Collision Conference 2023 – The Ultimate Guide (2024)

The 2023 Collision Conference is on the way!

While businesses and event marketers have learned to accept and appreciatedigital eventsafter the recent COVID-19 alteredevent marketing strategiesin almost every industry vertical, 2023 has seen a solid return forin-person events.

Now, marketing teams have a wide range of events to choose from and need to be more scrutinous when shortlisting which ones are worth going to and what budgets to deploy for them. To do so, these marketers must evaluate which events have provided the best opportunities to interact with people anddeliver B2B leadsfrom networking opportunities.

So, imagine a conference that attracted over 240 global partners, 790 investors, 1,500 start-ups, and more than 33,000 attendees worldwide. In 2022, the Collision Conference 2022 attracted these groups. Due to this, it’s little surprise that Collision Conference 2023 has been bookmarked in multiple marketing teams’ agendas.

This guide will tell you everything you need to know about Collision Conference 2023 and how to make the most of this event to drive leads and delivera positive ROI.

What Is The Collision Conference?

The Collision conference is one of the most standouttech events. In fact, it was one of the most successful events in North America in 2022. If the numbers for last year’s events were not impressive enough, this year’s expectations are even greater. Over 40,000 attendees are expected to attend from over 140 countries. Additionally, there will be representatives from over 2,000 start-ups, more than 250 partners, and 950 plus investors.

Over four days, attendees can enjoy content across more than 20 tracks on multiple issues concerning technology and innovation. What stands out the most about the Collision conference is how quickly this tech hub has grown. Since its inception nearly a decade ago, the Collision Conference has grown from 5,000 attendees to over 40,000.

After COVID-19 brought a three-year wait for a return to live, in-person events, last year’s Collision Conference showed that business and industry leaders are eager to participate in this event.

When And Where Is Collision Conference Taking Place?

Collision Conference 2023 will occur from 26 to 29 June 2023 in Toronto, Canada. The chosen venue to host the event is the Enercare Centre. After a two-year hiatus when Collision went digital, Toronto already successfully hosted last year’s event.

Who Goes To The Collision Conference?

Thousands of professionals attend Collision each year to learn, collaborate and network with other peers from the tech industry. From the more than 40,000 attendees scheduled for this event, the list includes people from varied seniority, including VPs, C-level executives, Managers, Founders, and Directors from prestigious and established companies and start-ups. These tech leaders will also be accompanied by defining societal figures, celebrities, and politicians like Joseph Gordon-Levitt and Justin Trudeau.

Other key attendees include:

Lupita Nyong’o, Actor
Tope Awotona, Founder and CEO at Calendly
John Tory, Mayor of Toronto
Jyoti Gondek, Mayor of Calgary
Rick Lebsack, Executive Systems Architect at IBM
Catherine Powell, Global Head of Hosting at Airbnb
Renate Nyborg, CEO at Tinder
Suresh Kumar, CTO and Chief Developer at Walmart
Deborah Wahl, Global CMO at General Motors
Jimmy Wales, Founder of Wikipedia
Garry Kasparov, Chess grandmaster and security ambassador at Avast
Margaret Atwood, Booker Prize-winning
Author
Leonard Fournette, Running Back at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
Peter Koerte, CTO at Siemens AG
Allegra Krishnan, VP and Chief Loyalty & Engagement Officer at McDonald’s
Aruna Ravichandran, CMO at Webex by Cisco

And much more.

Who Will Be Speaking At The 2023 Collision Conference?

Collision 2023 will feature sessions from tech experts, cultural icons, and global policymakers. If the attendee list on its own isn’t appealing enough, speakers from different industry verticals all related to tech will deliver key insights and sessions that will provide valuable information and attract peers.

What Kind Of Sponsors And Exhibitions Will There Be At Collision 2023?

Collision 2023 will have over 250 partners, some of whom are fully established leaders in their sectors. These include financial establishments like:

RBC, Canada’s largest Bank
Amazon Web Services
Crypto.com
Google
Capgemini
TikTok
KPMG
Toptal
Walmart
Siemens
Pinterest
Webex by Cisco
Snap Inc
LG Nova
Klarna

Collision will include diverse content along with a vast array of sponsors. With over 20 content tracks available across nine stages. This year’s Collision Conference will cover six main segments.

Marketing and Media
Developers and Data
Business Development
Commerce
Society
Lifestyle

Attendees can discover content on different issues such as the Future of Transport, Content Makers, Corporate Innovation, Cryptocurrency, Developers, Future Societies, Healthcare, Sustainability, Sport, and more.

There will also be several Q&A sessions and masterclasses available, hosted by industry leaders, and 45-minute roundtables on the most significant issues facing tech. This can be an ideal chance to join peers and experts for intimate discussions that can reshape your business.

How Much Does It Cost To Register For Collision 2023?

Prices vary depending on ticket type. Early bird access and tickets for only the Exhibition Floor are already sold out, but General attendee tickets are still available for CA$ 645. These tickets provide the following:

Access to the exhibition floor
Curated content across 20+ tracks
App messaging and networking tools
Educational masterclasses
A downloadable file of contacts
Exclusive offers from partners
A personalized schedule-builder
A searchable attendee list
A 60-day trial subscription to the Washington Post

The Executive ticket price comes at a considerably higher cost at CA$3,495 and includes the same benefits as the General tickets with an additional:

Executive Lounge access
Speaker evening receptions

Finally, Chairperson tickets cost CA$12,495 and include the same benefits as the Executive tickets but with access to two other exclusive lounges:

Investor lounge access
Forum lounge access

Why Should I Attend The Collision Conference In 2023? Is It Worth It?

As one of the tech sector’s most significant events, Collision 2023 provides four days of programming, sessions, and meetups with industry leaders, peers, and mentors from various sectors in the technology industry. At the same time, key media such as Forbes, Bloomberg, the Wall Street Journal, and CNBC will cover the event, providing exposure and additional lead-generation opportunities.

There are several reasons why businesses should seriously consider attending Collision 2023. Here are five benefits of attending Collision 2023:

Valuable Networking Opportunities

Collision 2023 can become a checklist of the most influential people in the tech sector. From the over 40,000 people who will attend, there are endless opportunities to make meaningful connections that can drive your business further long after the conference ends.

Priceless Learning And Development

With so many expert-led workshops, roundtables, and Q&A sessions available, Collision 2023 can help attendees receive insights from the leaders of multiple industries affected by technology. This can include open discussions, success cases, courses, and key sessions so visitors can leave with new and exciting learnings.

Exclusive, Premium Content

Tech plays a crucial role in Collision 2023. But there is more than that. Authors, athletes, musicians, actors, and policy leaders also gather at the event to discuss how technology affects their industries. Some of the world’s most efficient speakers will be available to provide inspiring talks, masterclasses, and exclusive content.

In-person Market Research

Collision 2023 attracts experts from many industries who are also leaders in global tech progress. With thousands of organizations attending or participating, the conference is a perfect chance to see how your company measures against competitors and peers. You can spot the gaps in your marketing and business strategy by attending.

Curated Lead Generation Strategies

The organizers at Collision 2023 are aware of the importance of lead generation. That is why they have provided attendees with software to help them discover new contacts and generate leads. This indicates that businesses usingevent intelligencecan reap far more benefits than those who attend conferences without previous planning.

While many companies can use Collision 2023 as an opportunity to showcase their products, many marketers, founders, and business representatives leverage this event to drive relationships and sales. Collision 2023 can be an efficient channel to meet potential clients, customers, partners, and investors. However, successfully achieving positive ROIs requires planning. This requires incorporating adata-driven approachto event marketing.

Can Collision 2023 Improve Business Plans?

One of the benefits of Collision 2023 is the wealth of knowledge and insights attendees can take back home from the event. However, most marketers will also have their sights on networking opportunities. The conference is a hub for making deals, agreements, partnerships, and business operations. Collision’s software opens the door for seeing who may be attending the event, but only part of the biggest are made in situ, between workshops, key sessions, and roundtables. Other deals are made privately or during side events in Toronto.

Collision 2023, and Toronto itself, is ideal for doing business and striking deals and partnerships. Once the last talk of the day has occurred, Collision also provides Collision After Hours. Attendees can gain exclusive access to Collision After Hours venues, but multiple private parties also happen across the city. This confluence of marketers, sales teams, and potential customers creates the perfect scenario for making connections that can boost your business.

Marketers are usually conditioned by KPIs and need to measure the success of their campaigns and justify their budget spending. They cannot leave Collision empty-handed when it comes to leads. On the contrary, they need to ensure they do not invest blindly into researching and attending events without being able to provide a positive ROI.

While Collision can be useful to let attendees see who is present at the conference, some tools can be leveraged to open more opportunities to drive leads while visiting Toronto for the event.

Event intelligence combines first-party data from past events with real-time monitoring and AI predictive modeling to forecast who will attend or sponsor future events. These attendees do not necessarily need to attend Collision but can participate in side events in Toronto. If this information is used efficiently, marketing teams can know who will be where and when. They can then use this data to plan what event to follow and attend to reach their KPIs and ideal prospects.

Don’t forget the importance of the side events

There will be many chances to network at Collision 2023. However, it would be wise to leverage the series of events taking place after the final talks every day. To choose the best events to attend, businesses should first have a clear idea of theirtarget audienceand elaborate a plan with the help of event intelligence.

With this plan, marketers and sales reps can attend smaller, more focused gatherings where they can meet exactly the kind of industry peers and potential partners they want to meet for their business. This provides more opportunities to justify the investment in going to Toronto.

With a shortlist of at least 2-3 people for each side-event, business representatives can target these potential clients, who they would usually have difficulty meeting outside of Toronto, and build a relationship with them that can turn into potential leads.

Where To Stay When Traveling To The 2023 Collision Conference

With the dates for Collision 2023 already announced, and once you get the trip green-lit by management, the next step is finding the right hotel. Toronto is a vibrant and bustling city that offers various hotel options to suit different needs and budgets. However, with so many options available, it can take time to decide where to stay. Collision doesn’t have endorsem*nt deals with hotels, but Toronto has a wide array of hotels with different prices and characteristics tailored to diverse business needs.

Still, with so many people converging on the city, room shortages and price increases can occur as we approach the event. Here are some hotels worth checking out for your stay in Toronto.

Hotel Victoria Toronto: Located at 56 Yonge Street, this hotel is a 25-minute streetcar journey away (or a 15-minute cab if you prefer this mode of transport) from the Enercare Centre. The hotel is a high-style boutique that can attract many CEOs and is midway between Toronto Island Airport and the conference location.

The Anndore House, JDV by Hyatt: Close to Bloor Street’s Mink Mile, a shopping hub in Toronto with multiple dining locations, this hotel is forty minutes away from the 15 Charles Street East conference center is a good location for events after Collision closes its doors.

The Strathcona Hotel:Located 20 minutes from the conference center at 60 York Street, the Strathcona Hotel lies in a more relaxed location but comes with its Café and Strath Pub, which can be an ideal location for interviews, deal-making, and mini-breaks.

How Do I Get To The Enercare Centre?

The Enercare Centre is one of the most popular destinations in Toronto, known for hosting a wide range of events and exhibitions throughout the year. Whether you are attending a trade show, concert, or sporting event, the Enercare Centre is well-located, relatively easy to access, and well-connected to the rest of the city. As a tourist visiting Toronto, finding the most convenient and efficient way to travel to the Enercare Centre is crucial for making the most of your time there.

There are different transportation offerings available to access the conference center. Some of these include:

TTC Bus And Streetcar Routes

To get to the conference center, it’s recommended to use the Strachan Avenue stop adjacent to the Princes’ Gates. You can use

29 Dufferin Bus: Take the Bloor subway to Dufferin Station, and board the #29 bus south to Exhibition Place.
121A/C Fort York-Esplanade: This bus route starts at Front St East at Parliament St. and will drop passengers off at Princes’ Gates loop.
511 Bathurst Streetcar: Take the Bloor subway to Bathurst Station, and board the #511 streetcar south to Exhibition Place.
509 Harbourfront Streetcar: Take the Yonge-University Subway to Union Station. From there, take the 509 Streetcar from the Union Station southbound streetcar tunnel towards Exhibition Place.

GO Transit

A division of Metrolinx, GO Transit is the regional public transit service for the Greater Toronto and Hamilton Area. If traveling to Exhibition Place by GO Transit, you should get off at the Exhibition GO station.

Driving To The Enercare Centre

If you decide to drive to Enercare Centre, the location is Enercare Centre, Exhibition Place, 100 Princes’ Blvd.

If driving from the west of the city, take the Gardiner Expressway east to Lake Shore Boulevard. From there, you should stay on Lakeshore Blvd. east. Once you reach the traffic lights at Exhibition Place, there are three entrance points: British Columbia Drive, Ontario Drive, and Newfoundland Drive.

If you drive from Pearson, exit 427 south to Gardiner Expressway East. From there, take the Gardiner Expressway east to Lake Shore Boulevard. You will find the three entrance points to the Enercare Centre: British Columbia Drive, Ontario Drive, and Newfoundland Drive.

If traveling from City Centre Airport, take Bathurst Street north to Lakeshore Blvd. West. Then take Lake Shore Boulevard west, turn north on Strachan Avenue, and enter via Fleet St into Exhibition Place.

Finally, if you are driving from the east of the city, take the Gardiner Expressway west to Spadina/Lake Shore Boulevard and follow the signs for Lakeshore Boulevard. Take this route to Strachan Avenue and enter via Fleet St.

How To Prepare For The 2023 Collision Conference

Deciding to attend Collision 2023 is an important step to growing your lead portfolio. But after that, preparations are still required to make the most of the event. Firstly, don’t forget these main factors:

Plan Well In Advance For The Event

As soon as you know you are attending Collision 2023, start planning. This includes organizing and preparing all the documents and equipment you need. This is when you can start planning your meeting and booking your hotels and travel requirements as soon as you know you are going. Another crucial early step is receiving information on who will attend specific events and elaborating an optimal pitch for when you need to start networking.

Bring Your Business Cards

Attending Collision 2023 will be a valuable opportunity to meet peers and colleagues. Remember to bring business cards and plenty of them, so you can share them with as many potential clients and networking colleagues as you want.

Enjoy Late, Warm Sunsets

Sure, Toronto is considered to be a chilly place. But this isn’t the case when we are talking about late June. In fact, with Collision 2023 taking part in midsummer, the days will be long, and the sun will set at around 9 pm. This will prolong the desire to keep the party and networking opportunities going. Bear that in mind when packing and know what clothes to wear if you spend the whole day without visiting your hotel room and in networking mode.

Pick A Suitable Place For Your Meetings

Toronto has many stylish cafes and restaurants to connect and build networks. Another alternative is to invest in reliable private meeting places, like suites, if the resources are available. It can give a stronger and more professional impression.

Use Event Intelligence To Identify The Best Side Events

As said before, there will be many chances to build your network at Collision 2023. To do so, however, you need to make the most of the small events that are taking place in Toronto. Shortlist your target audience, leverage event intelligence to create a detailed plan, and attend the smaller events that have the kind of audience you need to drive leads and develop quality partnerships.

Leverage Attendee Data: Discover Who’s Attending And Prepare For It

Vendeluxalready has Collision 2023 attendee data with thousands of attendees, exhibitors, and sponsors who will be going to Toronto for the event. This information lets you analyze the kind of audiencewho will be at the event.For now, the audience includes46% of peers with professional seniority, 30% are C-suite executives, and 24% are VPs and Directors.

If done with preparation and attention to detail, attending Toronto 2023 can provide you with leads and partnership opportunities that can deliver a positive ROI.

Summary: Careful Planning Can Make A Difference When You Go To The Collision Conference In 2023

Collision 2023 is a standout event for many businesses. Its unique community spirit brings together the technology industry and provides nearly endless business opportunities to coincide and build connections. This year’s events can deliver insights on new technologies, drive new partnerships and deliver innovative experiences that can help your business break through to new levels of tech and innovation.

However, attending these events requires investments in terms of money and resources, along with support from your C-suite. Managers will demand positive ROIs from these investments. Businesses should make the most of the face-to-face networking opportunities in and outside the Enercare Centre.

To make the most of the event and the trip to Toronto, prepare and organize yourself for the city’s vast number of after-parties and post-event networking opportunities. To do so, it’s best to scope out the sessions that interest your business and identify all the possible networking opportunities inside Collision 2023. Create a plan of who you would like to connect with, and once that is done, gather all the necessary Collision 2023 attendee data and leverage these insights regarding the attendees you want to network with.

Event intelligence is essential for businesses looking to build leads and drive revenue. By leveraging event data and insights, companies can better understand their target audience, identify promising leads, and create more effective marketing strategies. This can ultimately lead to increased sales, stronger customer relationships, and continued business growth.

With careful planning and the best use of insights, you can enjoy Collision 2023 and deliver optimal results, lead generation opportunities and a positive ROI for your company.