tory nor Seattle Mayor Bruce Harrell are traveling to Qatar, according to their respective press secretaries.” [Both Toronto and Seattle will be hosting 2026 World Cup games.]*

Getting back to Fumano’s June 14, 2024 article, which offers greater detail about the deal (money) required to lure Web Summit to Vancouver, Note: A link has been removed,

…

Long before this week’s headlines, government officials, private-sector players and lobbyists were working toward this result.

B.C.’s lobbyist registry shows that last year, Destination Vancouver enlisted the services of Thoughtbridge Management Consultants, led by Bill Tam, to help Vancouver’s work putting together a competitive bid to attract what was then known as Collision Conference.

The province contributed $200,000 to support Destination Vancouver’s bid development efforts, said a spokesperson for B.C.’s Ministry of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation.

Later, the B.C. government put up $6.6 million to secure Web Summit for three years — $3 million in cash for the organizers and $3.6 million for “in-kind contributions,” the details of which are still to be determined, the ministry spokesperson said.

The federal government also kicked in $6.6 million to support the hosting of Web Summit Vancouver, said a spokesperson for Pacific Economic Development Canada.

Brenda Bailey, B.C.’s minister of jobs, economic development and innovation, says this public investment will provide a great return for B.C.

“It’s very appropriate for people to ask that question. This is money that belongs to the public [true!], and we have to spend it very carefully,” Bailey said. “You can imagine the level of analysis that goes into making a decision like this [and yet you don’t share any details about it], to support such a thing as a splashy conference. But it’s not the splash that attracts me, it’s the investment community and opportunities that will come out of this.”

…

… in April [2024], council conditionally approved a cash grant of $250,000 to the event organizers, along with up to $1.32 million in “value-in-kind offset grants” over three years, including waiving fees for operational and public safety costs, street banners and permits for Web Summit to host events on outdoor city-owned public spaces. [emphases mine]

…

While Web Summit has grown over the years, the firm and its CEO, Paddy Cosgrave, have also drawn controversy and criticism. Not everyone in Torontos’ tech industry was sad to see Collision leave town. [emphasis mine] In a commentary last year in The Globe and Mail, Philippe Telio, founder of Canadian tech conference Startupfest, argued that public money would be better directed to homegrown Canadian organizations. Collision was receiving about $6.5 million a year in public funds, Telio wrote, and was asking for even more money to stay in Toronto, a request the government should reject.

Vancouver’s bid was also supported by Frontier Collective, a not-for-profit working to boost Vancouver’s high-tech sector. Frontier Collective co-founder and CEO Dan Burgar said Web Summitt will be “a game-changer” for the city.

The Lisbon connection?

The mention of Lisbon in the various articles caught my eye due to a local scandal regarding Metro Vancouver and employee travel, from a November 18, 2024 article by Catherine Urquhart for Global TV news online,

In recent days Metro Vancouver staff posted a video and photos from a trip to the Web Summit in Lisbon, Portugal [emphasis mine].

Metro Vancouver staffer Sue Mah boasted about Stella the robotic dog, killer yoga moves, and a reception they attended.

The trip comes just a few months after a Global News freedom of information request uncovered how Metro Vancouver spent more than $64,000 taxpayer dollars on fancy food and alcohol at a conference in Toronto.

…

Travel spending continues even as Metro Vancouver residents face huge tax increases connected to the North Shore Wastewater Treatment Plant, estimated to be about $3 billion over budget.

…

The staff member who travelled to Lisbon is with Invest Vancouver, promoted as Metro Vancouver’s regional economic development service.

The agency was launched about five years ago, even though Metro Vancouver lists its core mandate as providing regional utility services related to drinking water, liquid waste, and solid waste [emphasis mine].

“Based on what I can see, and based on what I have read, this looks like a lot of scope creep and looks like a lot of duplication,” Fontaine [New Westminster, a Metro Vancouver municipality member, councillor Daniel Fontaine] said.

…

It’ s not clear what value Metro Vancouver would received from this junket, from Urquhart’s November 18, 2024 article, “Global News emailed Metro Vancouver communications staff with a number of questions. They have not provided any answers.”

A few thoughts

Something like the Web Summit in Vancouver is not an inherently bad idea. I’ve been to trade shows and international meetings and they can be very exciting … for the attendees. I spent my money on lodgings, food and, maybe, some sightseeing and souvenirs. It’s not clear to me what the economic benefit would have been for the average person living in the city.

Of course, an individual attendee is not going to light up the local economy. The hope is that businesses will be enticed into opening up offices in the locale, that entrepreneurial types will find investors and found startups, and that those who have startups will attract more investment and grow.

It’s disconcerting to see elected officials and civil servants who may or may not have any relevant expertise jumping on the hype bandwagon. Yes, the latest technology can be very exciting but you’re using money from taxpayers and that should require some thought and care.

Mayor Sim’s trip to the 2024 London Tech Week might have been good idea but it’s hard to tell when no information is offered. As for the Web Summit, we’ll be hosting a smaller event than the previous Collision in Toronto and we’re paying more for the privilege.

As for Metro Vancouver’s investment agency staff taking a trip to Web Summit Lisbon on the taxpayers’ dime? At best, it seems odd.

In the end, I hope I’m wrong and that this turns out to be a bonanza for the local economy stretching beyond the hotel and restaurant and other tourist industries.

United Nations Virtual Worlds Day on June 14, 2024

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So the United Nations (UN) organization is moving onto virtual worlds in addition to our current world? It makes a kind of sense when you realize the International Telecommunications Union (ITU) is a UN agency. Also, in my opinion, the UN has shown increasing interest in emerging technology and science over the last few years.

Here’s more about the UN’s interest in virtual worlds and their potential role in city life in a June 14, 2024 ITU press release (also received via email),

ITU and partners advance virtual worlds to shape future city living

First UN Virtual Worlds Day launches international effort on the CitiVerse

Geneva, 14 June 2024

A global initiative for virtual worlds to support sustainable development and enhance city life was announced today at the first UN Virtual Worlds Day at ITU headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland. 

The Global Initiative on Virtual Worlds – Discovering the CitiVerse will define norms and principles to guide the governance of metaverse solutions in cities for areas such as urban planning, education, and municipal services.

Led by the International Telecommunication Union (ITU), the UN International Computing Centre (UNICC) and Digital Dubai, the initiative will drive capacity development, facilitate sharing of best practices, and develop a sandbox environment for cities to simulate virtual world scenarios.

“By harnessing the transformative power of virtual worlds, we can accelerate progress on the UN Sustainable Development Goals, [SDGs]” said ITU Secretary-General Doreen Bogdan-Martin. “The virtual worlds initiative is an essential step on the path of metaverse innovation that can enrich the lives of people in cities around the world.”

Advancing progress on virtual worlds

UN Virtual Worlds Day highlights the transformative power of virtual worlds, including the metaverse and spatial computing, to accelerate the achievement of the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).

The new initiative launched at the event builds on the work of ITU’s Focus Group on metaverse, which has laid the groundwork for international standards to support an open, inclusive metaverse that drives progress towards the SDGs.

Established in late 2022, the focus group has identified compelling opportunities for the metaverse to support smart cities.

In urban planning and management, city leaders could simulate their innovations before implementation at scale. A virtual city space can also advance education and training, improve access to public services, and support participatory governance.

The Global Initiative on Virtual Worlds will complement the work of ITU’s standardization expert group for the Internet of Things and smart cities and communities, ITU-T Study Group 20. It will also work alongside United for Smart Sustainable Cities, a UN initiative supported by ITU together with 19 UN partners.

The initiative rests on three pillars that will bring the CitiVerse from concept to community:

  1. Bringing the CitiVerse to Life: Developing expert guidance, raising awareness around CitiVerse opportunities and challenges, and developing and adopting key performance indicators.
  2. Connecting Cities with the Virtual and Real Worlds: Advancing cities’ integration of emerging technologies, curating CitiVerse use cases, and developing a sandbox environment and related technical tools.
  3. Tunneling the CitiVerse: Fostering a community of practice to encourage collaboration among cities, organizing urban problem-solving competitions, and implementing training programmes to boost CitiVerse expertise.

Virtual worlds adding real value to city life

The launch of Global Initiative on Virtual Worlds – Discovering the CitiVerse, comes alongside a new UN Executive Briefing developed by ITU, the UN Agency for Digital Technologies, together with 17 UN partners, on the relevance of virtual worlds and the metaverse to the SDGs.

The UN Executive Briefing also stresses the essential factors – such as responsible technology governance, ethical considerations, and privacy and security concerns – that need to be addressed to ensure that the benefits of virtual worlds are fully realized.

If you’re interested in finding out more about this ITU initiative, there’s the Global Initiative on Virtual Worlds – Discovering the CitiVerse webspace.

Some thoughts about Vancouver (Canada) and ‘Discovering the CitiVerse’

What follows is pure self indulgence:

I hope there’s interest from Vancouver in this initiative especially given this description from the ITU Webinars Digital Transformation Episode no. 35,

Description

The citiverse is a concept for a network of interconnected virtual worlds that are synchronized with their physical counterparts. It is envisioned as a way to create more inclusive, sustainable, and participatory cities. [emphasis mine]

Smart city initiatives have often focused on technology for its own sake, rather than on how technology can be used to improve the lives of people. This has led to some smart city projects being expensive, inefficient, and even harmful.
It is important that we develop a people-centered citiverse, which is one that uses technology to solve real-world problems and improve the quality of life for all residents. This means that people should be at the heart of the city planning and development process.
For example, smart city platforms can allow residents to submit feedback on city services or vote on proposed projects. It can also improve the quality of life for residents in a number of ways, such as by reducing traffic congestion, improving air quality, and making it easier to access essential services. Also, it can help to attract new businesses and industries to the city, and they can also help to create new jobs in the citiverse related sector.
Overall, people-centered citiverse have the potential to make cities more livable, sustainable, and equitable for all residents.

…

I’m not too hopeful since Vancouver City Council (other municipalities have expressed opposition) recently voted in favour of a plan that provoked outrage over erosion of local democracy and serious concerns about the rush to build. Ostensibly, the initiative [mandated by the province of British Columbia] is intended to solve the homelessness crisis although there are doubts about the proposed solution. (If you’re curious, see this June 13, 2024 article by Elizabeth Murphy, formerly with the City of Vancouver’s housing and properties department,,for The Tyee: “Why BC’s Forced Rush to Rezone Neighbourhoods Is Wrong; The province’s push fails to promote democracy, local planning and once vibrant co-op funding.”)

Not present for the city council vote was Vancouver’s Mayor* Ken Sim who has a spotty attendance record for city council meetings, from a March 14, 2024 article by Lisa Steacy for CTV news online,

Vancouver’s mayor has been absent for nearly a third of votes at public council meetings since taking office, data shows.

The City of Vancouver’s database on voting records shows that members have voted on 777 items since being sworn in on Nov. 7, 2022. Mayor Ken Sim has been marked absent 222 times, including during the vote on one of his most significant campaign promises.

…

With a supermajority on council, the mayor’s vote isn’t needed to push forward the agenda that his ABC slate was elected on. However, Prest [Stewart Prest, a lecturer in political science at the University of British Columbia] says voting in and of itself is only a very small part of public meetings, which are opportunities for the mayor to hear feedback from constituents, debate with the opposition, and to tell the public and his colleagues where he stands on an issue and why.

…

“The mayor is still elected to represent constituents, to voice opinions and to exercise a leadership role at council. And to take that for granted, to assume other members of ABC can do it just as well in his absence, at a certain point, the question becomes: Well, why do we need Mayor Sim?” [quote from Stewart Prest]

…

Apparently, Mayor* Ken Sim was in London, England, from a June 13, 2024 article by Mike Howell for vancouverisawesome.com, Note: A link has been removed,

Council was scheduled to discuss June 11 [2024; the same day as the new rezoning/planning report was up for a vote] what a city staff report described as a “reallocation” of $80,000 from the city clerk’s department to Sim’s office budget, so he can hire an administrative assistant.

Postponement came after Coun. Peter Meiszner successfully moved a motion to defer debate to June 25. Meiszner’s rationale was that Sim was in London, England at a tech conference and would not be available to respond to questions.

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There was a big technology conference in London, England on that date, London Tech Week June 10 -12, 2024, from the Why Attend page,

London Tech Week is the global tech ecosystem – where visionaries and entrepreneurs, investors and enterprise tech leaders come together in the right balance to accelerate the infinite cycle of tech innovation.

it’s not clear to me what value attending this event would have for the mayor of Vancouver who is not a technology entrepreneurr. For the record, Ken Sim is an accountant and the owner of a nursing business and a bagel business.

Fingers crossed, he made time to attend the’ UN Virtual Worlds Day’ on June 14, 2024 in Switzerland where they were considering issues that affect cities.

*November 25, 2024: ‘mayor’ changed to ‘Mayor’ and on November 29, 2024 another instance of ‘mayor was changed to ‘Mayor’.

Hype, hype, hype: Vancouver’s Frontier Collective represents local tech community at SxWS (South by Southwest®) 2024 + an aside

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I wonder if Vancouver’s Mayor Ken Sim will be joining the folks at the giant culture/tech event known as South by Southwest® (SxSW) later in 2024. Our peripatetic mayor seems to enjoy traveling to sports events (FIFA 2023 in Qatar), to Los Angeles to convince producers of a hit television series, “The Last of Us,” that they film the second season in Vancouver, and, to Austin, Texas for SxSW 2023. Note: FIFA is Fédération internationale de football association or ‘International Association Football Federation’.

It’s not entirely clear why Mayor Sim’s presence was necessary at any of these events. In October 2023, he finished his first year in office; a business owner and accountant, Sim is best known for his home care business, “Nurse Next Door” and his bagel business, “Rosemary Rocksalt,” meaning he wouldn’t seem to have much relevant experience with sports and film events.

I gather Mayor Sim’s presence was part of the 2023 hype (for those who don’t know, it’s from ‘hyperbole’) where SxSW was concerned, from the Vancouver Day at SxSW 2023 event page,

Vancouver Day

Past(03/12/2023) 12:00PM – 6:00PM

FREE W/ RSVP | ALL AGES

Swan Dive

The momentum and vibrancy of Vancouver’s innovation industry can’t be stopped!

The full day event will see the Canadian city’s premier technology innovators, creative tech industries, and musical artists show why Vancouver is consistently voted one of the most desirable places to live in the world.

We will have talks/panels with the biggest names in VR/AR/Metaverse, AI, Web3, premier technology innovators, top startups, investors and global thought-leaders. We will keep Canada House buzzing throughout the day with activations/demos from top companies from Vancouver and based on our unique culture of wellness and adventure will keep guests entertained, and giveaways will take place across the afternoon.

The Canadian city is showing why Vancouver has become the second largest AR/VR/Metaverse ecosystem globally (with the highest concentration of 3D talent than anywhere in the world), a leader in Web3 with companies like Dapper Labs leading the way and becoming a hotbed in technology like artificial intelligence.

The Frontier Collective’s Vancouver’s Takeover of SXSW is a signature event that will enhance Vancouver as the Innovation and Creative Tech leader on the world stage.It is an opportunity for the global community to encounter cutting-edge ideas, network with other professionals who share a similar appetite for a forward focused experience and define their next steps.

Some of our special guests include City of Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim [emphasis mine], Innovation Commissioner of the Government of BC- Gerri Sinclair, Amy Peck of Endeavor XR, Tony Parisi of Lamina1 and many more.

In the evening, guests can expect a special VIP event with first-class musical acts, installations, wellness activations and drinks, and the chance to mingle with investors, top brands, and top business leaders from around the world.

To round out the event, a hand-picked roster of Vancouver musicians will keep guests dancing late into the night.

This is from Mayor Sim’s Twitter (now X) feed, Note: The photographs have not been included,

Mayor Ken Sim@KenSimCity Another successful day at #SXSW2023 showcasing Vancouver and British Columbia while connecting with creators, innovators, and entrepreneurs from around the world! #vanpoli#SXSW

Last edited from Austin, TX·13.3K Views

Did he really need to be there?

2024 hype at SxSW and Vancouver’s Frontier Collective

New year and same hype but no Mayor Sim? From a January 22, 2024 article by Daniel Chai for the Daily Hive, Note: A link has been removed,

Frontier Collective, a coalition of Vancouver business leaders, culture entrepreneurs, and community builders, is returning to the South by Southwest (SXSW) Conference next month to showcase the city’s tech innovation on the global stage.

The first organization to formally represent and promote the region’s fastest-growing tech industries, Frontier Collective is hosting the Vancouver Takeover: Frontiers of Innovation from March 8 to 12 [2024].

According to Dan Burgar, CEO and co-founder of Frontier Collective, the showcase is not just about presenting new advancements but is also an invitation to the world to be part of a boundary-transcending journey.

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“This year’s Vancouver Takeover is more than an event; it’s a beacon for the brightest minds and a celebration of the limitless possibilities that emerge when we dare to innovate together.”

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Speakers lined up for the SXSW Vancouver Takeover in Austin, Texas, include executives from Google, Warner Bros, Amazon, JP Morgan, Amazon, LG, NTT, Newlab, and the Wall Street Journal.

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“The Frontier Collective is excited to showcase a new era of technological innovation at SXSW 2024, building on the success of last year’s Takeover,” added Natasha Jaswal, VP of operations and events of Frontier Collective, in a statement. “Beyond creating a captivating event; its intentional and curated programming provides a great opportunity for local companies to gain exposure on an international stage, positioning Vancouver as a global powerhouse in frontier tech innovation.

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Here’s the registration page if you want to attend the Frontiers of Innovation Vancouver Takeover at SxSW 2024,

Join us for a curated experience of music, art, frontier technologies and provocative panel discussions. We are organizing three major events, designed to ignite conversation and turn ideas into action.

We’re excited to bring together leaders from Vancouver and around the world to generate creative thinking at the biggest tech festival.

Let’s create the future together!

You have a choice of two parties and a day long event. Enjoy!

Who is the Frontier Collective?

The group announced itself in 2022, from a February 17, 2022 article in techcouver, Note: Links have been removed,

The Frontier Collective is the first organization to formally represent and advance the interests of the region’s fastest-growing industries, including Web3, the metaverse, VR/AR [virtual reality/augmented reality], AI [artificial intelligence], climate tech, and creative industries such as eSports [electronic sports], NFTs [non-fungible tokens], VFX [visual effects], and animation.

Did you know the Vancouver area currently boasts the world’s second largest virtual and augmented reality sector and hosts the globe’s biggest cluster of top VFX, video games and animation studios, as well as the highest concentration of 3D talent?

Did you know NFT technology was created in Vancouver and the city remains a top destination for blockchain and Web3 development?

Frontier Collective’s coalition of young entrepreneurs and business leaders wants to raise awareness of Vancouver’s greatness by promoting the region’s innovative tech industry on the world stage, growing investment and infrastructure for early-stage companies, and attracting diverse talent to Vancouver.

“These technologies move at an exponential pace. With the right investment and support, Vancouver has an immense opportunity to lead the world in frontier tech, ushering in a new wave of transformation, economic prosperity and high-paying jobs. Without backing from governments and leaders, these companies may look elsewhere for more welcoming environments.” said Dan Burgar, Co-founder and Head of the Frontier Collective. Burgar heads the local chapter of the VR/AR Association.

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Their plan includes the creation of a 100,000-square-foot innovation hub in Vancouver to help incubate startups in Web3, VR/AR, and AI, and to establish the region as a centre for metaverse technology.

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Frontier Collective’s team includes industry leaders at the Vancouver Economic Commission [emphasis mine; Under Mayor Sim and his majority City Council, the commission has been dissolved; see September 21, 2023 Vancouver Sun article “Vancouver scraps economic commission” by Tiffany Crawford], Collision Conference, Canadian incubator Launch, Invest Vancouver, and the BDC Deep Tech Fund.  These leaders continue to develop and support frontier technology in their own organizations and as part of the Collective.

Interestingly, a February 7, 2023 article by the editors of BC Business magazine seems to presage the Vancouver Economic Commission’s demise. Note: Links have been removed,

Last year, tech coalition Frontier Collective announced plans to position Vancouver as Canada’s tech capital by 2030. Specializing in subjects like Web3, the metaverse, VR/AR, AI and animation, it seems to be following through on its ambition, as the group is about to place Vancouver in front of a global audience at SXSW 2023, a major conference and festival celebrating tech, innovation and entertainment.  

Taking place in Austin, Texas from March 10-14 [2023], Vancouver Takeover is going to feature speakers, stories and activations, as well as opportunities for companies to connect with industry leaders and investors. Supported by local businesses like YVR Airport, Destination Vancouver, Low Tide Properties and others, Frontier is also working with partners from Trade and Invest BC, Telefilm and the Canadian Consulate. Attendees will spot familiar faces onstage, including the likes of Minister of Jobs, Economic Development and Innovation Brenda Bailey, Vancouver mayor Ken Sim [emphasis mine] and B.C. Innovation Commissioner Gerri Sinclair. 

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That’s right, no mention of the Vancouver Economic Commission.

As for the Frontier Collective Team (accessed January 29, 2024), the list of ‘industry leaders’ (18 people with a gender breakdown that appears to be 10 male and 8 female) and staff members (a Senior VP who appears to be male and the other seven staff members who appear to be female) can be found here. (Should there be a more correct way to do the gender breakdown, please let me know in the Comments.)

i find the group’s name a bit odd, ‘frontier’ is something I associate with the US. Americans talk about frontiers, Canadians not so much.

If you are interested in attending the daylong (11 am – 9 pm) Vancouver Takeover at SxSW 2024 event on March 10, 2024, just click here.

Aside: swagger at Vancouver City Hall, economic prosperity, & more?

What follows is not germane to the VR/AR community, SxSW of any year, or the Frontier Collective but it may help to understand why the City of Vancouver’s current mayor is going to events where he would seem to have no useful role to play.

Matt O’Grady’s October 4, 2023 article for Vancouver Magazine offers an eyeopening review of Mayor Ken Sim’s first year in office.

Ken Sim swept to power a year ago promising to reduce waste, make our streets safer and bring Vancouver’s “swagger” back. But can his open-book style win over the critics?

I’m sitting on a couch in the mayor’s third-floor offices, and Ken Sim is walking over to his turntable to put on another record. “How about the Police? I love this album.”

With the opening strains of  “Every Breath You Take” crackling to life, Sim is explaining his approach to conflict resolution, and how he takes inspiration from the classic management tome Getting to Yes: Negotiating Agreement Without Giving In.

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Odd choice for a song to set the tone for an interview. Here’s more about the song and its origins according to the song’s Wikipedia entry,

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To escape the public eye, Sting retreated to the Caribbean. He started writing the song at Ian Fleming’s writing desk on the Goldeneye estate in Oracabessa, Jamaica.[14] The lyrics are the words of a possessive lover who is watching “every breath you take; every move you make”. Sting recalled:

“I woke up in the middle of the night with that line in my head, sat down at the piano and had written it in half an hour. The tune itself is generic, an aggregate of hundreds of others, but the words are interesting. It sounds like a comforting love song. I didn’t realise at the time how sinister it is. I think I was thinking of Big Brother, surveillance and control.”[15][emphasis mine]

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The interview gets odder, from O’Grady’s October 4, 2023 article,

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Suddenly, the office door swings open and Sim’s chief of staff, Trevor Ford, pokes his head in (for the third time in the past 10 minutes). “We have to go. Now.”

“Okay, okay,” says Sim, turning back to address me. “Do you mind if I change while we’re talking?” And so the door closes again—and, without further ado, the Mayor of Vancouver drops trou [emphasis mine] and goes in search of a pair of shorts, continuing with a story about how some of his west-side friends are vocally against the massive Jericho Lands development promising to reshape their 4th and Alma neighbourhood.

“And I’m like, ‘Let me be very clear: I 100-percent support it, this is why—and we’ll have to agree to disagree,’” he says, trading his baby-blue polo for a fitted charcoal grey T-shirt. Meanwhile, as Sim does his wardrobe change, I’m doing everything I can to keep my eyes on my keyboard—and hoping the mayor finds his missing shorts.

It’s fair to assume that previous mayors weren’t in the habit of getting naked in front of journalists. At least, I can’t quite picture Kennedy Stewart doing so, or Larry or Gordon Campbell either. 

But it also fits a pattern that’s developing with Ken Sim as a leader entirely comfortable in his own skin. He’s in a hurry to accomplish big things—no matter who’s watching and what they might say (or write). And he eagerly embraces the idea of bringing Vancouver’s “swagger” back—outlined in his inaugural State of the City address, and underlined when he shotgunned a beer at July’s [2023] Khatsahlano Street Party.

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O’Grady’s October 4, 2023 article goes on to mention some of the more practical initiatives undertaken by Mayor Sim and his supermajority of ABC (Sim’s party, A Better City) city councillors in their efforts to deal with some of the city’s longstanding and intractable problems,

For a reminder of Sim’s key priorities, you need only look at the whiteboard in the mayor’s office. At the top, there’s a row labelled “Daily Focus (Top 4)”—which are, in order, 3-3-3-1 (ABC’s housing program); Chinatown; Business Advocacy; and Mental Health/Safety.

On some files, like Chinatown, there have been clear advances: council unanimously approved the Uplifting Chinatown Action Plan in January, which devotes more resources to cleaning and sanitation services, graffiti removal, beautification and other community supports. The plan also includes a new flat rate of $2 per hour for parking meters throughout Chinatown (to encourage more people to visit and shop in the area) and a new satellite City Hall office, to improve representation. And on mental health and public safety, the ABC council moved quickly in November to take action on its promise to fund 100 new police officers and 100 new mental health professionals [emphasis mine]—though the actual hiring will take time.

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O’Grady likely wrote his article a few months before its October 2023 publication date (a standard practice for magazine articles), which may explain why he didn’t mention this, from an October 10, 2023 article by Michelle Gamage and Jen St. Denis for The Tyee,

100 Cops, Not Even 10 Nurses

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One year after Mayor Ken Sim and the ABC party swept into power on a promise to hire 100 cops and 100 mental health nurses to address fears about crime and safety in Vancouver, only part of that campaign pledge has been fulfilled.

At a police board meeting in September, Chief Adam Palmer announced that 100 new police officers have now joined the Vancouver Police Department.

But just 9.5 full-time equivalent positions have been filled to support the mental health [emphasis mine] side of the promise.

In fact, Vancouver Coastal Health says it’s no longer aiming [emphasis mine] to hire 100 nurses. Instead, it’s aiming for 58 staff and specialists [emphasis mine], including social workers, community liaison workers and peers, as well as other disciplines alongside nurses to deliver care.

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At the police board meeting on Sept. 21 [2023], Palmer said the VPD has had no trouble recruiting new police officers and has now hired 70 new recruits who are first-time officers, as well as at least 24 experienced officers from other police services.

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In contrast, it’s been a struggle for VCH to recruit nurses specializing in mental health.

BC Nurses’ Union president Adriane Gear said she remembers wondering where Sim was planning on finding 100 nurses [emphasis mine] when he first made the campaign pledge. In B.C. there are around 5,000 full-time nursing vacancies, she said. Specialized nurses are an even more “finite resource,” she added.

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I haven’t seen any information as to why the number was reduced from 100 mental health positions to 58. I’m also curious as to how Mayor Ken Sim whose business is called ‘Nurse Next Door’ doesn’t seem to know there’s a shortage of nurses in the province and elsewhere.

Last year, the World Economic Forum in collaboration with Quartz published a January 28, 2022 article by Aurora Almendral about the worldwide nursing shortage and the effects of COVID pandemic,

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The report’s [from the International Council of Nurses (ICN)] survey of nurse associations around the world painted a grim picture of strained workforce. In Spain, nurses reported a chronic lack of PPE, and 30% caught covid. In Canada, 52% of nurses reported inadequate staffing, and 47% met the diagnostic cut-off for potential PTSD [emphasis mine].

Burnout plagued nurses around the world: 40% in Uganda, 60% in Belgium, and 63% in the US. In Oman, 38% nurses said they were depressed, and 73% had trouble sleeping. Fifty-seven percent of UK nurses planned to leave their jobs in 2021, up from 36% in 2020. Thirty-eight percent of nurses in Lebanon did not want to be nurses anymore, but stayed in their jobs because their families needed the money.

In Australia, 17% of nurses had sought mental health support. In China, 6.5% of nurses reported suicidal thoughts.

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Moving on from Mayor Sim’s odd display of ignorance (or was it cynical calculation from a candidate determined to win over a more centrist voting population?), O’Grady’s October 4, 2023 article ends on this note,

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When Sim runs for reelection in 2026, as he promises to do, he’ll have a great backdrop for his campaign—the city having just hosted several games for the FIFA World Cup, which is expected to bring in $1 billion and 900,000 visitors over five years.

The renewed swagger of Sim’s city will be on full display for the world to see. So too—if left unresolved—will some of Vancouver’s most glaring and intractable social problems.

I was born in Vancouver and don’t recall the city as having swagger, at any time. As for the economic prosperity that’s always promised with big events like the FIFA world cup, I’d like to see how much the 2010 Olympic Games held in Vancouver cost taxpayers and whether or not there were long lasting economic benefits. From a July 9, 2022 posting on Bob Mackin’s thebreaker.news,

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The all-in cost to build and operate the Vancouver 2010 Games was as much as $8 billion, but the B.C. Auditor General never conducted a final report. The organizing committee, VANOC, was not covered by the freedom of information law and its records were transferred to the Vancouver Archives after the Games with restrictions not to open the board minutes and financial ledgers before fall 2025.

Mayor Sim will have two more big opportunities to show off his swagger in 2025 . (1) The Invictus Games come to Vancouver and Whistler in February 2025 and will likely bring Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex, Meghan Markle to the area (see the April 22, 2022 Associated Press article by Gemma Karstens-Smith on the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation website) and (2) The 2025 Junos (the Canadian equivalent to the Grammys) from March 26 – 30, 2025 with the awards show being held on March 30, 2025 (see the January 25, 2024 article by Daniel Chai for the Daily Hive website).

While he waits, Sim may have a ‘swagger’ opportunity later this month (February 2024) when Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex (Meghan Markle) visit the Vancouver and Whistler for a “a three-day Invictus Games’ One Year to Go event in Vancouver and Whistler,” see Daniel Chai’s February 2, 2024 article for more details.

Don’t forget, should you be in Austin, Texas for the 2024 SxSW, the daylong (11 am – 9 pm) Vancouver Takeover at SxSW 2024 event is on March 10, 2024, just click here to register. Who knows? You might get to meet Vancouver’s, Mayor Ken Sim. Or, if you can’t make it to Austin, Texas, O’Grady’s October 4, 2023 article offers* an unusual political profile.

*November 29, 2024: ‘offer’ changed to ‘offers’.