Business Seminars, Workshops and Events

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Business Seminars, Workshops and Events

Vaughan Small Business Week

Vaughan Small Business Week is run every October as part of the nationally recognized celebration of the contributions small business makes to our economy. A new partnership agreement to support local innovation will be announced at this year's Small Business Week, which will further establish Vaughan as a hub for entrepreneurship, talent and innovation.

Join the celebration of Vaughan's talented local entrepreneurs and small business owners. Have real conversations, get practical advice and leverage resources and connections to help your business grow. Celebrate and get connected with your local business community!

Tuesday, October 22

Small Business Week Launch
9 a.m. to 10:30 a.m.
The City of Vaughan launches Small Business week with an exciting announcement on further building the innovation economy within the City. Honourable Mayor, Members of Council and our community partners will join together for the kick-off of Vaughan’s Small Business Week. Interested in attending? Please contact ecd@vaughan.ca

Create It! Space Open House – Explore free digital media tools that can help you market your business
Vaughan Civic Resource Library
2191 Major Mackenzie Dr.
2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Create It! is a digital media lab featuring a Green Room and Recording Studio at the Civic Centre Resource Library offering photography, videography, sound recording and DJ equipment as well as editing software. The space also includes 3D printing and iMac equipment for 3D, as well as a Virtual Reality station. Visit the open house to learn more about the tools and how you can use them to promote and market your business. Delivered in partnership with the Vaughan Public Libraries.
Register here

York Mastermind Networking Event
Vaughan City Hall, Multi-Purpose Room

2141 Major Mackenzie Dr.
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.

Get inspired, motivated and share best practices on how to overcome your business challenge at the York Mastermind Event. Connect with other business owners and entrepreneurs and share your challenges, get advice and suggestions to help grow your business.

Wednesday, October 23

Make the Right Tech Investments to Grow your Small Business
Vaughan City Hall, Committee Room 245

2141 Major Mackenzie Dr.
8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

Give your small business an edge, increase your mobility and leverage tech. Learn about how to utilize cloud tools to gain competitive advantage, how your investments can help improve customer experience and improve team collaboration to take your business to the next level. Delivered in partnership with the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce’s Technology Committee.

Drop in Q&A for Your Tax-Related Small Business Concerns with the CRA
Vaughan City Hall, Committee Room 245

2141 Major Mackenzie Dr.
10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Address your concerns and get answers to tax-related questions at this drop-in Q&A! Get recommendations on how to strengthen your bookkeeping system, find out about general bookkeeping concepts and best practices, learn how to use financial benchmarks for relevant industries, discover common tax errors, and learn more about services offered by the CRA.

Vaughan City Hall, Committee Room 245

2141 Major Mackenzie Dr.
2 p.m. to 3:30 p.m.

Getting a solid legal foundation can help you prevent future headaches down the road, and a tech company intellectual property can be one of your biggest assets and competitive advantages. Learn the basics about different types of intellectual property and how to protect your company’s intellectual property. This session also covers the importance of choosing the right business structure and the fundamentals around shareholder’s agreements. Delivered in partnership with the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce’s Technology Committee.
Register here

Thursday, October 24

Business Networking Breakfast: Disruptive Innovation
Vaughan Civic Resource Library

2191 Major Mackenzie Dr.
8 a.m. to 9:30 a.m.

In this rapidly changing business environment, critical-thinking and problem solving are more relevant than ever to pivot quickly and respond to an emerging market demand. Solutions will have to be created for problems that don’t exist currently. New solutions are being found to long standing problems, disrupting businesses. Presented by Chris Dudley, Director of HELIX, Seneca’s entrepreneurial incubator for health and lifestyle, and the Vaughan Public Libraries.

Changing Workplaces – Are you ready?
Vaughan City Hall, Multi-Purpose Room
2141 Major Mackenzie Dr.
8 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.

Join the Workforce Planning Board of York Region as they celebrate their Employer Leadership Council Annual Meeting. Lisa Taylor, CEO of Challenge Factory, will present “Stop Preparing For the Future of Work!: Why employers need to be prepared for the jobs that don’t exist yet and start shaping the future of work.” You will also learn how to navigate the changes to the Ontario Employment Standards Act, and common employer pitfalls and how to avoid them, presented by Jeffrey Stewart and Priya Sarin at Sherrard Kuzz Employment & Labour Lawyers. This event is supported by local community partner, the Vaughan Chamber of Commerce.
Register here

Hiring Incentives for Employers
COSTI Vaughan Employment Services
3100 Rutherford Rd., Suite 102
2 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Your company’s success is tied to your employees. COSTI Vaughan Employment Services will walk local businesses through available funding that will help them to hire their next employees. This session offers invaluable insights into hiring in Vaughan.
Register here

Business Listening Tour

The City of Vaughan’s Economic and Cultural Development staff will be visiting businesses across the city from May to October. They will be sharing information on their business services, offering ways to connect with other business leaders in the community and listening to valuable feedback.

Schedule

Kleinburg Village	May 31
Woodbridge Village	July 10
Thornhill (Centre St./Yonge St.)	July 31
Vaughan Enterprise Zone	August 28
Vaughan Metropolitan Centre	September 25
Maple Village	October 30

Upcoming Seminars & Workshops

VBEC offers complimentary seminars and workshops targeted for entrepreneurs and small business owners throughout the year. Space is limited, sign up today!

Office Hours - Drop in Q&A - How-to and Benefits of Hiring a Co-op Student
Wednesday, October 2, 2019
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Boardroom Atrium 2 (2nd Floor), Vaughan City Hall
2141 Major Mackenzie Dr.
Vaughan, Ontario L6A 1T1
Learn more or register online

Office Hours - Drop in Q&A - Project Management 101
Wednesday, October 30, 2019
10 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Boardroom Atrium 2 (2nd Floor), Vaughan City Hall
2141 Major Mackenzie Dr.
Vaughan, Ontario L6A 1T1
Learn more or register online

Community Partner Workshops

"Starting Your Own Business" online course by COSTI

COSTI has designed a Self-Employment Course to help you decide whether self-employment is for you and to help you develop the tools you will need to start your own business in Canada.

Upon completion of this course you will have:

information about self-employment in Canada
a good idea whether self-employment is for you
a basic understanding of the skills needed for success as the owner of your own business

Course Dates:
• Sept. 16 to Sept. 27

Networking Events

Diverse connections are at the core of innovation and company growth. This is why City of Vaughan is excited announce a new way that entrepreneurs, small business owners and corporate partners can connect to ask questions, share ideas and form new professional relationships.

Learn more about Vaughan Business Café.

Register and create a profile online!

York Mastermind Networking Event – October 2019
Tuesday, Oct. 22, 2019
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Vaughan City Hall
2141 Major Mackenzie Dr.
Vaughan, ON L6A 1T1
Register online

York Mastermind Networking Event – November 2019
Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2019
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Vaughan City Hall
2141 Major Mackenzie Dr.
Vaughan, ON L6A 1T1
Register online