Category: Events

Like all great explorers, Sparx travelled far and wide this June to uncover the latest insights and trends in the purpose-driven space. From Kelowna to Toronto, we listened to expert speakers, met with mission-aligned professionals, and even collaborated on a major impact-led event.

Check out recaps from the events we attended this June!

The 5th Annual National Magazine Awards: B2B Luncheon

First on our June events circuit, Alexandra Nikitina, Head of Growth at Sparx, headed to Toronto for The 5th Annual NMA:B2B Awards Luncheon on June 2. 

At this awards luncheon to celebrate the best of the best in Canadian B2B magazine publishing, Alex had the pleasure of mingling with award-nominated magazine writers, editors, and contributors. Plus, over a delicious lunch, she learned more about the B2B magazine industry and all its facets, including distribution channels, monetization paths, and target audiences. 

Perhaps best of all though, we had the chance to spread awareness about our purpose-driven publication, Make The World Better Magazine, and share copies with interested individuals. 

Read more details in our NMA:B2B Awards Luncheon recap blog post here.

Creating Inclusive Communities Dialogue

As part of National AccessAbility Week, Hamish Khamisa, Founder & President of Sparx, headed to the University of British Columbia (UBC) Robson Square in downtown Vancouver to join representatives from various organizations and members of the community for Creating Inclusive Communities Dialogue on June 2, a full-day session hosted by Mainland Community Services Society, with lectures and some collaborative elements. 

Hamish had the pleasure of hearing from Heather McCain (they/them), Founder and Executive Director of Live Educate Transform Society (formerly Creating Accessible Neighbourhoods), and Harmony Bongat (she/her), disability advocate, co-facilitator, content creator and educator. Throughout the day, the session featured the lived experiences of people with disabilities, neurodiversity and the intersectionality of identities, and perspectives on what “inclusion” really means to some disability advocates.

There were countless moments that stuck with him, including the story of an attendee, an Indigenous woman who overcame adversity having been born with a disability, who is a powerful example of the importance of advocacy in health care, especially for persons with disabilities and for Indigenous Peoples. 

The event accommodated various disabilities, including providing stim toys on each table for individuals with stimulation needs and describing the images on screen during presentations so people with visual impairments could follow along. Yet, even at an event designed for accessibility, it’s clear how far we still have to go. 

To ensure a fellow member could participate in the group session while being visually impaired, Hamish asked for sticky notes to be read out loud for those who couldn’t read the board, a small initiative to support a peer with a disability. After all, when it comes to showing up for the disability community, #ItStartsWithMe. 

Overall, this event inspired us to find ways to be a better ally to people with disabilities, and we look forward to next year’s event!

Together Ensemble 2023

In October 2021, Sparx proudly signed onto the UN Global Compact’s Sustainable Development Goals program, which provides a guideline for businesses to operate responsibly. And while we’ve been continually bettering ourselves in this program, we wanted to learn more about the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) globally and new ideas for solutions. Enter, Together Ensemble, a virtual event on June 7–9, with five in-person gatherings held across Canada.

During the virtual sessions we attended, we learned about the crucial steps needed for action on the SDGs from a range of experts across academia, business, government, and more. Some key areas explored were the critical moment we face in mitigating the worst impacts of climate change and the importance of harnessing the creative ingenuity of young people. 

A session that was really impactful for us was “Just Transition: Creating an Inclusive and Green Economy Together,” which explored “the concept of a just transition and how other approaches […] must be integrated to ensure that the future economy is one that is green and leaves no one behind.” 

The session featured speakers, Nathan Grandjambe, Senior Manager, Indigenous Economic Prosperity, Vancouver Economic Commission; Tessa Jordan, Program Head, Sustainable Business Leadership programs, BCIT; Janet Andrews, Secretary-Treasurer, New Westminster & District Labour Council; and Max Cohen, PhD Candidate in Geography, University of British Columbia, and was moderated by George Patrick Richard Benson, Senior Manager, Economic Transformation at the Vancouver Economic Commission. 

The event gave us a lot of valuable information to work with for our own SDG initiatives, and we’re inspired to see new ideas for a better world come to light in Canada and beyond.  

SunDAC

As a long-time partner of the Canadian Securities Exchange (CSE), we were thrilled to attend their first-annual SunDAC on June 13, co-hosted with Grove Corporate Services, Newsfile, and OCI Group, a private mining industry networking launched to bring together members of the mining and capital markets communities in person. 

We had a great time mingling with everyone and reconnecting with friends among a range of attendees, sponsors, and hosting companies. 

Plus, we had the opportunity to hear about the latest developments in the mining space, all while enjoying great food and music, even as the weather turned the event into “RainDAC” later in the evening.

Social Finance Forum 2023

While in Toronto, we also attended the Social Finance Forum 2023 on June 15, presented by Future of Good and SVX, which featured sessions on the state of social finance in Canada, climate finance, and the need for diversity and representation at the decision-making level. 

The event taught us that social finance has gone from “nice to do” to “must do” in order to respond to the crises of recent years, exposing the increasing need for capital to be used as a force for good.

It was great to hear from changemakers like Christine Bergeron, former President and CEO of Vancity, and Sage Lacerte, Founder and CEO of Sage Initiative, both organizations which are reshaping the investment landscape and improving the financial well-being of historically-excluded groups and their communities.

Additionally, we were thrilled to connect with so many mission-aligned connections professionals working to use capital to positively impact communities across Canada. 

Stay tuned for our Social Finance Forum recap blog coming soon!

Canadian Circular Economy Summit

Our purpose-driven adventures in Toronto continued with the Canadian Circular Economy Summit 2023 on June 19–20, hosted by Circular Economy Leadership Canada and Circular Innovation Council.

Not only did we learn how to advance the circular economy from expert speakers, like the Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Canada’s Minister of Environment and Climate Change, we were able to connect with so many people from a variety of backgrounds in the B2B, B2C, government, and education spaces, all of whom are passionate about protecting the planet. Plus, we had the chance to distribute the Circular Economy edition of Make The World Better Magazine to environmental sector champions. 

We left with so many inspiring takeaways from each session and discovered critical areas that require our focus and efforts, such as the lack of circular economy awareness and the importance of using marketing to educate people on how zero waste initiatives can fit into their lives.

Stay tuned for our Canadian Circular Economy Summit recap blog coming soon!

Summit on Responsible Investment 2023

When the Canadian Securities Exchange was looking to host an event to dive into socially responsible investing and environmental, social, and governance (ESG), we were all in to collaborate and bring the vision to light. 

At this full-day event in Kelowna on June 27, members of the Sparx team met with companies listed on the CSE, investors, and sustainability experts.

While the day featured an incredible lineup of speakers, panel discussions and company pitches, we were exceptionally proud to have Dr. Victoria Hurth, global expert; thought leader in sustainability, ESG, and purpose governance; and Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership Fellow, kick off the event with a compelling keynote presentation on the purpose-led economy. 

In the afternoon, Sparx’s Make The World Better panel brought together changemakers from past editions of Make The World Better Magazine, Mike Williamson, Founding Partner and CEO at Cascadia Seaweed; Bram van den Berg, COO and CFO at Circular Rubber Technologies; and Tracy Lydiatt, Mining Innovation Project Manager at Foresight Canada, as well as Sage Lacerte, Founder & CEO at Sage Initiative who is part of the upcoming issue.

Stay tuned for our Summit on Responsible Investment recap blog coming soon!

Team Up With Sparx 

Looking to make the world better? Check out Make the World Better Magazine to find out more about organizations making real change and reach out to us. We’d love to work together on any marketing-related projects to make a positive impact both locally and globally.

In Vancouver, social isolation is a silent epidemic. While already known as a city where it’s difficult to make friends, the pandemic, a lack of equity and inclusion, and financial issues have only made things worse. 

When Sparx discovered that Brand Battle for Good (BBFG) 2022 was uniting local brands across Vancouver to fight social isolation, we had to step into the ring. After all, we’re always searching for new ways to make the world better.

It was a thrilling battle, indeed! Check out what we learned and our key takeaways from this exciting, impact-focused melee.

Uniting to Tackle Social Isolation

Over the course of two days, Sparx joined forces with a diverse team (known as “The Disruptors”) at BBFG to ideate tangible ways to fight social isolation. Together, we attended and participated in seminars and team breakouts to expand our understanding of social isolation and combine our unique perspectives to workshop possible solutions. 

During the workshop portion, we learned that issues related to social isolation are even more varied and urgent than we ever realized. Different personas have different requirements to solve social isolation, which means finding a solution that can help everyone is extremely difficult. 

Stigma, income inequality, and other barriers prevent people from gaining a sense of connectedness and belonging. This is a serious concern, as the extent to which a person can meet their basic needs, cultivate friendships, and secure a sense of place within a community is also associated with their vulnerability to mental illness. 

We know how painful feeling isolated can be. Like many businesses, when the pandemic hit, we closed our downtown offices. While switching to operating remotely has allowed us to continue our work and hire talented people who may not have applied otherwise, we also acknowledge that remote work has contributed to the social isolation of our team. We’re constantly seeking ways to make our team feel more connected, but it’s an on-going effort. 

While our story may have a happy ending in sight, many of our friends and family members are still far away from theirs. And knowing that so many people in Vancouver are being damaged by the impacts of social isolation has made us even more determined to fight.

Combatting Isolation through Storytelling 

Sparx has always believed that storytelling is powerful, and BBFG drove this point home. There were a number of inspirational and impactful stories shared by special guests at the in-person portion of the event. 

For example, Carlos Norcia shared a personal story about social isolation and depression in Vancouver.

Chaandani Khan talked about how she experienced social isolation after concussion brain surgery and how her health condition impacted her ability to connect with others.

Indigenous hoop dancer, Eli Gosselin-Rattlesnake shared his culture’s history and performed a ceremonial healing dance.

And Genesa Greening from Vancity taught us that community is a verb, an action, that “we become connected when we get to share our stories,” and how we all need to “find a place to tell our story.”

Pitches were also presented through storytelling, which proved effective in communicating fresh perspectives on the issue and highlighting the ways each solution could help.

Reflections from the Ring 

We have a lot to think about after participating in the Brand Battle for Good hackathon.

Through our experience, we came to realize that while important to dream big, issues like social isolation are complex. Even if you cannot help everyone, helping just one person is worthwhile. 

We also learned the importance of keeping things simple. Low-tech, low-cost, accessible solutions are the key to reaching people and overcoming social isolation and other pressing concerns. After all, good solutions may already exist, but the people who need them aren’t necessarily able to access them.

While we noted that this year all the finalists were from teams composed only of individuals from their respective companies, we were exceptionally fortunate to have been on a team that included people we wouldn’t have otherwise met. Reflecting on this, we realize that getting to meet new people means venturing beyond our “comfort zone” – something that is at the heart of tackling social isolation.

And, even though our pitch didn’t “win,” the day was a win for those who are suffering from social isolation. It was a victorious day for all of the participants who contributed their collective creative efforts in order to address a problem that hits close to home for all. 

Finally, we would be remiss if we didn’t mention how exceptionally well organized and supported the event was. It was a true testament to the strong leadership of the founders and showcased how the Brand Battle For Good can harness talented individuals and brands to collaborate – and even compete – to make positive change. Congratulations to the winning concept, Hello Yello, and a sincere thank you to all of the volunteers who worked tirelessly and with such passion to bring a wonderful event to life. We look forward to seeing what happens at the next round, next year! 

Team up with Sparx 

Do you want to join the fight for better? Check out Make the World Better Magazine to find out more about organizations making real change, and reach out to us. We’d love to work together to make a positive impact both locally and globally.