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Concordia partners with MTL connect 2020 for virtual program

Annual event to feature 400 speakers, 10,000 participants from more than 50 countries
September 9, 2020
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By Molly Hamilton


Concordia is partnering with Montreal Digital Spring (Printemps numérique) — a non-profit whose primary mission is to boost digital intelligence — for MTL connect: Montreal Digital Week, its major event hosted from October 13 to 18, 2020.

Over six days, MTL connect will feature 400 speakers for conferences, panels, workshops, technological showcases and a virtual job fair. Some 10,000 participants from more than 50 countries are expected to take part.

“We have created an event focused on the impact and challenges of digital transformation — social, economic, environmental — across sectors,” says Concordia graduate Claude Landry, BFA 85, MTL connect director of programming.

The inaugural MTL connect took place in 2019 with over 2,000 attendees. Its second edition, scheduled for March 2020, was postponed due to COVID-19.

MTL connect’s fall programming will be held under nine themes: sustainable development, education, health, artificial intelligence, financial technology (fintech), cybersecurity, the future of work, creativity and the city of the future.

Alongside MTL connect, Montreal Digital Spring will also be hosting the 26th International Symposium on Electronic Art — ISEA2020 — under the theme “Why Sentience?”

The weeklong event will address pressing contemporary issues. Current practice-based approaches will be examined through papers and panels, artist talks, artworks, posters, institutional presentations, workshops and the Summit on New Media Art Archiving.

“We are happy to partner with Concordia, to collaborate and grow,” says Landry. “I think the university’s 51,900 students and more than 220,000 alumni will greatly benefit from some of our interesting talks and the opportunities to connect with new people.”

Concordians taking part in MTL connect include engineer and benefactor Gina Cody, MEng 81, PhD 89, in a conversation on leadership with CTV Montreal chief news anchor Mutsumi Takahashi, BA 79, MBA 95, LLD 13. Their talk helps kick off MTL connect on October 13.

“As distance learning and telecommuting become keystones of our society, MTL connect will give us an opportunity to discuss how we need to pivot to become more effective leaders in a digital landscape,” says Cody, co-chair of the Campaign for Concordia and benefactor of the Gina Cody School of Engineering and Computer Science (GCS).

Other prominent speakers confirmed for MTL connect include Jeanne Holm, chief data officer for the city of Los Angeles; Audrey Tang, digital minister of Taiwan; Ursula Eicker, Concordia’s Canada Excellence Research Chair in Smart, Sustainable and Resilient Communities and Cities; Vivek Venkatesh, MA 03, PhD 08, UNESCO co-Chair in Prevention of Radicalization and Violent Extremism and Professor of Inclusive Practices in Visual Arts in Concordia’s Department of Art Education; and GCS faculty member Fehmi Jaafar.

Visit mtlconnecte.ca/en to learn more.

  • Students: use promo code concordia_PROMO30/ for 30% off 
  • Alumni: use promo code concordia_PROMO15/ for 15% off 


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