Prince Edward Island will host the world's brightest new media visionaries during nextMEDIA – The International New Media Festival, which takes place from October 22 - 25 in Charlottetown. Produced by one of Canada's leading event management organizations, the Banff Television Foundation, the four-day event is an annual highlight for those engaged in digital content creation, Internet, wireless and related technologies.
The festival features seminars, workshops and case studies focused on a variety of industry sub-sectors, including Entertainment, Government Online, Education, eCommerce and Sports. The event also boasts a number of internationally recognized keynote speakers, including: Curtis Wong of Microsoft Corporation, Kara Swisher of The Wall Street Journal and Dave Winer, author of Scripting News and the longest current running Internet weblog.
"The New Media industry is a priority area of development for Prince Edward Island," said Michael Currie, Minister of Development and Technology. "This festival attracts industry leaders from around the world to Prince Edward Island each year and provides a tremendous opportunity for the Province and our local companies to showcase what we have to offer to this industry."
One of the highlights of the event will be Cyberpitch. The event is an opportunity for five companies to pitch their new media business ideas in a competition for up to $5,000 in development funding, mentorship and the opportunity to attend an intensive training program at the Banff New Media Institute in Banff, Alberta.
Prince Edward Island companies and students attending nextMEDIA are eligible for assistance from Technology PEI, host sponsor for nextMEDIA and the Province's lead agency in the development, adoption and use of information technology in business and community across Prince Edward Island.
The festival is entering its seventh year with events taking place at the Rodd Royalty Inn and Atlantic Technology Centre Charlottetown.