Wednesday May 1, 2024
7:00 - 8:00 a.m. Breakfast (Rivers Ballroom)
8:00 - 8:30 a.m. BIABC 2024 AGM (Rivers Ballroom)
8:30 - 9:15 a.m. Keynote Session (Rivers Ballroom)
Save Our Streets: Safe Communities for All
Crime and safety issues continue to threaten the health and vibrancy of our communities across B.C. The significant financial and emotional burden associated with increased property and violent crime is impacting both businesses and families. While governments at all levels have responded to the issues in various ways, the overarching sentiment from business leaders and community groups is that it is not working, and conditions have worsened. The Save Our Streets (SOS) Coalition, formed in 2023, represents more than 70 groups from large retailers to various business organizations to BIAs and is poised to make these issues a priority with the upcoming election and election cycle. Hear from Tony Hunt, General Manager of Loss Prevention at London Drugs, on the work he is doing on behalf of the SOS Coalition to help quantify the costs of crime and their impact to the public, business community and government.
Tony Hunt, Chair of SOS Research Committee & General Manager Loss Prevention at London Drugs
9:15 - 9:30 a.m. Break
9:30 - 10:15 a.m. Plenary Session (Rivers Ballroom)
Community Safety within Current Response Models: what is and isn't working (Safety)
Communities across the province continue to be impacted by issues surrounding increasing homelessness, drug addiction, mental health and crime. This is diminishing the health and vitality of our communities, and is negatively affecting the conditions for which businesses can succeed in. The current array of legislation and services options will be discussed, and this panel will address the state of our current framework, our opportunities for change and will explore your questions and answers around public safety.
Ken Uzelok, Director of Community Services, City of Kamloops
Will Beatty, Manager of Community Services, City of Kamloops
Inspector Jeff Pelley, Royal Canadian Mounted Police
Tony Hunt, Chair of SOS Research Committee & General Manager Loss Prevention at London Drugs
10:15 - 10:40 a.m. Networking Break & Hotel Check Out
10:40 - 11:30 a.m. Closing Keynote Session (Rivers Ballroom)
How to Make AI Your Unfair Business Advantage (Leadership)
In today's rapidly evolving business landscape, artificial intelligence (AI) is often hailed as the "future of business" and the "next big thing." With countless blogs, emails, and articles discussing AI's transformative potential, it can be challenging to discern its genuine impact on individual businesses.
This keynote will address the pivotal question: "What does AI mean for MY business?" It delves deeper than just recognizing AI's transformative nature, focusing on understanding its implications for business strategies and uncovering hidden opportunities.
You'll leave with these key takeaways:
1. Understand the real-world implications of AI for individual businesses.
2. Discover strategies to harness AI's potential for your business advantage.
3. Learn from real-life examples and case studies on AI's transformative impact
Peter Pilarski, President, CIPR Communications
11:30 a.m. Closing remarks and announcement of the location of the 2025 conference