Standing Ovations

It was an honor to be considered among such a distinguished group of thinkers and to be part of this special event again - as angels, as attendees and as one of the 'brightest minds'
-Les Klein, Presenter, Quadrangle Architects, multi-year ideaCity Angel Sponsor and Attendee, Proposer of the 'Green Ribbon' explorer

The Conference was stimulating and provocative...we thoroughly enjoyed listening to the variety of experts on such a wide range of topics.
-Tom Harpur, Presenter, first time Attendee, Spiritual Author, Journalist, TV Host

Any kind of venue where people come together and think out loud is about the most important thing we can do for ourselves and for each other…The greatest delights are the people you’ve never heard of before, who work in fields you’ve never heard of before, and you come out thinking, ‘I’ve never thought about this’, and now you do.”
-Pamela Wallin, Consul General, Presenter Alumna, idealist

We are honored at Centennial College to be a part of this important, world-class event. Bravo!
-Paul Koidis, Event Sponsor and Attendee, Manager of Communications, Marketing and Development, Centennial College

Everything about the experience was exceptional, valuable and unique: from the speakers to the attendees to the parties.”
-Jim Bindon, WNED, Attendee, idealist

The Earth speeds around the sun at 30KM a second. For those three days, you amped up the speed and gave us an incredible view of the best in science, art, music and original and accomplished thinking. Thanks for the mystery, surprises and pure wonder of it all.”
-Joseph MacInnis, Deep Sea Explorer, Author, Presenter Alumnis, Attendee, idealist

There is nothing more exhilarating than the uninhibited free exchange of ideas in pursuit of truth. As a leading Canadian law firm, ideaCity helps keep our minds nimble and connects us to the universe of current thought.”
-Hugh L. MacKinnon, Corporate Partner, Bennett Jones LLP, idealist

The people are fantastic, unexpected. The way that the conference is put together with clusters of themes is fascinating. It reflects a great deal of thought and care. People are at their best and having fun, so what could be better?”
-Lionel Tiger, Professor of Anthropology at Rutgers University, Attendee, idealist

I was one of the fortunate people who attended this year’s event. WOW!! It has really changed me and my thinking. Thank you for organizing a great event. It was a blast.”
-John Hoffmann, Attendee, idealist

The conference for me is about the exchange of ideas, the aggregate of people talking about their own personal experiences, technical issues, politics…you walk away with an unusual kind of epiphany about your own work for it. I think that’s why these kinds of conferences are critical.”
-Alexander Tsiaras, Artist/Journalist/CEO, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

Here you run into fifty ideas in a single morning.”
-Preston Manning, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

It’s the mix and range of people that’s different.”
-Michael Ignatieff, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

It’s just amazing. I’m actually in awe of the ideas that are being spread. I’m most impressed by the ways the ideas are framed. They have to be a passion of the speaker. That’s why they are so powerful.”
-Ray Muzyka, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

Well, I’ve been very, very impressed. We’ve listened to about 15 presentations so far, all of them touching on slightly different subjects, leaders in their field. People who have ideas who are innovative, who make you think. It’s not often you get that concentration in one place.”
-Marc Garneau, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

…I think it’s the format, I think that people are up there, they’ve got great things to say. I think they’re well chosen, the folks. It’s very eclectic so it’s like a tossed salad of great ideas. And it’s a different mix this time and I think coming for a third year doesn’t repeat, it just enhances.”
-Ted Matthews, Brand Coach Inc., Attendee, idealist

We bring a lot of our clients and business associates because we feel that we probably couldn’t offer them a better three day brain exercise than bringing them here.”
-Gale Moutrey, Corporate Partner, Steelcase Inc., idealist

ideaCity is the ultimate inspiration destination for our employees and clients. Everyone comes away with a sense that they know where the world is heading and that they are a part of the process.”
-Stav Kontis, Corporate Partner, Steelcase, idealist

Diversity is key in our changing workforce. ideaCity is the type of learning environment that instructs in the value of diverse, cross cultural, multi-disciplinary thinking.”
-Ian Kilvert, Corporate Partner, Panasonic, idealist

Congratulations! Absolutely amazing! You have outdone yourselves yet again with a brilliant and stimulating meeting of interesting people, their ideas, thoughts, observations, humor, music and magic! ideaCity03 was the best 'brain camp' ever! Thank you, thank you!
-Jacques de Suze, Senior Director of Station Development, CHUM International, Attendee, idealist

Listening to all these ideas just flooded me with new material, which I think is what anybody could hope for. So many ideas in just three days. I had to write a lot of them down, just to grab them as they fly by, because it's fast and furious, it's just so delightful."
-Spider Robinson, Presenter Alumna, idealist

One of the things that happens when you attend things like this is seeds are planted in your head, and they bear the strangest flowers and fruit.”
-Douglas Coupland, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

I was really impressed. I mentioned to a few people that it's hard to identify one single conference speech that stood out because they were all so good...Overall my expectations have been exceeded."
-Ray Muzyka, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

The quality of speakers is astonishing.”
-Greg Zeschuk, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

Businesspeople know businesspeople, scientists know scientists, artists tend to hang out with other artists. So it’s odd that I would find myself in a room full of businesspeople and scientists, and people who think about the same things in different ways.”
-Ronnie Burkett, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

I love it. It’s a fantastic conference. A lot of diversity. I’m quite sure that I’ll take some ideas back on how to do things different in my own science, on a very high level.”
-Christoph Sensen, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

I think this is absolutely life changing”
-Sarah Slean, Presenter Alumna, idealist

It’s been one of the most illuminating and thought-provoking experiences I’ve ever had.”
-Jane Tattersall, Tattersall Sound, Attendee, idealist

Michael Ignatieff was so extraordinarily brilliant. Clayton Ruby was, I thought, inspirational and to the point and unadorned in a nice angry way, which I really liked. Henry Morgentaler is a complete hero. And I’ve loved some of the scientists. I’ve found them completely fascinating.”
-David Rakoff, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

ideaCity is like summer camp for adults.”
-John O’Leary, President of Frontier College, Attendee, idealist

The range of people from all walks of life, exchanging ideas. I’ve never actually experienced anything like it.”
-Anna Porter, Presenter Alumna, idealist

It’s a strain of a time, trying to keep up with all the new ideas that keep going by.”
-John Robert Colombo, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

I’m impressed at the variety of talent and obsessions and interests and skills that are here”
-Arthur Kent, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

You take three days away from the office, the daily grind, and you listen to amazing people telling their stories and giving viewpoints that really make you think. It’s a way to really re-charge the batteries”
-David Staniforth, Attendee, idealist

Personally, I find it very rejuvenating, the energy level and the quality of the people. Professionally, for Apple computer, I think this is a great spot for us to be.”
-Willi Powell, Attendee, idealist

I love ideaCity. I think it’s a great, great idea for Toronto.”
-Michael Budman, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

It’s an interesting opportunity to be with a number of great business, creative, philanthropic minds under one roof.”
-Tyler Brule, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

This is an oasis of ideas in the desert of entertainment.”
-Irshad Manji, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

It’s been a wonderful feast of ideas and sensations for the mind. I’m still reeling, trying to take in thirty or forty different visions of the world. It’s been wonderfully stimulating.”
-Pico Iyer, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

Thanks for meaning and magic and majesty. ideaCity is Canada’s “Big Bang” of perceptions and principles, opinions and observations, concepts and conceits and images and innovations. Bless you and the team for bringing it to us each year.”
-Joseph MacInnis, Deep Sea Explorer, Author, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

I’m having a good time – this is a pretty frothy little ecosystem. There’s a lot of potential hybridization here…ideaCity consists of getting a bunch of really smart people together who are thinking about a lot of different things, and have them talk about what’s on their mind…and you know…it’s like a very rich ecosystem of thought as a consequence…it’s a rainforest of ideas.”
-John Perry Barlow, Former Grateful Dead Lyricist, Presenter Alumni, idealist

Unlike an academic conference or a conference dedicated to a cause, this is a total pot pourri of the mind. It’s wonderful to come to an event where you’re not the smartest person in the room – quite to the contrary – you’re the dumbest person in the room, and that people are coming in from all walk of life, from all different parts of this frontier of knowledge to dazzle you.”
-Wade Davis, Explorer/Ethno-botanist, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

I would definitely come back next year, I absolutely loved it. It was like an intellectual indulgence for three days and I had a great time…How often do you get to sit down and listen to people who have very different lives from your own and have embarked on, spent their life researching, something that you know nothing about. It’s just fabulous. It’s an absolutely fabulous event.”
-Liz Snip, Major Sponsor, Apple Canada, idealist

It’s a gathering of intellectuals, progressive thinkers. That’s why I came, to be part of the action…It’s stimulating, it’s special, it’s a breath of fresh air, and it brings a lot of hope and good feelings as far as what I see for the future…Connecting with likeminded people, this spontaneous combustion that takes place in the hallways, that’s part of it as well.”
-Dov Charney, CEO American Apparel, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

For me it’s absolutely fabulous because I’m hearing and meeting all these people who don’t do the same things I do.”
-Margaret MacMillan, Author, Attendee, idealist

What a great conference – great people, great parties, and best of all, great IDEAS! As always, you and the ideaCity team have dazzled us with beauty, bravery and brains! Once again I thank you for your tireless effort in making ideaCity on of the finest events anywhere.”
-Bruce Hauser, Aero Capital, Attendee, idealist

…and God (or Allah, or Shiva, or Buddha, or Tiger Woods) bless this ideaCity.”
-Andrew MacDougall, Freelance Journalist, Attendee, idealist

Wow, what a conference. I am on withdrawal today…”
-Arti Chandaria, Attendee, idealist

I’m sure that you’re almost sick of the congratulatory applause and kudos for ideaCity – it was wonderful, you did a hell of a job, Ed [Burtynsky] and I have both been gushing about it ever since.”
-Anna Withrow, Attendee, idealist

The three-day conference was without a doubt the most stimulating and thought-provoking experience I can recall"
-General John de Chastelain, Chairman of the Int'l Body on the Decommissioning of Arms in Northern Ireland, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

It only took me half an hour to meet four people, all of whom I wanted to know more about."
-Peter Jennings, Anchor and Senior Editor, ABC World News Tonight, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

ideaCity is a very rich ecosystem of thought... it's a rainforest of ideas."
-John Perry Barlow, Chairman Electronic Frontier Foundation, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

All of us will come away from ideaCity with one new idea or one new person we can collaborate with. I think ideaCity is great... it's a smorgasbord of smart and interesting people."
-Rt. Honourable Kim Campbell, Former PM of Canada, Presenter Alumna, idealist

Thank you for pulling together a great conference. I feel the burden of responsibility even more than last year!”
-Nicholas Austin, Attendee, idealist

It’s such an interesting way to listen to people. We do very little listening in our lives, yet we have these icons, and we wonder how they do what they do. So it’s a wonderful way for me to listen to how they do it, what their thought process is. I find that fascinating.”
-Deepa Mehta, Presenter Alumna, idealist

The great thing about it is that they’ve built in schmooze time.”
-Marq de Villiers, Presenter Alumnus, idealist

I loved it as much as I did last year. I thought it was inspirational, moving, surprising, shocking. Everything was great. It was amazing. I want to come next year too!"
-Anita Kunz, Presenter Alumna, idealist

It's really extraordinary, a pot pourri of fabulous people with fabulous ideas."
-Mary Lou Fallis, Presenter Alumna, idealist

Our organization is built on a foundation of broad intellectual curiosity and maverick ideas. CIFAR staff members consistently return from ideaCity energized and motivated after having connected with so many new ideas and interesting people.”
-Patchen Barss, Corporate Partner, CIFAR, idealist

ideaCity represents the quintessential educational experience for our team members. Consistently, ideaCity leaves our leaders feeling exhilarated, inspired, and excited to take this energy back to our industry and our brand. It is an event not to be missed!”
-Ramona Caporicci, Supporter, Aveda, idealist

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