Post-Event Report: Vancouver 2024

 

This year's event on November 13, 2024, at The Paradox Hotel attracted Christian marketplace and entrepreneurial leaders from throughout Canada, the US, and the UK. One attendee from Nashville, TN, quipped, "it was worth the trip!" 

The ELO Forums are one-day events focused on bringing together Christian marketplace leaders to connect and network with other like-minded peers, and to be inspired by a world-class roster of speakers. 

The ELO Forum Vancouver was supported by a wide range of businesses and nonprofit organizations in BC and throughout Canada (listed below).

ELO dates back to 2005 when Dr. Richard (Rick) J. Goossen, Chairman, ELO Network, organized the first conference. Since then, we have grown to host about 100 events and conferences across the globe, thanks to our industry-leading network of speakers, sponsors, advisors, and supporters.

 

This is just some of the great feedback we received from attendees at this year's conference in Vancouver:

"Speakers were excellent, and the sit down conversation and questions afterwards was even better. The Q&A setting with the ability to text questions had some more intimacy that allowed for some meaningful practical conversation."

"A one-of-a-kind opportunity to network with like-minded business leaders while hearing from top-tier speakers about faith and the marketplace. My first time, but not to be missed!"

"ELO Vancouver was a great day from start to end, connecting with other businessmen in faith, and absorbing information from knowledgeable speakers made for a memorable experience."

"It was a great use of my time to learn and build my network with leaders in the community." 

 

This year, we had an amazing lineup of eight presenters:

Daniel Whitehead, CEO, Sanctuary Mental Health Ministries, started the Forum by discussing "A Christian Perspective on Mental Health & Building A Flourishing Culture in Organizations."

We also had special guests from Vanderbloemen Search Group, Houston, TX, join us to talk on William Vanderbloemen's best-seller, Be The Unicorn: 12 Data-Driven Habits that Separate the Best Leaders from the Rest. Jennifer Paulson, COO, led a presentation and Bryson Isom, Account Manager, joined her and Rick Goossen for the Q&A portion. 

After a great lunch of networking and connecting, Promod Haque, General Partner, Norwest Venture Partners, was patched in via video to discuss finding success as a Silicon Valley Venture Capitalist.

Andy Steiger, Founder & President, Apologetics Canada, gave a fascinating presentation on "The AI Revolution: Understanding the Technology and a Christian Perspective on How an Organization can Adapt & Thrive."

Following a coffee break we heard from an entrepreneurial father-son duo. Paul Verhoeff, Principal, Verhoeff Group of Companies, and Lance Verhoeff, Co-Founder, Trading Post Brewing, sat down for a Q&A with Rick Goossen to talk about "All in the Family: The Craft of Brewing Entrepreneurial Success."

Our final speaker of the evening was Dr. Kim Tan, Chairman, Springhill Management. Dr. Tan was also the recipient of the Entrepreneurial Leaders Award (ELA). Dr. Kim ended the evening with a discussion on "Optimal Stewardship ROI: How & Why Social Impact Investing Works!”

Our event in Vancouver was a great success, and we're already excited to return next year! Attendees left with renewed purpose and valuable connections with our outstanding speakers and fellow guests. Our speakers inspired and equipped the audience, leaving a lasting impact.

For more information, see the latest edition of our Forum Magazine, the Entrepreneurial Leaders Review, to read about sponsors, speakers, and content from the Forum.

The speakers' PowerPoints can be found on our website HERE.

Audio recordings of speakers' presentations will be posted on our Podcast channel.