Posted on by Alix

Message to all Participants

Hi Startup-Festival Go-er!

The International Startup Festival is less than a week away, so make sure your shorts, hats, sunglasses, and sunscreen are packed for an unforgettable 4 days, in beautiful Montreal.

This email will give you all the details you need to get to the event, and most importantly, to get the most out of the amazing lineup of activities happening at the Festival and around the city next week.

Event: International Startup Festival 2015
Dates: July 15th (5:00pm) to July 18th (4:00pm)
Launch Party: Wednesday, July 15th, 5:00 pm
Conferences and Tent Village: Thursday and Friday, July 16th and 17th from 9:00am to 6:00pm
Closing Party: Friday July 17th until midnight
Open House – Family Day: July 18th from 10:00am – 4:00pm

Location: Le Jardins des Écluses (in Montreal’s Old Port – right under the silos)

GETTING TO THE STARTUPFEST VENUE
Our venue is- as always- in a beautiful park, on an island, in Montreal’s Old Port. There is no civic address to the space, so we have put together maps and venue information to make things easier. In general terms we are at the eastern-most end of the Old Port, right under the historic grain silos.

COMING BY TAXI OR ON FOOT
If you are arriving on site via taxi or on foot, ask to be dropped off, or get to, the corner of rue McGill and rue de la Commune Ouest. Head towards the water (Bota Bota Spa) and you’ll see signs to Startupfest. You can’t miss the big historic silos. Our site is right under the silos. Maps and venue information

PARKING
There is street parking around our venue (if you can find it). The closest parking lot is on the Quai Alexandra, which is the last pier at the east end of Montreal’s Old Port. The cost of parking is $20 per day.

PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION
Montreal has great public transportation. The metro is very efficient, and the venue is about a fifteen-minute walk from the Square Victoria metro station. Walk straight down rue McGill, down to rue de la Commune. Head towards the water and you’ll see our signs. Bixi bicycles (A Montreal original bike sharing service) can be rented for $7.00 per day and are a great way to get around.

REGISTRATION
If you’re getting this email, you’re already registered. When you arrive onsite, you’ll pick up your badge at the Registration Truck. No need to print your e-ticket – just bring a piece of ID with you. You must wear your badge around your neck at all times on the premises for security reasons. Badges are non-transferrable.
AGENDA
Check out our detailed agenda and session descriptions before you come. We have an outstanding lineup of speakers and a packed agenda of conferences on three stages, and of course lots of space/time for networking, so plan accordingly!
ATTIRE
It’s summer in Montreal. Although it might be considered the “arctic north,” temperatures and humidity soar in the summertime: so it will probably be hot. Really hot! Do not dress formally; shorts, jeans, and T-shirts are the dress code at Startupfest. We do have large lounges with floors, but a good part of the venue is on grass, so we really don’t suggest you wear your stilettos. The venue is right on the waterfront of Montreal’s Old Port, which is full of parks and activities. Expect it to be a bit cooler at night, and very humid. Don’t forget to check the weather!
COUPONS: THE NEW STARTUPFEST CURRENCY
We’re moving towards a cashless system at the Festival, and so this year we’re introducing something new.
Coupons: The only currency accepted at the bar onsite will be Startupfest coupons. These can be purchased at registration or the coupon kiosks, which can be found in the Lounge Tent. We recommend buying tickets when you pick up your badge at registration, to avoid a lineup by the bar!
1 coupon= $3.50; coupons can be bought in bundles of three and are good for the entirety of the Festival.
Credit cards are accepted at all coupon kiosks, (cash will be accepted at registration if needed).
Food Trucks accept coupons, cards, and/or cash. Softdrinks will be 1 coupon, beer/wine will be 2 coupons and spirits are 3 coupons.
FOOD
On Wednesday evening, as well as Thursday and Friday lunch, we will have a selection of Montreal’s newly-reborn gourmet food trucks. FreshMint will also be there offering artisanal recipes ran on a “pay what you can” basis. We provide complimentary breakfast on both Thursday and Friday mornings, which will be served in our Lounge Tent from 9:00am to 10:00am.
CONNECTIVITY AND TECHNOLOGIES
What would a technology event be without internet connectivity? Here’s what you need to know:

Wifi:
There will be wi-fi access throughout the entirety of our venue (Thanks to Videotron Business Solutions). SISID will be communicated on-site.

Twitter and Instagram:
If you want to mention the event on social media, please use @startupfest and #startupfest to join the conversation. Please follow us on Twitter and Instagram @startupfest!

Facebook:
Don’t forget to like our page on Facebook to stay posted before, after, and during the event.

DOWNLOAD FOKO to get all our latest news throughout the event (& one lucky attendee will win a new Apple Watch)
We’ll be using the startup app Foko onsite, basically it is a closed community for sharing visuals between all of our attendees. We will use Foko to send reminders of important happenings, communicate general information and to make any important announcements! We encourage you to take pictures, share comments, and use the hashtags.
Visit startupfest.foko.co from your smartphoneEnter your email to receive accessShare and view photos and information content

The Apple Watch will be given away Friday, announced at our closing remarks! Enter the draw by signing up and using the app during Startupfest.

BRAINDATER POWERED BY E-180
Who at Startupfest could benefit from your passion and experience? Who happens to know a lot about something you are curious about? Download Braindater, powered by E-180, and book spontaneous Brain Dates with fellow Startupfest participants when you have some free time, while onsite. Think Tinder for knowledge-sharing! Drop by the Startupfest ASK tent for more info.

THE STARTUPFEST TENT VILLAGE
Startupfest isn’t just about pitches and speakers. The idea being to cater to the various needs of participants, we’ve created a lineup of 29 tents to serve as functional meeting points: places to go when you’re looking to connect with peers, mentors and experts. Each tent will focus on a particular area of interest; whether you’re seeking new talent, advice, funding, exposure or knowledge, you’ll find your match here! Swing by the Startupfest ASK tent to find the BrainDater Lounge, the Mentor tent for open office hours with speakers and mentors. Join in contests being run at the Innovation Zone or check out what’s happening in the Maker Community. Put that smartphone back in your pocket and check out the 2015 tent village.
PITCHING AT STARTUPFEST
Startups have plenty of opportunities to pitch to VCs, Accelerators and Angel Investors onsite. In fact, we’ll have a number of tents in the Tent Village specifically dedicated to pitches! Be sure to drop by the $100k Prize tent, our Grandmother Judges tent, and the Accelerator tent. Other than that, it’s up to you to network and connect with the hundreds of other participants.
$100,000 INVESTMENT PRIZE
We are thrilled to announce that at this year’s International Startup Festival, another deserving Startup will leave with an investment of $100,000! The award won’t be limited to one of the Startups selected to pitch on a main stage; ANY Startup present and badged for the event is eligible to win. The prize will be an investment in the form of an entrepreneur-friendly convertible debenture. There will be 14 designated Judges for the $100K prize (10 “investors” and 4 “advisors”), and they’ll be identifiable with bright blue lanyards, when they’re not sitting in the $100K Prize tent. You have until end of day Thursday to be shortlisted by one of these judges, for the prize. If you are shortlisted for the prize, you will be asked to review the convertible note and confirm your intent to accept it, if you are the winner (so please review the note ahead of the event). All shortlisted Startups will be invited to pitch to the judges on Friday morning. If shortlisted you’ll have 5-minutes to impress them. The judges will then select a winner, that will be announced later in the day.
PARTIES
This year we’ve got two parties at Startupfest, our kick-off party on Wednesday, July 15th from 5:00pm to midnight, and our closing party on Friday July 17th from 7:00pm to midnight. We will have live bands, DJs and lots of people, having lots of fun. The closing party is being organized by our good friends at WAVO, and is brought to you by Softlayer (an IBM Company). You must be 18 years old to partake…sorry kids.
FAMILY DAY
This year we’re hosting our FREE Open House day on the Saturday, July 18th. This will be a day for Startups and the whole family. It will be a day dedicated to entrepreneurship, science, and technology. Run in conjunction with the MAtv, Kids Code Jeunesse, CBC, the CRC Robotics Competition and Mad Science, join us for an activity-filled day, you won’t want to miss! There will be something for everyone.
CHILDCARE SERVICES
Montreal startup, Popup Camp, is offering a fun and educational way for kids to spend the day, while you get inspired and connected at Startupfest. Not far from the Startupfest venue (at CEIM), Popup Camp will be hosting kids all day on Thursday, July 16th and Friday, July 17th. Sign your kids up for daycare service here! Space is limited!
SPONSORS (please show them some love)
Startupfest would not be possible without the generous support of our sponsors. Thank you to our presenting partner Videotron Business Services, and our sponsors: BDC Capital, Fasken Martineau,WhyNotBlue, The City of Montreal, The Government of Quebec and theGovernment of Canada. Startupfest is held in collaboration with Shopify,BDO, Tourism Montreal, Karibu, Yellow Pages Group, the Chambre de Commerce du Montréal Métropolitaine, Softlayer, Intuit, SAP andArsenault UX & UI .
Follow @startupfest on Twitter and Instagram to keep in touch and get up-to-the-second updates.
CODE OF CONDUCT
Please take a look at our code of conduct before the event, as it might answer some of your safety questions. We are a very relaxed event, but we will not tolerate abusive behavior of any kind.
Travel safely. Look forward to seeing you onsite at the fifth International Startup Festival next week!
-Phil