- This event has passed.
Join us for a fireside chat with APMA President Flavio Volpe and Windsor Essex Chamber of Commerce President & CEO Ryan Donally.
This event is hosted by the Windsor Essex Chamber of Commerce in partnership with The Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), WEtech Alliance and the APMA.
For more than a century, Windsor-Essex has been known as a place where things are built. From vehicles and advanced manufacturing technologies to innovative companies, skilled talent, and strong partnerships, our region has played a critical role in shaping Canada’s automotive and manufacturing sectors.
As downtown Windsor launches its new Innovation District, join industry leaders, entrepreneurs, business professionals, and community stakeholders for an engaging fireside chat exploring the future of automotive innovation, advanced manufacturing, and economic growth in our region.
Featuring a fireside chat between Flavio Volpe, President of the Automotive Parts Manufacturers’ Association (APMA), and Ryan Donally, President & CEO of the Windsor Essex Chamber of Commerce, this discussion will examine the opportunities and challenges facing Canada’s automotive and manufacturing sectors as emerging technologies, electrification, automation, and global competition continue to reshape how we build, move, and compete.
Topics will include:
- The future of Canada’s automotive and manufacturing industries
- Opportunities for entrepreneurs, startups, and SMEs
- Supply chain evolution and advanced manufacturing technologies
- Building a stronger innovation ecosystem in Windsor-Essex
12:00 PM – 12:30 PM
Networking and light appetizers
12:30 PM – 1:15 PM
Fireside Chat:Â Built in Windsor-Essex: Auto, Manufacturing and the Future of Innovation
1:15 PM – 1:30 PM
Audience Q&A
1:30 PM – 2:00 PM
Networking and event wrap-up
Continue the Conversation at Tech Connect Meetup
Attendees are encouraged to stay after the fireside chat and join us just outside GreenShield Hall on Ferry Street (between Pitt Street and Chatham Street) for WEtech Alliance’s special Tech Connect Meetup: Innovation District Edition, taking place from 2:00 PM to 6:00 PM.
This free outdoor community celebration will showcase the people, companies, and technologies driving innovation in Windsor-Essex and will feature:
- Project Arrow 2.0 vehicles Vector and Borealis
- A showcase of regional SMEs and innovators in the automobility sector
- The University of Windsor Formula Electric race car
- The official unveiling of downtown Windsor’s new Innovation District banners
- Networking opportunities with founders, industry leaders, ecosystem partners, investors, students, and community members
- Food available for purchase from the Whamburg & Dippin’ Dots Ice Cream food trucks
Whether you’re interested in the future of mobility, advanced manufacturing, entrepreneurship, or regional economic development, this is an opportunity to connect with the people and organizations helping shape the next chapter of innovation in Windsor-Essex.
Supported by the Ontario government through the Ontario Vehicle Innovation Network (OVIN), led by the Ontario Centre of Innovation. Learn more: https://www.wetech-alliance.com/RTDS/