Waterloo Region to host True North Festival this June

True North Festival is set to take place in Canada’s innovation capital – also known as Waterloo Region – from June 1 to 7, 2020. While True North was previously separated into a ticketed conference and a free community festival, these elements will come together in 2020 under the banner of True North Festival. 

“Waterloo Region is a community with a rich history of entrepreneurial collaboration, a theme that lives on throughout the area to this day,” said Iain Klugman, CEO of Communitech. “This rebranding more accurately reflects the collaborative efforts of Communitech and the community partners who are working behind the scenes to make True North bigger, and better, than ever before.”

Tech founders, creative thinkers, movers, shakers come together

In its third year, this week-long event series is where tech founders, creative thinkers, movers, shakers and policymakers come together to examine what it means to be human—and humane—in our tech-driven world. Beginning on June 2, Communitech will host a number of conversational summits that take a deep-dive into topics such as corporate innovation; startup and scale-up strategies; the future of work; data and advanced technologies; as well as tech for good. These summits will take place at Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics and Kitchener Public Library theatre. On June 3, attendees will gather at Centre in the Square for Communitech’s Centre Stage programming. In addition to presentations from world-class keynotes, the event will feature the announcement of the $1-million Leaders Prize winner.

In this new format, True North Festival has expanded to include events hosted by community partners at venues all centrally located along Waterloo Region’s recently launched ION light rail transit line. Fluxible, Canada’s user experience (UX) Conference, will take place June 1-7, with daily lunch-and-learns open to the community and festival attendees. In addition, Startup Open House on June 4 will open doors to some of Waterloo Region’s leading tech organizations, giving festival goers the opportunity to connect with leaders shaping the future of tech in Canada and beyond.

After-hours events are set to include concert series such as the Open Ears Festival and more. Announcements with details on keynote speakers and additional programming will be made in early 2020 on Truenorthwaterloo.com.