Summit 2026 Agenda
The confirmed programme for October 13, 2026 - keynotes, workshops, demo sessions and networking at the Metro Toronto Convention Centre.
Dr. Natasha Bridgmohan
Dr. Natasha Bridgmohan, AMP, is the Founder and President of The BridgGroup of Companies. For almost a quarter century, she has challenged conventional thinking about business growth by proving that collaboration creates greater opportunity than competition.
She has pioneered one of Canada's most comprehensive financial services ecosystems through her signature M.I.R.A.C.L.E. Model: Mortgages, Investments, Real Estate, Aid/Charity, Consulting/Connecting, Legal/Lending, and Entertainment/Education/EarnX.
Featured across television, radio, podcasts, magazines and industry publications, Dr. Bridgmohan's media presence extends her influence to millions of people globally. She is also the Founder of the Canadian Changing Lives Foundation.
2026 Programme
Sessions confirmed so far - more keynotes, panels and workshops will be added as the programme is finalised.
View all confirmed speakers on the Speakers page.
Welcome Remarks
Do more with less: How small businesses buy, work and grow smarter
Larry Gibson is the Head of Sales, Small and Medium Business (SMB) for North America, part of the Amazon Business organization, where he leads go-to-market strategy and operations across automated, outsourced, and in-house sales channels to serve SMB customers in US and Canada. Larry joined Amazon 6 years ago. In that time, he led last mile delivery operations in the Northeastern US, responsible for the safe delivery of 1.5 million packages weekly. He then transitioned into a role leading the Fleet operations and capacity management of 125K last mile delivery vehicles that served several hundred locations across the US and CA, partnering with thousands of small business delivery partners. Before Amazon, Larry worked in telecommunications where he held various sales and operations roles all focused on customer experience and service delivery.
How to Reduce Cart Abandonment and Recover Lost Revenue — Simple checkout improvements that convert more visitors into buyers
If you have an eCommerce site, you know that driving traffic is only part of the equation. The real challenge is converting visitors into buyers. With 70% of shopping carts abandoned, there's a lot of untapped potential. This workshop will share simple, effective strategies to streamline your checkout process and reduce friction, helping you turn more visitors into customers and boost sales.
Beyond AI: What It Takes for Small Business Success
Join ADP Canada's Mohamed Basma, GM of Small Business Services, and a very special guest for a story of resilience, people, courage, technology, and heart driving small business growth and success.
Building a Business Worth Buying
Build a Business Worth Buying — Before You're Ready to Sell. What would happen if you stepped away from your business for thirty days — without approving decisions, rescuing customer relationships, or answering "just one quick question"? Would the company keep moving, or would everything wait for you?
In this engaging keynote, Max Beairsto, President of EVCOR and author of EXIT RIGHT – from ownership to retirement, challenges entrepreneurs to see their companies through a buyer's eyes. This is not a conversation about rushing toward retirement or putting a "For Sale" sign on the door. It is about building a company that gives its owner greater freedom today and more choices tomorrow. Through personal storytelling, humour, and practical examples, Max explores the difference between a business that depends on its founder and one that another person can confidently own.
Powering What's Next: Reclaiming Time in the AI Era
Small businesses are the backbone of Canada's economy, but today's entrepreneurs face growing challenges, from economic uncertainty and cybersecurity risks to evolving customer expectations and digital transformation. In this inspiring keynote, attendees will explore the strategies successful businesses are using to adapt, grow, and stay competitive.
Through real-world insights and practical examples, the session will cover how small businesses can leverage technology, strengthen customer relationships, improve productivity, and future-proof their operations. Attendees will also discover resources, tools, and partnerships that can help them navigate change with confidence and unlock new opportunities for growth.
From AI Adoption to AI Readiness: The Skills SMEs Need Now
AI adoption isn't just a technology challenge — it's a skills and organizational capacity challenge. Drawing on DI/FSC research, this presentation explores what SMEs need to move from experimenting with AI to effectively integrating it into their businesses, including the skills, training and supports required to build AI readiness.
How Canadian SMEs Build Resilient, Customer-Centered Growth Engines
The Summit's theme — Beyond AI: Building Intelligent, Resilient, and Human-Centered Canadian SMEs — calls on businesses to move beyond simply adopting AI tools and toward using them strategically. This keynote is built around that shift. It is about why the businesses that win will be those that are clear, credible, and human, not simply those with the largest budgets.
Its three pillars align directly with the Summit theme: AI integration for intelligence, omnichannel visibility for resilience, and radical trust for a more human-centered approach to growth. Attendees will learn why AI is the beginning, not the strategy; how to build omnichannel visibility you own; how to earn trust that both people and machines can verify; and three moves to lead the shift.
Is your business worth what you think?
Using CFIB data, this keynote shows that 76% of owners plan to exit within 10 years, yet only 9% have a succession plan and 39% say the business relies too much on them. Owner dependence cuts value 20 to 40 per cent. The session sets out eight value drivers buyers pay for and ends with one action for the week.
Turning Connections into Revenue
Entrepreneurs are surrounded by opportunities hidden inside everyday conversations. In this keynote, Dr. Natasha Bridgmohan shares how to recognize the value in your network, make meaningful connections and create new income without adding another service to your business. Discover how one trusted referral can strengthen client relationships, support other professionals and turn the network you have already built into a powerful source of opportunity.
From Survival to Strategy: How Successful Entrepreneurs Use Their Numbers
Many entrepreneurs start their businesses with passion and expertise, but struggle to understand the financial side of running a company. This interactive session will show business owners how to use their numbers as a tool for growth rather than just a requirement for tax season.
Through real-life examples, audience participation, and practical insights, attendees will learn how to better understand cash flow, profitability, expenses, and key financial indicators that drive smarter business decisions. Participants will leave with actionable tips they can apply immediately to gain greater financial clarity, reduce stress, and confidently plan for growth.
Winter Is Coming. We Brought Dragons.
The dragons are AI agents. And unlike the other kind, these ones do paperwork. Winter in business looks familiar: rising costs, thin margins, too few hands and a to-do list that never melts. So we're unleashing an AI team on an ordinary small business, live.
Dragon one breathes content: a month of social posts, Meta ads and newsletters in your brand voice, ready before lunch. Dragon two turns a business card into a researched lead, a CRM entry and a personalized follow-up in 60 seconds. Dragon three guards the treasury — connected to the company's own books, it finds who hasn't paid in 30 days, drafts the reminders and maps the cash flow. Dragon four is the IT backbone, linking the apps a business uses so data flows on its own. Now the twist: anyone can hatch a dragon. The hard part is learning how to train it.
Deciding with Prudence in the Age of AI
In an era of rapid technological acceleration, the growing integration of artificial intelligence into business exposes decision-makers to significant risks, including diluted responsibility, automation bias, and cognitive dependence. While executive trust in AI often outpaces their understanding of algorithmic limits, international legal frameworks strictly mandate active human oversight.
Leadership cannot legally delegate liability or accountability to an automated system; the human decision-maker remains the sole legal subject. To address this challenge, the presentation introduces the Augmented Strategic Decision (ASD) matrix — an operational framework rooted in practical wisdom. This methodology structures decision-making across five core phases: Observe, Deliberate, Exercise Judgment, Decide, and Support (Learn & Adjust).
Wearing Multiple Hats: Real Life Payday
As a small business owner, your Friday afternoon is rarely spent doing just one thing. Between serving customers, managing employees, and growing your business, payroll may be one more task on a very long list. Join ADP for a live demonstration of how easy it can be to run payroll in minutes.
See how ADP helps simplify payday, reduce administrative burden, and give you confidence that your employees are paid accurately and on time — so you can focus on running your business.
Demo session reserved for Spark Center
Session details coming soon
Overview of the Toronto Small Business Enterprise Centre
This presentation provides an overview of the City of Toronto's Small Business Enterprise Centre (Toronto SBEC), a collaborative initiative between the City of Toronto and the Province of Ontario that supports entrepreneurs and small business owners at every stage of their business journey.
The presentation highlights the vital role that small businesses play in Toronto's economy and outlines how the Toronto SBEC serves as a one-stop resource hub, offering business information, training, advisory services, mentorship, funding opportunities, and connections to a broad network of support programs.
HR Made Simple: Your People Matter
In a small business, HR isn't a department down the hall. It shows up every day, right where the work happens. This session looks at what HR really means for small and mid-sized organizations, and why it matters no matter how many people you employ.
Luisa De Jesus, CHRP, CHRL, brings more than 30 years of HR experience. Using Ontario's small business landscape as context, the session covers: common HR issues owners don't see coming; how to address concerns early, fairly, and effectively; the HR foundations every business needs at each stage; and how healthy workplace practices support people and performance.
WorkAbility Partnership
The presentation provides an overview of the YES WorkAbility Project and the benefits of partnering with Youth Employment Services (YES). WorkAbility is a national initiative designed to help employers create inclusive, accessible, and supportive workplaces for individuals with mental health disabilities.
Launched in April 2023 and funded through the Government of Canada's Opportunities Fund for Persons with Disabilities, the project provides employers across Canada with free, customizable training and support. It highlights the potential organizational benefits of inclusion, including strong attendance, punctuality, quality of work, motivation, retention, reduced absenteeism and access to an often-underrepresented talent pool.
How Customers Find Businesses Through Google and AI
You know what your business does well. Your existing customers know it, too. But how does someone who has never heard of you find you? A potential customer might ask Google or an AI tool, "What courier can deliver this today?" or "Who can help me market my business?"
In this demonstration, Dean Jessop, Founder and CEO of IRefer Club and author of Recognized Before Recommended, explores the difference between being found by your company name and being discovered for what you do. Using a real business example, Dean walks through how IRefer Club presents a business around the questions potential customers ask, and explains what owners can check in their own online presence, where they may be leaving important customer questions unanswered, and how to make their offering easier to understand.
Greenmark: Fast, Affordable Sustainability Credentials with ISO 14001 for SMEs
Canadian SMEs are now experiencing high pressure from changes in globally shifting markets. Demonstrating compliance with the international environmental standard ISO 14001 is a recognized important part of being competitive, especially in market diversification.
This presentation will explain what the ISO 14001:2026 Standard is, how the Environmental Management System works, and the benefits it offers SMEs — followed by a quick demo of the Greenmark online platform that makes it easy, fast, and affordable.
Agentic Data: Answering KPI Questions with AI & MCP
AI can build dashboards, explore data and answer business questions in seconds. But without the right data foundation, even the most advanced AI tools will deliver incomplete or unreliable answers. This practical workshop will help SME leaders understand how to move from scattered data to trustworthy, AI-powered insights.
We will begin with the business need, not the technology, and explore the different tools required at each stage of the data journey. Participants will learn how connectors, data warehouses, lakehouses and semantic layers work together to create a reliable foundation. We will then demonstrate how AI and MCP can make that data easier to access, explore and use.
Masterclass: How to Build and Deploy AI Apps and Agents Across Your Organization
Moving from experimentation to production is often where enterprise AI initiatives stall. This masterclass covers how to design and deploy AI apps and agents securely connected to your internal systems.
What you'll learn: best practices to build operational AI agents tailored to your business processes; practical approaches to integrate AI models with internal data and systems safely; and a live walkthrough applying these concepts directly within Forra.
From Prompt to Payoff: How to Implement an AI Workflow That Delivers Real Value in Five Days
You do not need AI in your job title to lead AI implementation. If you have experimented with ChatGPT, Claude or Copilot, the next opportunity is to become the person who helps your organization turn useful prompts into valuable, reliable workflows.
In this practical masterclass, Anchoria will demonstrate a five-day path from promising idea to controlled AI workflow pilot. Using time-tested business analysis tools, we will show you how to select a worthwhile opportunity, map the actual work, and build and test the pilot. Participants will work through a practical example and see prototype screens illustrating human review, exception handling and system actions.
Spend Smarter: Unlocking Premium Advertising for Any Budget
This exclusive masterclass pulls back the curtain on how the modern media landscape has completely changed. You will discover how barriers to premium multi-platform advertising have been broken down, putting enterprise-level reach well within the grasp of small and medium businesses.
You will learn: The Buyer Journey Secret — why focusing solely on "ready-to-buy" customers is holding your growth back; The Omnichannel Advantage — how to show up across Canadian high-impact video, audio and digital platforms; The High-Impact, Low-Barrier Blueprint — how modern self-serve technology and automated creative tools allow you to launch polished campaigns; and Three Things You Can Do Today — where to start, how to build and what myths you need to leave behind.
Your Workload Isn't Just Your To-Do List: Practical tools to manage workload and thought load
Running a small business means carrying more than a to-do list. Workload management isn't just about "time management" anymore. It's about navigating pressure, priorities and people. There are decisions to make, people to support, competing priorities and the constant thought load that follows you home.
In this practical, interactive workshop, leadership coach Parm Chohan will share simple tools and frameworks to help you manage workload, reduce mental clutter, prioritize what matters and take greater control of your time and energy.
From Potential to Practice: Helping Canadian SMEs Put AI to Work
AI is changing what's possible for Canadian small and medium-sized businesses, but turning that potential into real value is not always straightforward. Sage research among more than 2,000 Canadian SMEs found that 80% view digital tools as essential to growth and 51% are already using AI. Yet practical barriers remain, with 58% identifying cost or time as a challenge and 51% citing a lack of skills. For many SMEs, the question is not simply whether to adopt AI, but where to start, which tools are right for their business and where to turn for support.
Hosted by Sage, this panel will bring together perspectives from Canadian business, government and the broader SME ecosystem to explore how SMEs are putting AI into practice, where they are seeing value, and what continues to hold adoption back. The discussion will look at the practical resources and support available to businesses, as well as the role government and industry can play in helping more Canadian SMEs move from experimentation to successful, everyday adoption.
From AI Adoption to Real ROI: Turning Technology into Measurable Growth
Many SMEs have started using AI—but few are maximizing its full potential. This panel dives into how small businesses can move beyond experimentation and start driving real business outcomes. Learn how to measure ROI, integrate AI into core workflows, and avoid "tool overload."
Experts will share practical frameworks and case studies showing how to turn AI investments into revenue growth, cost savings, and competitive advantage.
Building the Digital Backbone: Cloud, Automation, Cybersecurity & Data for Future-Ready SMEs
A strong digital foundation is no longer optional—it's the backbone of every successful small business. This panel brings together experts to explore how Canadian SMEs can strategically integrate cloud infrastructure, automation, cybersecurity, and data-driven decision-making into one cohesive system.
From streamlining operations with automation to safeguarding digital assets and unlocking insights through data, discover how to build a connected, secure, and scalable tech ecosystem. Learn how to choose the right tools, avoid common pitfalls, and create a foundation that not only supports growth—but accelerates it.
Building Resilient Businesses: Navigating Uncertainty in a Tech-Driven Economy
Economic shifts, rapid tech changes, and global competition demand resilience. This panel focuses on how Canadian SMEs can future-proof their businesses through diversification, digital ecosystems, and smart decision-making.
Hear from experts on managing risk, leveraging data for agility, and building business models that can withstand disruption while continuing to grow.
More sessions will be added as the 2026 programme is confirmed. Check back regularly or register free to be notified.
What the day includes
Archived agendas
