Opening Sessions: Setting the Direction. Attendees check in, enjoy a fresh cup of coffee and explore visual installations and early‑stage demos that frame the global AI landscape.

A clear overview of the Expo’s mission and what attendees can expect over two days.

Kris Krüg kicks off the Expo with a bold, visually rich exploration of how AI is reshaping creativity, culture, and human identity. Blending art, storytelling, and real‑world insight, he challenges attendees to rethink what it means to stay authentically human in an increasingly synthetic world.

Morning Learning: Trust, Infrastructure, and Real‑World Deployment. Attendees learn practical approaches to transparency, alignment, and governance.

A deep dive into compute, efficiency, and the systems behind modern AI

For Fortune 500 leaders, the conversation has moved far beyond automation. The mandate now is AI that drives measurable business value, strengthens competitive positioning, and integrates seamlessly across complex, global organizations. In this executive‑level session, Dr. Nargess Heydari Beni outlines how bespoke AI systems are architected to meet the realities of enterprise scale — from legacy infrastructure and fragmented data ecosystems to governance, risk, and long‑term ROI.

Key insights for enterprise leaders:

✅ How to identify high‑leverage AI opportunities that align with corporate strategy, not just operational efficiency
✅ Why custom AI models outperform generic solutions in regulated, high‑stakes, or data‑sensitive environments
✅ The R&D frameworks Lemay.ai uses to design systems that integrate with existing workflows, governance structures, and security requirements
✅ How to evaluate AI investments through the lens of risk reduction, resilience, and measurable business outcomes
✅ Real‑world examples of tailored AI driving transformation across large, complex organizations

This session is built for decision‑makers who need AI that is not only technically sophisticated — but strategically essential.

Buffet Lunch + Demo Pods. Attendees meet startups, research labs, and solution providers showcasing live prototypes.

Afternoon Focus: Policy, Governance, and Global Standards. A policymaker explains how global regulation is shifting and what it means for practitioners.

A high‑energy session where experts challenge assumptions and explore tradeoffs.

Attendees leave with templates and tools they can apply in their own organizations.

This is the keynote every senior leader, founder, policymaker, and investor wants but rarely gets. It’s not theory. It’s not hype. It’s the lived reality of someone who has actually shipped AI inside a complex organization.

Core pillars that make this keynote exceptional:

✅The messy middle of AI deployment
What actually happens between “we should use AI” and “it’s in production and delivering ROI.”
✅ Data readiness: the real bottleneck
How enterprises assess, clean, govern, and operationalize data — and why this step kills most AI initiatives.
✅ Responsible AI in practice
Not frameworks — the real governance, risk, and compliance work that determines whether AI gets approved or shut down.
✅ The enterprise buyer’s mindset
What large organizations actually look for when evaluating AI vendors, tools, and startups.
✅ The hidden costs of AI
Integration, change management, model drift, monitoring, legal exposure — the things no pitch deck mentions.
✅ What’s working right now
Real case studies of AI deployments that delivered measurable business value.
✅ What’s not working
The pitfalls, failures, and lessons learned that save the audience millions in avoidable mistakes.
✅ How to build an AI‑ready organization
Culture, talent, workflows, and executive alignment — the true levers of enterprise success.

Closing the Day - A conversation on labour, education, and community resilience in an AI‑driven world.

Join us for an exclusive evening reception inside one of Vancouver’s most iconic venues. Set among softly lit galleries and vibrant marine exhibits, the Aquarium offers a stunning backdrop for premium networking and cross‑sector connection. This is a high‑prestige, high‑intent environment designed to spark meaningful conversations between enterprise leaders, founders, academics, policymakers, and investors.

Evening Flow:

⏱️7:00pm — Arrival & Welcome Drinks
Guests are welcomed with refreshments and invited to explore select galleries, creating early, organic opportunities for sponsors and attendees to connect as they move through the space.
⏱️7:30pm–9:30pm — Networking & Micro‑Tours
Free‑flow networking continues throughout the Aquarium’s immersive exhibits. Optional micro‑tours led by Aquarium staff help facilitate high‑value introductions and deeper conversations across sectors.
⏱️9:30pm–10:00pm — Closing Conversations
The evening winds down in the central gallery, offering a relaxed final touchpoint for sponsors and attendees to strengthen new relationships.

A Sponsor‑Aligned Experience
This reception is intentionally designed to maximize engagement. The layout encourages natural movement, the atmosphere is calm and visually striking, and coastal‑inspired hors d’oeuvres with roaming service keep conversations flowing. It’s a signature moment of the Expo — a shared experience that reinforces our commitment to responsible, future‑focused innovation.

Morning: Innovation and Research Frontiers. A research‑heavy look at where model capabilities are heading.

How AI can be deployed responsibly to address society’s biggest challenges.

Canadian Lab & Startup Showcase, Fast‑paced lightning demos highlighting emerging technologies and founders:

1. 10:35am - 10:40am:
2. 10:45am - 10:50am:
3. 10:55am - 11:00am:
4. 11:05am - 11:10am:
5. 11:15am - 11:20am:
6. 11:25am - 11:30am:
7. 11:35am - 11:40am:
8. 11:45am - 11:50am:

Closing remarks and poll results.

Buffet Lunch + Demo Pods. Attendees meet startups, research labs, and solution providers showcasing live prototypes.

The CEO of ORKA AI introduces a practical framework for embedding digital employees into real operations and designing hybrid human + AI teams. Attendees gain clear steps for workflow redesign, adoption readiness, and unlocking measurable productivity gains.

Enterprises have approved the budgets and launched the pilots—yet production AI remains stalled. Rajeev (Raj) Kapoor, Co‑Founder & CAIO of NAP AI, makes the case that the real bottleneck is the missing role at the deployment layer: the Forward Deployed Engineer. This provocative session explains how LLM‑driven evaluation unlocked scalable agentic workflows, why the historic $1 software / $9 services ratio is shifting, and how the FDE role will soon split into two new careers that reshape enterprise operations. Attendees leave with a clear framework, sharp questions, and a new lens on the future of AI deployment.

Attendees learn how to structure cross‑functional teams for safety and impact.

Practical insights from experts who test and secure AI systems.

Closing Sessions: Defining the Path Forward

A provocative, multi‑stakeholder discussion on power, governance, and global responsibility.

A unifying vision for the next decade of AI development.

A look at what’s next for TruNorth and the global AI community.

Unwind and enjoy a beverage on us.
This is your final chance to mingle, forge new relationships, and talk shop in a relaxed, peer‑to‑peer setting. Settle in with a live pianist, passed hors d’oeuvres, and beautifully curated charcuterie boards as we close out the day in style.