SmartCity Blog

Augmenting Reality in Halifax

By Samantha Lodge

There’s a reason this video series has SmartCity in the name. Halifax is home to innovative businesses and smart people. Recently, local interactive media company Ad Dispatch sat down with a big US department store and a comic book mogul to negotiate a major marketing deal.

Ad Dispatch takes products and images and connects a virtual experience to that image. It’s all about augmented reality and their augmented way of thinking has landed them the opportunity to create the Avenger marketing campaign. Working with Wal-Mart and Marvel, Ad Dispatch brings the Avenger characters to life. Smart? How about brilliant!

“If there’s an image I can create a virtual experience with it. So all of a sudden they create a whole other opportunity, a whole other product line based on augmented reality,” says Jonathan Burns, VP of Sales at Ad Dispatch.

SmartCity host Craig Layton gets his reality augmented when he meets with Matt Fegan, Director of Operations. Using a tablet computer a standard image of Captain America is transformed into a life size super imposed superhero standing next to Craig.

But that’s not the only way Ad Dispatch expands reality. From games that let you interact with the real world, to bringing a new level of reality to a t-shirt, this Halifax based digital media company keeps ideas fresh and new while bringing a whole new level to marketing and promotion.

President and CEO, Nathan Kroll says it best. “Augmented reality means we add content, value or entertainment to the physical world and physical objects around us. We add value to not just the marketing of the product, but to the product itself.”

Ad Dispatch’s team has a strong tie to Halifax with at least one third of its team graduating from post secondary institutions in the city.

“We’ve assembled a world class team here of 3D artists that have been vetted and approved by Pixar and Disney and Marvel, and they love the stuff that we’re building,” Kroll says about his team.

With local talent and a team that keeps growing the company is keeping up with the opportunities that keep coming its way. Big names like Home Depot and Disney are turning to Ad Dispatch to create a new kind of marketing campaign that focuses on driving customers to the retail level for this unique interactive experience.

Halifax’s digital media industry is growing and attracting international interest. Ad Dispatch is one of the companies getting Halifax’s name on the map and further proving that businesses can set up and stay in Halifax while creating business relationships all over the world. 

 You Might Also Like

• SmartCity Episode 1: Leveraging diversity is smart business
• SmartCity Episode 2: Networking and Collaboration Helps Halifax Grow
• Halifax's ICT, Gaming and Interactive Media sector 

Author: Samantha Lodge

Samantha is the Communications and Marketing Assistant at the Greater Halifax Partnership. She moved from Newfoundland to Halifax to attend university, and ended up rekindling her love of the east coast. She feels that being close to the ocean in a city with so much excitement is the ideal situation – Halifax’s talented music scene is an added bonus!

The Halifax Index - What is it & Why does it matter

by David Fleming 

We’re one week away from the release of The Halifax Index (Halifax’s new economic progress tool). As the lead researcher and writer, I thought I’d explain where this project came from, why I think it’s important and what you can expect from the first Index. 

When AGREATERHalifax, Economic Strategy for 2011-16 was being developed, the vision and values that were behind it were different than your typical economic strategy. Ideas and actions around sustainable environment, social capital, and building a diverse and vibrant community emerged from the collaborative development process. As such, it is evident that simple economic indicators like jobs and the amount of production were not going to tell the story of our community's progress. We had to build something different.

Take population growth as an example. When someone is choosing where to live, a number of key questions drive their decision: 

• Will I find a good job?
• Will I find affordable housing?
• Is the local community welcoming?
• Will I be safe and healthy?
• Is there a vibrant arts, culture and recreation community?
• Are there better opportunities in other communities?

The Index’s four sections, “People,” “Economy,” “Quality of Place,” and “Sustainability,” represent a more comprehensive approach to measuring economic progress. Working with local organizations, governments and consulting a variety of publications from other communities, we’ve built a set of indicators that represent the best data available to tell that story. The Index will get better each year as we harness more of the collective wisdom of the community and build strong research relationships between government, non-profit, academia and the business community. 

The first Index is about setting a benchmark for progress. We’ve identified key opportunities and challenges around immigration, our regulatory climate, urban area growth and a cultural change we need to make that will help our community progress towards its goal. We’ll unveil these findings, and others, at the first annual Halifax State of the Economy Conference on May 23rd-24th, 2012. 

Remember that the Economic Strategy is just a blueprint. It requires action from everyone to realize our vision for Halifax. If we do the right things and continue to work together, the Halifax Index will tell a story of a community that’s vibrant, diverse, healthy and full of opportunity for many. 

 

Author: David Fleming 

David is the Junior Economist and Project Development Coordinator at the Greater Halifax Partnership. He studied Economics and Philosophy at the University of Prince Edward Island, and has experience working with private, public and non-profit organizations. 

Partnership Investors Earn Praise for Hiring Practices

By Tom McDonnell

Earlier in March, the ALLIES project (Assisting Local Leaders with Immigrant Employment Strategies) announced their list of the 2012 Best Employers for New Canadians.

Published each year, this list is a collection of businesses across Canada who are innovative leaders in their hiring practices, applying new ways of thinking to challenges that surround attracting and retaining the best talent.

I’m proud to say that six of this year’s winning companies are investors in Greater Halifax Partnership. Learn more about how these innovative industry leaders are standing out:

• BMO Financial Group
• Business Development Bank of Canada
• Canadian Imperial Bank of Commerce / CIBC
• Deloitte & Touche LLP
• Ernst & Young LLP
• KPMG LLP

Greater Halifax Partnership shares these organizations strong support of newcomer integration through initiatives like the Halifax Connector Program. A simple but effective referral process, Connector puts newcomers and international students in touch with local employers to build a network of contacts in Halifax. Since its inception, over one hundred immigrants have found full time work through their expanded contact base.

Support of initiatives like the Halifax Connector Program is another way these investors are standing out. We’re proud to be associated with such leading-edge organizations and look forward to continuing our strong partnership in the future.

See who is investing in the Partnership

Author: Tom McDonnell

Tom McDonell is Director of Investor Relations at Greater Halifax Partnership

                                  

Connecting in Communities Across Canada

By Fred Morley

Today, the Colchester Regional Development Association launched a new initiative modeled after Greater Halifax Partnership’s successful Halifax Connector Program. A version of this innovative approach to connecting immigrants to both communities and jobs is now found in nine communities across Canada.

Started just over two years ago, Connector is a formalized networking initiative that began as a way to help new immigrants establish their network of professional contacts. In a short period of time it has attracted significant praise and attention, and Truro’s recent decision to replicate it is another testament to its success.

When Connector launched in Halifax, it was is based on the simple understanding that integrating immigrants into the community, completing a successful job search, or finding a good career path seemed to be more about the strength of your network than the strength of your CV.  It was clear that people looking for opportunities needed to get connected. 

Fortunately, Halifax has great organizations like ISIS who work hard to get immigrants ready for success. We’re also fortunate to have an abundance of natural connectors - people with extensive contact lists who like nothing more than meeting people and connecting them to others in their own network. 

When each volunteer connector meets with an immigrant and has a discussion about local business conditions and potential career paths, no jobs are promised or offered… just advice.  However, each connector provides the newcomer with up to three new connections, and then each of these three is asked to provide three more, and so on.  In this way, a newcomer rapidly builds her network.

And it really works.  The program has grown from 50 to over 350 connectors representing over 250 businesses and organizations.  Over 100 newcomers have made connections leading to employment as part of this process.  The program also expanded to include international students and will soon expand to include both young and emerging talent and new graduates.

Connector has been recognized by the Conference Board of Canada as a best practice in attraction and retention of immigrants.  It has also received recognition from the Washington based International Economic Development Council.

Of course, the best outcomes for the program have been the hundreds of people who have found jobs, expanded their networks and put down deeper roots in Halifax. And with the help of the 350 + business people who volunteer their time as connectors, the Connector program will continue to make Halifax a more welcoming and inviting place to live and work.

Learn More about the Halifax Connector Program

Author: Fred Morley

Fred Morley is the Executive Vice President and Chief Economist at the Greater Halifax Partnership.

Digital businesses making big moves

By Mike MacKenzie

February has been a good month for Halifax's digital technologies industry. Whether locking down deals or looking forward to growth opportunities, digital businesses have been making big moves.

Early next month, representatives from eight made-in-Nova Scotia digital gaming businesses are heading to San Francisco for the industry’s largest annual gathering of top game developers. Held each March, The Game Developers Conference represents a big opportunity for small businesses when it comes to opening doors and closing deals - last year alone, Halifax-based theREDspace made connections that resulted in over $500,000 worth of business. It’s a trend that Nova Scotia Business Inc. hopes will continue, as they accompany the developers and work to promote the province’s digital gaming cluster.

Halifax-based DHX media is posting large numbers, with $1.8M in net income for Q4 in 2011. That figure is up 115% from last year, growth that analysts say is thanks to an increased focus on merchandising from the business that produces, distributes and licenses children’s entertainment programming. Last year, the company joined forces with Vans – the makers of popular urban footwear – for a line based on the company’s television series Yo Gabba Gabba. According to company executives, it was a step in the right direction as the business continues to look for ways to diversify revenue.

Local gamers who aspire to develop their own creation will soon get their chance at this weekend’s Halifax Game Jam. Hosted at The Hub, the weekend-long event will group developers, artists, and other creative people together in the quest to create awesome video games. No experience is necessary, and the Jam starts this Friday, March 2 at 6 p.m., wrapping up at 6 p.m. on Sunday, March 4. No cost, no registration, and no sleep.

 

With a promising start to 2012, what do you think is next in line for Halifax's digital technologies industry?

 

Author: Mike MacKenzie

Mike is the Communications and Marketing Assistant with Greater Halifax Partnership, currently working as a Bachelor of Public Relations co-op student. A lover of all things communications and strategy related, Mike is often known to spend his free time analyzing the latest-and-greatest PR/advertising campaigns. As a relative newbie to the Halifax scene, he can also be seen strolling the streets of downtown looking for the next cool thing that the city has to offer.

Halifax Businesses Find Green Alternatives

By Mike MacKenzie

Going Green was a focus in business news last week. In case you missed it, here's how three local businesses have found eco-friendly alternatives to traditional operations. 

Farnell Packaging Ltd. is a company that produces plastic packaging for a number of food-production facilities in our region. Although dealing with material that is inherently disposable, the Dartmouth-based business has made a point of looking for ways to reduce waste, recycle old materials and reuse them for other purposes. Farnell’s dedication to the environment dates as far back as the 1970s, when management first started encouraging employees to separate paper from other waste materials. Now the company is winning awards for designing sustainable packaging, including recognition from the Packaging Association of Canada. Read more about Farnell and its commitment to reduce, re-use and re-cycle.

Wilson Fuel Co. Ltd. made waves this week when they announced plans to explore the idea of installing electric car charging sites at locations within Greater Halifax. The company, which owns and operates gas stations throughout Atlantic Canada, is meeting with Nova Scotia Power to discuss the feasibility of the idea and to examine whether Halifax is ready to consider an electric alternative. Dave Collins, Vice President of Wilsons Fuel says that the stations under consideration would charge an electric vehicle in approximately 30 minutes, so the company is also looking at installing stations at businesses where people tend to spend at least that much time. Learn how electric car charging stations may be coming to a location near you.

Ambassatours Gray Line also received international recognition this week for its efforts to go idle-free. The Halifax-based bus company recently implemented a program to encourage bus drivers to cut their idling time down to an average of five minutes a day, a standard that was tracked and measured using GPS technology. Sean Buckland, manager of charter sales, says the program was so successful because of the buy-in of Ambassatours’ own drivers, many of whom have children and see the value in leaving a healthy environment for the next generation. According to the Children’s Clean Air Network, the program managed to reduce the company’s two-year fuel and maintenance costs by $60,000 and its carbon dioxide emissions by an amount equal to the weight of six motorcoaches. Read more about idle-free efforts at Ambassatours.

So in case you missed it, you’re now in the know.  For more Halifax business news visit http://goo.gl/Fzs8p.

 

Author: Mike MacKenzie

Mike is the Communications and Marketing Assistant with Greater Halifax Partnership, currently working as a Bachelor of Public Relations co-op student. A lover of all things communications and strategy related, Mike is often known to spend his free time analyzing the latest-and-greatest PR/advertising campaigns. As a relative newbie to the Halifax scene, he can also be seen strolling the streets of downtown looking for the next cool thing that the city has to offer.

In Case You Missed It: Small Business and Big Finds – Part 1

This has been another great week for both new business and business expansion in Halifax. In case you missed it, here’s a look at a few of this week’s top stories:

Halifax-based Massage Addict received great attention and a number of accolades from an appearance on CBC TV’s Dragons’ Den. The duo of Lori MacKenzie and Chris Harker successfully pitched their business to the Dragons’, who were impressed with both Massage Addict’s existing success and ambitious plans for growth. Three of five Dragons wanted a stake in the company’s future, but MacKenzie and Harker ended up striking a deal with Jim Treliving, CEO of Boston Pizza, with both saying that his expertise will be valuable to the company as they look to expand into franchises. Follow them on twitter (www.twitter.com/MassageAddictCA) and read on for more info: http://bit.ly/zCHDKh; http://bit.ly/wbyN8x

A well-known restaurant group was also making headlines this week after announcing plans for two new restaurants. The Hamachi group is expanding their successful line of eating establishments to Bedford with the introduction of ‘Hamachi Mura Sushi & Thai,’ and ‘Son Vida — Tapas — Restaurante — Vino.’ The new locations will bring the number of restaurants owned by the group to eight, adding delicious new options to the culinary scene in Bedford. Learn more about this exciting new chapter for the group: http://bit.ly/xiSAfE; http://bit.ly/xGjHQN

Two new ventures were also turning heads this week for an innovative approach to business.

Elegant Productions entered the wedding coordination/planning market with a new angle: While different companies offer a range of planning products for the perfect day, the duo of Katelyn Hipson and Lauren Martin go one step further by helping clients pull off the perfect proposal. The two are banking that this feature will make their company an attractive option to the aspiring groom who wants to do right by his prospective bride. Follow them on twitter, (www. twitter.com/ElegntProductns) and read more about their plans to ‘ring’ out in an already established industry: http://bit.ly/wVx3F2; http://bit.ly/zjItXE

And finally, the duo of Tasha Richard and Rachel Sumner introduced Halifax to Platform Space this week. The new Bedford-based company offers flexible and multi-use workspace for business professionals who need a location to host a meeting, hold a conference call, or just buckle down and get some work done in a quiet spot. The pair is confident that their idea will be particularly attractive to emerging businesses and entrepreneurs – two groups that often find themselves without a dedicated location suitable for a variety of business needs. You can learn more about this exciting new venture here: http://bit.ly/yIJZgQ; http://bit.ly/xy2iHv

 

Mike MacKenzie is the Communications and Marketing Assistant with Greater Halifax Partnership, currently working as a Bachelor of Public Relations co-op student.

A lover of all things communications and strategy related, Mike is often known to spend his free time analyzing the latest-and-greatest PR/advertising campaigns. As a relative newbie to the Halifax scene, he can also be seen strolling the streets of downtown looking for the next cool thing that the city has to offer.

In Case You Missed It: Entrepreneurial Spirit is Alive in Halifax

There’s no question that small and medium enterprises (SMEs) are the lifeblood of our economy and communities. Close to 99% of Halifax's more than 24,000 businesses are small and medium size - that's companies with fewer than 100 employees. The majority (98.5%) have less than 50 employees.

Last week, Halifax's business news was filled with entrepreneurial spirit. In case you missed it, a number of small businesses and grass-roots driven initiatives got some well-deserved attention for their role in driving a vibrant city.

The sibling/wine aficionado duo of Heather and Christian Rankin were the subject of a great story on their new downtown business - Obladee, a wine bar. Since opening in October 2010, Obladee has quickly become one of the hottest spots in downtown Halifax, developing a reputation as a classy but casual establishment. It's one of several new businesses breathing life back into Barrington Street. Check out the article: http://bit.ly/wvaH7B and follow them on twitter @ObladeeWineBar.

Our city is also home to a new bicycle manufacturing company. John Wesley Chisholm, president of Arcadia Entertainment, recently released the kickstand on the Halifax Bicycle Co. with plans to build a range of bikes with light-weight, rust-resistant frames designed to withstand whatever conditions Mother Nature throws at them. Inspired by memories of his grandfather, the television producer hopes to design and build bikes that are simultaneously stylish and practical, while also igniting a passion of   ‘all-things-cycling’ in Haligonians. Read more about John Wesley’s plans to get his new business rolling – literally: http://bit.ly/zqDsiK

And finally, as if it wasn’t enough already, Halifax is about to get more a lot more awesome. Next month will see the launch of the Awesome Halifax Foundation, an initiative whose purpose is to help provide financial support to get awesome ideas- whether businesses, community projects, or funky displays of art- off the ground and up-and-running. For $400, any interested business or individual can become a trustee in the Foundation and have a say in which awesome idea will receive a $1000 grant to get started. With a goal of attracting 30 trustees, one grant could potentially be awarded each month, meaning that Halifax may soon be in line for twelve doses of awesome. Follow them on Twitter @AwesomeHalifax and read the article to find out more: http://bit.ly/zAOwdR.

 

Mike MacKenzie is the Communications and Marketing Assistant with Greater Halifax Partnership, currently working as a Bachelor of Public Relations co-op student.

A lover of all things communications and strategy related, Mike is often known to spend his free time analyzing the latest-and-greatest PR/advertising campaigns. As a relative newbie to the Halifax scene, he can also be seen strolling the streets of downtown looking for the next cool thing that the city has to offer.

Collaboration meets Innovation: How to leverage your most critical asset

I was kicked out of my first economics class (almost 20 years ago) at Carleton University for arguing with the professor that "all assets are scarce." His argument, and the argument of most classical economists, is that the rarer an item is, the more it should cost.

This fundamental assumption is based on basic supply and demand theory, and it's the reason, we're taught, why diamonds and gold cost more than sparkles and silver. My argument was that his theory was too small-minded (in retrospect, probably not the best choice of words for a freshman to use on Day 1 of classes) as some assets don't diminish when shared. My best example came from a quote by George Bernard Shaw: "If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas."

Knowledge Shared is Knowledge Doubled

Twenty years ago, my professor called my argument naïve. Yet today, the sharing of non-diminishable digital assets (for example, knowledge) is the cornerstone of economic production (for example, Wikipedia, Google). In the 21st century, knowledge is fast becoming the key asset of production. But, unlike its 20th century counterparts (land, capital, labour), knowledge may be seen as a resource that can be shared without being diminished.

Yes, there is a cost associated with knowledge transmission, development and deployment, and, yes, some information is only valuable when proprietary (e.g. your PIN on your ATM bank card) but our world is no longer solely based on the scarcity of physical goods.

Further, as Shaw's quote illustrates, knowledge shared is knowledge doubled. So what does this mean for traditional competition? For intellectual property? For proprietary data? Can an organization increase efficiency and innovation by shifting from competition to co-operation? By moving from closed and proprietary to open and shared?

Leveraging the Crowd

Goldcorp Inc. provides a famous example. Goldcorp was once the runt of the gold mining litter, under-producing and underperforming. Then, at a seminar in Boston, its CEO learned of a new concept, crowdsourcing.   Crowdsourcing is a modern way to describe the process of taking an activity previously executed internally by an organization, and pushing it outside the venture's walls to a community of interested parties. When you post a book review on Amazon.com you are technically helping Amazon crowdsource book reviews.  Goldcorp turned the industry on its ear by publishing on the Internet its proprietary geodata, globally challenging anyone to help them find gold on their property. The result, higher returns, higher performance, and the top spot of the gold industry.

But Goldcorp is not alone in leveraging the crowd. Threadless, a crowdsourced T-shirt maker from Chicago, has zero excess inventory and the highest profit in the industry. Google (which leverages community data to rank pages) does the same with its search engine. And of course Wikipedia toppled Encyclopedia Britannica as the almanac of our planet using crowdsourcing. Based on these, and many more examples, it appears that many hands do make light work.

Knowledge Networks to Drive Performance

But crowdsourcing (e.g. open innovation) is only part of the collective intelligence story. Crowdsourcing often generates unique perspectives and innovative knowledge, but innovative knowledge by itself isn't enough to shift the paradigm. The other half of the story is how best to organize ourselves to maximize performance based on knowledge flow. For that we turn to Network Topology.

Topology is the study of mapmaking (e.g. how the land can be described). Longitude, latitude and elevation are often the key measures of geo-topology. Knowledge Networks are the intrafirm relationships that exist over which knowledge assets can flow. Key network measures often include: centrality, homophily, strength of ties, number of ties, distribution of ties, and so on.

Using these measures, Knowledge Network Topologists can map how an organization's knowledge flows from person to person and answer the fundamental question: If networks are the org chart of the 21st century, what shape should your organization adopt to maximize performance?

While still an emerging field, there are some fascinating early conclusions from this research. Conclusions that any person, team, firm or industry should be aware of as they evolve their knowledge networks to drive performance.


University professor, entrepreneurial evangelist & and venture capital expert Sean Wise will address the above at the Partnership's Building Our Future event on Tuesday, November 8, 2011 at the Halifax Marriot Harbourfront in Halifax.

All attendees will receive an electronic copy of Professor Wise's next book (due out early 2012):  Hot or Not: How to know if your business idea sucks! 

Seeing Tomorrow's Workforce Today

Succession planning is an important part of any business operation. Keeping a business running at capacity can be difficult when faced with the prospects of retirement and regular turnover.  But not everything is doom and gloom, there are always opportunities.

So what is the situation in Halifax?

Well, generally things look pretty tempered for the economy. Employment is growing, there are new opportunities on the horizon, major projects are moving forward; everything looks well weathered. We’re not exactly sprinting at full speed, but we are moving at a decent clip.

The same, however, can’t necessarily be said about the labour market. I’m not talking about a few months from now; I’m talking about long term growth. What will the labour force look like in 10 years? What about in 20? Well, to quote Niels Bohr “prediction is very difficult, especially about the future.”

 

Toddlers Today are Toilers Tomorrow

Fortunately, we have some indicators. The people being born and entering school now are going to make up the workforce in several years. So how do birth rates look in Halifax?

Birth rates in Halifax have dropped, with a 10.2% increase in population and only 4.7% more annual births from 2000 to 2009. We aren’t providing the natural population growth to keep up with the economy. The province hopes to partially close the gap with its new immigration strategy. The Partnership has also been doing work to attract and retain newcomers through our Immigration Employer Support and Connector programs. In 2010, The Connector program helped 73 immigrants and 13 international students find work in Halifax.

But what do babies have to do with succession planning?

 

Taking Action: Tapping Potential and Productivity

The answer lies in productivity. With smaller workforce prospects in the future, businesses will need to do more things with fewer people. Improving productivity is going to be essential to keeping revenue high and it comes with added efficiency to boot. This means investing in productivity enhancers like technology and employees’ knowledge and skills. And then making sure you get the most out of those investments.  

The Department of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism’s Productivity Investment Program makes it easier and more affordable for companies to become more productive, innovative and competitive.

Investing in People

1. Get more out of training by making sure new employees and experienced employees interact – skills and experience will spread through the workplace 
2. Sharing skills encourages learning and innovation – the person learning a new skill may also think of a new use for it that can improve your business’s productivity and bottom-line

The province’s Workplace Innovation and Productivity Skills Incentive helps companies cover the cost of: 

• training from a formal training institution or qualified external or internal training provider
• registration, tuition or course fees
•  international training
• management skills development
• skills development training leading to certification
• training that supports workplace diversity
• other skills development and training based on a valid business case

Investing in Productivity Boosters

One way to do more with fewer people and improve productivity and competitiveness is to keep on top of new technologies. The province’s Capital Investment Incentive helps companies cover 20%, up to a maximum of $1 million, of the cost of:

• technologically-advanced machinery
• clean technology
• equipment
• software and hardware with preference given to exporters in qualified industries.

These are just two programs that are out there to help companies invest in their business and our workforce.  So, like any tough decision, consider your options. Just don’t forget to consider the future.

 

Paul Jacob is the Research Coordinator at the Partnership.