Startup and Small Business Events You Don’t Want to Miss in November 2012

Every month our team compiles a list of startup and small business events that we’re interested in attending for the upcoming month which we believe can be useful to the startup and small business community. A number of the organizations listed host a number of great events, but we’ve chosen to feature one event that we feel will be particularity interesting and useful. This blog is posted during the first week of every month.

The events we focus on are in Toronto, the GTA, Guelph, Kitchener, Niagara, St. Catharines and Hamilton. Please note that the events may sell out fast, so if you are interested in attending please contact the organization to register quickly. If you’re hosting an event or have come across one you think we should mention, please feel free to contact us with your suggestions and event information.

Startup Weekend

Startup Weekend Toronto is a community building startup event. Participants get together with local developers, marketers, designers, and enthusiasts, and start companies in just 54 hours.

Event: Startup Weekend Toronto
When: November 9 – November 11, 2012 (weekend event)
Where: The Working Group, 425 Adelaide Street West, Suite 300, Toronto

Startup Drinks

Startup Drinks provides an open space for entrepreneurs and small business owners to connect and share ideas. There are no presentations or pitches, just conversation and networking. To meet some of the up-and-coming people in the startup community, this is a great event to attend.  These events are held in a number of locations such as Toronto, Hamilton, and Waterloo.

Event: Startup Drinks Waterloo
When: November 6, 2012, 6:00 p.m.
Where: Chainsaw Saloon, 28 King Street North, Waterloo

Event: Startup Drinks Toronto
When: November 28, 2012, 8:00 p.m.
Where: Hotel Ocho, 2nd floor, 195 Spadina Avenue, Toronto

Event: Startup Drinks Hamilton
When: November 8, 2012, 6:00 p.m.
Where: The Winking Judge, 25 Augusta Street, Hamilton

Communitech

Communitech events are focused on being engaging and interactive, providing useful information for companies of many sizes. Communitech is based in the Waterloo region and these events are varied and include peer2peer, Hub for Grub, Techworking Breakfast and Communitech Connect and more.

Event: UpStart Breakfast Series with Phil Noelting, Joseph Fung, and Derek Ting
When: November 7, 2012, 7:30 a.m. – 9:00 a.m.
Where: Tannery Event Space, 151 Charles Street West, Kitchener

Mesh Marketing

meshmarketing is a one-day event about what’s next for marketers, advertisers, brands & communicators. Connect, share and be inspired. At meshmarketing12, you’ll interact with digital marketing thought leaders, connect with peers and prospects, and get a better understanding of the impact that new developments are having on your strategy, business and job. Together, we’ll discuss best practices about topics such as search, data, mobile, location and social media.

Event: meshmarketing12
When: November 7,, 2012, 9:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m.
Where: Toronto Reference Library, Toronto

nGen and Niagara College

nGen is Niagara’s Regional Innovation Centre and a member of the Ontario Network of Excellence. This great event features Brock Dickinson of Millier Dickinson Blais and Scott Stratten, author of “unMarketing” and “The Book of Business Awesome”. The event will help businesses gain insight to innovate and adapt to the changing economy. Between the keynote addresses, the attendees will be given the opportunity to select and speak to two industry experts, in a small roundtable format.

Event: Innovating Your Business for the New Economy
When: November 7, 2012, from 8:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Where: Club Roma, 125 Vansickle Road, St. Catherines, ON

Silicon Halton

Silicon Halton organizes a number of events throughout the year in the region Halton which including Burlington, Oakville, and Milton. Their monthly meetups and Peer2Peer include three main components; a key notes presentation, a get to know a member presentation, and time set out for networking. These events are catered to anyone at a startup – especially in the tech industry – that want to learn more about business best practices.

Event: Meetup #37 – Pitch Night
When: November 13, 2012, at 7:00 p.m.
Where: Black Box Room, QE Park Community and Cultural Centre, 2302 Bridge Road, Oakville

MaRS Discovery District

MaRS is where entrepreneurs get the help they need, where all kinds of people meet to spark new ideas, and where a global reputation for innovation is being earned, one success story at a time.The often-free events at MaRS are ideal for start-ups, science, technology and social entrepreneurs looking to make connections and learn more about a particular aspect of business.

Event: PR Fundamentals for Startups ft. Monta Johnson
When: November 15, 2012, from 12:00 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Where: MaRS Studio, 101 College Street, Toronto

Innovation Guelph

Innovation Guelph provides educational programs, events, and services to help entrepreneurs, community organizations, researchers and business leaders develop their ideas.  They also have expert advisors to help with your development.

Event: The B2B Sales Process (3 part workshop)
When:
Workshop #1: November 14, 2012, 12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Workshop #2: November 21, 2012, 12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Workshop #3: November 28, 2012, 12:30 p.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Where: Innovation Guelph, 111 Farquhar Street, 3rd Floor, Guelph

Haltech

Events at Haltech target startup businesses in the technology industry that are looking to develop new ideas, establish their business or continue growing. The events by Haltech are held in the region of Halton, and provide training for entrepreneurs as well as a fantastic chances to network.

Event: Halton Entrepreneurship Week
When: November 12 – November 14, 2012, from 7:15 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (each day)
Where: Burlington Convention Centre, 1120 Burloak Drive, Burlington

#torontoB2B Marketers Meetup X

This is an ongoing series of peer networking and knowledge-sharing meetups exclusively for B2B marketers. Expect some exciting guest speakers sharing their expertise and experiences in focused 20-minute presentations, followed by an open networking session fuelled by light munchies and beverages. Come and introduce yourself to VA Partner’ Sam Brennand at this month’s event.

Event: #torontoB2B Marketers Meetup X
When: November 15, 2012, from 4:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.
Where: 386 Huron Street, Toronto

Accessibility Camp

Accessibility Camp’s focus on users with different disabilities and sessions can cover digital accessibility topics (technical to tactical) from the web, desktop software, mobile apps, eLearning, online gaming, open source innovations, and everything in between.

Event: Accessibility Camp Toronto
When: November 17, 2012, 9:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.
Where: OCAD University, 100 McCaul Street, Toronto

Rails Pub Night

This informal social event in Toronto is perfect for anyone interesting in web development. People in the industry are able to gather along with both recruits as people in the web development start up community.

Event: Toronto Rails Pub Night
When: November 19, 2012, 7:00 p.m. – 11:00 p.m.
Where: The Rhino, 1249 Queen Street West, Toronto

DemoCamp

Democamp events cater to designers, developers and marketers. Attending these events will allow you to interact with professionals and gain insight from speakers about your industry. These events are regularly held in Toronto, Hamilton, Niagara, and Guelph. DemoCamp is an event format that involves a keynote speaker, about 5 software demos which each consist of 5 minutes of actually demoing the software and 5 minutes of Q&A, followed by general socializing with the good company in attendance.

Featured Event: DemoCampHamilton9
When: November 20th, 2012, from 6:30pm-9:00pm
Where: Twelve Eighty Pub, McMaster University Student Centre, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton

Event: DemoCampGuelph20
When: November 27, 2012, at 6:30 p.m.
Where: The eBar, 41 Quebec Street, Guelph

York Region Small Business Club

YRSBiz is a York Region business networking group that uses social media, online technologies and in person meetings to achieve success in building networking relationships. YRSBiz is an open and inclusive networking group. We welcome all types of businesses and professionals that want to network.

Event: Social Media 1: Let’s Start at the Very Beginning Workshop
When:November 22, 2012, from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Where: Richmond Hill Central Library, 1 Atkinson Street, Richmond Hill

Toronto Board of Trade

The Toronto Board of Trade facilitates opportunities for knowledge sharing, networking, business development, and city building. It is the authoritative voice of Canada’s most prominent business community.

Event: From Student to Entrepreneur
When: November 23, 2012, 11:30 a.m. – 1:45 p.m.
Where: Toronto Board of Trade Downtown Centre, Toronto

EntrepreneursDen

EntrepreneursDen takes a keen interest in exploring entrepreneurship related issues. Expect to participate in activities, review recent trends and industry news, hear from dynamic guest speakers, participate in Q&A, and a host of quality networking opportunities.

Event: Innovator Introductions: Pitches & Networking Event
When: November 23, 2012, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m.
Where: Metro Hall – Room #308, Toronto

Innovation Factory

Innovation Factory serves as an inspiring expert resource for entrepreneurs that fosters connections and accelerates growth for all. Innovation Factory events are always incredible learning opportunities and great networking events.

Event: Developing Business Strategies – Business Planning 101 
When: November 27, 2012, 9:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Where: SBEC, City Hall, 71 Main Street West, Hamilton

Did we forget your event or an event you’re attending? Let us know and we’ll add it to the list!

For further information about any of these events contact our team, and don’t forget to sign up for next month’s newsletter for more great events around the GTA.

Startup and Small Business Events You Don’t Want to Miss in November 2012