INNOVATEwest conference presses pause on Vancouver

Vancouver’s newest tech conference, INNOVATEwest, will not run in the city next year.

In an email to supporters, the organization details that its made the “difficult decision” to put the conference on hold for now, and that the team behind the event – Cube Business Media – has chosen to focus on other priorities until “the right time presents itself to relaunch INNOVATEwest.”

The decision was largely made, the company says, after the large North American conference Web Summit announced that it will take place in Vancouver from 2025. Cube Business Media says it believes that the “arrival of Web Summit will draw substantial attention and resources from the market, impacting the quality of INNOVATEwest for sponsors and attendees.”

The Web Summit organization currently runs five events in Lisbon, Rio, Qatar, Asia, and Toronto. Vancouver will succeed Toronto’s edition, Collision, and will be rebranded as Web Summit Vancouver. The event will draw an estimated 35,000 attendees including tech leaders, startups, investors, policymakers, and media. The deal was made possible by a consortium and all levels of government pledging $14.8 million in funding.

Cube Business Media notes that it delivered on its promise of building a business-first conference in the city with INNOVATEwest – one that took up the mantle of the now-defunct BC Tech Summit and Traction events – and that it is proud of what it achieved in its inaugural 2024 conference, despite facing economic headwinds and industry challenges.

In a previous interview with Vancouver Tech Journal, co-founder and producer of INNOVATEwest David Tyldesley noted the goals for the conference and its audience from B.C., Alberta, and Washington state.

“Vancouver has many great events that are focused on their own verticals,” he said. “Here's a chance for all these different communities to come together around the common theme of innovation. So what we've done is made an effort to break down these silos and bring all these different business and tech leaders together.” 

INNOVATEWest featured over 100 speakers, including many globally recognized leaders who don’t often speak in Vancouver. Guy Kawasaki, the Silicon Valley legend renowned for his role as Apple's original chief evangelist, gave the event’s keynote.

Cube Business Media’s other Canadian events include the popular SAAS North, TechExit.io, and Tech Talent North.

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