The London and St. Thomas Association of Realtors (LSTAR) is hosting ESMART: The Economic and Smart Technology Summit, showcasing economic trends, smart technology issues and disruptors impacting businesses, consumers and real estate markets. The event takes place on April 23 at the London Convention Centre.
Featured speakers include Stephen Bolton, president and CEO, and head coach of Libro Credit Union; Peter Gilbert, chief infrastructure officer of Fanshawe College; and Stefan Swanepoel, chairman and CEO, T3 Sixty.
“We’ve got an incredibly powerful lineup of keynote speakers and panels to address the changes that are happening in the global marketplace and the impact to the economy here locally and beyond,” says John Geha, EO of LSTAR. “We are very excited about engaging with the entire community – business leaders, entrepreneurs, non-profit organizations, elected officials – to create an open dialogue on how we can all collectively manage this rapid change.”
Expert panels and presenters will include representatives from London Hydro, EllisDon Construction, Lennar International, Dancor Construction, Doug Tarry Homes, St. Thomas Economic Development Corporation, CREA, National Association of Realtors, Western University, Canada Mortgage and Housing Corp., SixFive, Western HealthSciences, South London Infiniti Nissan, Harrison Pensa and blueRover.
The association says that London, St. Thomas and surrounding communities in southwestern Ontario are geographically located in an evolving and changing regional economic engine. ESMART focuses on factors that are impacting the economy, including Highway 401 and Highway 402, which connects Canada and the U.S., potential high-speed rail projects, and the uncertainty of the North American Free Trade Agreement.
Smart technology is also making a huge impact, raising discussion on cybersecurity, legal jurisdiction and privacy concerns. It is starting to impact the business community by providing solutions to needs related to mental health management and housing, transportation and autonomous vehicles, and consolidation and interconnectivity of smart home products, such as audio systems, lighting and kitchen appliances. This will be discussed during ESMART.
Individual tickets and tables of eight are available for purchase. Those interested in attending are encouraged to visit Eventbrite and register for ESMART.
