Toronto, ON – Oct. 17, 2017 – Leadership futurist Saadia Muzaffar will deliver the keynote talk at Tech Forum 2018
Book publishing meets technology at Tech Forum, Canada's largest book publishing conference on March 23, 2018 in Toronto. Now in its 12th year, the one-day event for book industry professionals will feature keynote speaker Saadia Muzaffar, a leadership futurist, tech entrepreneur, and founder of TechGirls Canada, the hub for Canadian women in science, technology, engineering, and math.
As a speaker and international media advocate on equity, diversity, and inclusion, Muzaffar has been featured in CNNMoney, Fortune Magazine, The Globe & Mail, VICE, CBC, TVO, and Chatelaine. Along with her team, she also recently released Change Together: A Diversity Guidebook for Startups and Scaleups.
"Today's publishing industry is tasked with the monumental responsibility of helping democratize access to experiences that have traditionally had a very difficult time reaching mainstream audiences," said Muzaffar. "In the same vein, we are seeing the power it has to elevate niche voices into the spotlight when it comes to the connected and vigilant social realities of our times. All of these opportunities can be challenging and overwhelming for those at the helm. At Tech Forum, I want us to explore how leaders in this sector can reimagine their work and its impact, and reconcile that with the realities of business and bottom lines."
Alongside Muzaffar's keynote talk, speakers and panelists from across North America will address a wide range of issues facing today's publishing industry, including diversity, information management, bridging the digital divide, using chatbots for marketing, and new research on how Canadians are buying and consuming books with actionable insights for publishers, marketers, booksellers, and industry associations.
At ebookcraft, Tech Forum's conference-within-a-conference for the ebook production community, now in its fourth year, accessibility in digital publishing will continue to take centre stage alongside new developments in e-reading from the industry's leading experts.
The conference is proud to have industry magazine Quill & Quire on board as the official Media Partner for 2018.
A full list of announced speakers and programming can be found at techforum.booknetcanada.ca, with more to be added until registration closes on March 12, 2018. Speakers, including Muzaffar, are available for interviews.
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BookNet Canada is a non-profit organization that develops technology, standards, and education to serve the Canadian book industry. Founded in 2002 to address systemic challenges in the industry, BookNet Canada supports publishing companies, booksellers, wholesalers, distributors, sales agents, and libraries across the country.
Tech Forum is presented by BookNet Canada. ebookcraft is co-presented by BookNet Canada and eBOUND Canada.
We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canada Book Fund (CBF) for this project. / Nous reconnaissons l’appui financier du gouvernement du Canada par l’entremise du Fonds du livre du Canada (FLC) pour ce projet.
Media Contact:
Zalina Alvi
Marketing & Communications Manager
BookNet Canada
zalvi@booknetcanada.ca
(416) 362-5057 x 2250
