Conference Highlights
Conference Agenda

The Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation at the Haskayne School of Business and the Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking at the University of Calgary hosted the 42nd Annual Canadian Council for Small Business and Entrepreneurship (CCSBE) conference, which took place from November 6-8, 2024. The sessions on Nov. 6, 2024, were delivered virtually while the sessions on Nov. 7-8, 2024 were in-person at the University of Calgary.

The conference theme was “Technological Convergence: Bringing a new energy to SMEs and entrepreneurship.” This theme was intended to focus our attention on the convergence of multiple platform technologies (e.g., AI, quantum, synthetic biology, nanotech, blockchain, etc.) that offer unprecedented opportunities and challenges for entrepreneurs, educators and policy makers.

The University of Calgary’s vision is to be Canada’s most entrepreneurial university in a most enterprising city, a global intellectual and economic hub, and a destination of choice for entrepreneurs and innovators. The University of Calgary’s Strategic Plan, Ahead of Tomorrow, is built upon a foundation of entrepreneurial thinking and the City of Calgary is deeply entrepreneurial and long been an economic engine of Canada. This provided the ideal inspiration for the 2024 CCSBE conference.

The Hunter Hub for Entrepreneurial Thinking is the campus-wide hub for activities that support entrepreneurial student experiences. Meanwhile, the Haskayne School of Business, and the Centre for Entrepreneurship and Innovation provide services for faculty, students, staff and the broader community to foster entrepreneurship and innovation within the business school. 

Conference Chair

Dr. Chad Saunders, Associate Professor, Haskayne School of Business, University of Calgary ([email protected]).

CCSBE 2024 Conference Scientific Committee

  • Chair: Chad Saunders (University of Calgary)
  • Howard X. Lin (Toronto Metropolitan University)
  • Elie Chrysostome (Western University)
  • Joseph Felix Zogning Nguimeya (University of Sherbrooke)
  • Charlene Nicholls-Nixon (Toronto Metropolitan University)
  • Christopher Holt (University of Waterloo)
  • Étienne St-Jean (Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières)
  • Taoting Li (University of Calgary)
  • Philip Piercey (University of Calgary)
  • Mehrsa Ehsani (University of Calgary)
  • Roger Thompson (University of Calgary)
  • Pano Xinos (University of Calgary)
  • Yuanyuan Wu (Lakehead University)
  • Abdoulkadre Ado (University of Ottawa)
  • Robert Anderson (University of Regina)
  • Malcolm D’Souza (George Brown College)
  • Ken Grant (Toronto Metropolitan University)
  • Michael Henry (Thompson River University)
  • Kalinga Jagoda (University of Guelph)
  • Quan Jin (Shanghai University of International Business & Economics, China)
  • Gerry Kerr (University of Windsor)
  • Joyline Makani (Dalhousie University)
  • Amon Simba (Nottingham Business School, UK)
  • Zhan Su (Laval University)
  • Dhirendra Shukla (University of New Brunswick)
  • Vanessa Ratten (La Trobe University, Australia)
  • Shikui Wu (Lakehead University)