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13th Annual State of the Island Economic Summit to return to Nanaimo this month

Expert panelists will be addressing various trending social and economic topics
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B.C. Premier John Horgan will be a keynote presenter at the summit. (submitted)

The State of the Island Economic Summit was created in 2007 with the intention of bringing Vancouver Island leaders together to build collaboration to help strengthen the Island economy. With 608 attendees in 2018, the upcoming Summit promises to be a success, featuring various youth, First Nations, political leaders, industry leaders, small businesses and other inspirational figures from across Vancouver Island.

Taking place Oct. 23 and 24 at the Vancouver Island Conference Centre in Nanaimo, the event will feature a number of panel sessions and keynote presentations from B.C. Premier John Horgan, political pundits Robert Asselin and Shachi Kurl, Chief Economist of Economic Development Canada Peter Hall, and MNP Partner Susan Mowbray.

This year, expert panelists will be addressing various trending social and economic topics in today’s local and global economy within 16 concurrent sessions, addressing the tourism industry, clean tech, gender equity, the Foreign Trade Zone FTZ VI, and more. All meals at the Summit will also be “Island Good” — created using Island produced and manufactured products, including wine, beer and food.

“There is no question that business leaders create this conference. It keeps 600 of the most influential Island entrepreneurs engaged, providing an intense atmosphere of information flow and discussion. It creates opportunities for business promotion, personal growth and education, and most impressive is the constant dialogue and innovative collaboration that gets results,” said a 2018 Summit delegate.

Registration for the Summit ends Oct. 18. To register and learn more about the Summit and Vancouver Island Economic Alliance’s current initiatives, visit: www.viea.ca.