Village Gamer

Vancouver – Local interactive industry folks are invited to the Help Haiti Pub Night being held on Thursday January 28th from 7-11pm at Steamworks Brew Pub and Restaurant (375 Water Street Vancouver). There are plans for a silent auction, with a few items already on the block, including tickets for Casual Connect to auction off! Two winning bidders will receive 1 year conference passes to Seattle, Hamburg, and Kyiv, 1 with speaker’s dinner. If you are interested in donating items for auction, please contact Bren at 604.765.7273. Net proceeds from this event will be donated to UNICEF for the purchase of water.

According to their website, UNICEF is working to provide survivors with family water kits, water-purification tablets and other supplies aimed at mitigating the deadly effects of contaminated water.

“Aside from simply delivering these essential supplies, we must also work to promote hygiene by providing soap and issuing messages in French and Creole on preventing and treating diarrhoea, cholera and dysentery,” said UNICEF Emergency Operations Officer Ainga Razafy. “Our priority is to prevent a second wave of disaster and ensure against the outbreak of any life-threatening, water-borne diseases.”

Canada – DFAIT invites Canadian interactive companies to participate in The Canada Programme at GDC San Francisco, March 10 – 12, 2010. For further information on The Canada Programme, please contact Victoria Hayes at 604.666.1409 (for BC Companies – please contact your local digital media association or DFAIT office in other parts of Canada.) For companies in Alberta, please contact Rene Smid from Digital Alberta. The deadline for BC applications is today, while Alberta’s deadline is January 25.

Prior to GDC, the Canada Programme offers Business to Business Matchmaking – DFAIT is currently collecting company profiles to share with foreign purchasers and developers attending GDC to determine mutual meeting interests and facilitate those meetings in advance.

Two webinars are also being offered, which are geared towards Canadian attendees making the most of their time at GDC in San Francisco. The first webinar is titled “Meet the Publishers” will be held on February 2 from 1-230pm. Major publishers (yet to be announced) will discuss what’s hot and what’s not, what the want to see in 2010 and how Canadian companies can best position themselves in 2010.

The second Webinar, “Make the Right Pitch, At the Right Time” will feature experienced industry leaders who will present on how to prepare and execute an effective 30-second and 10-minute pitch to both game publishers and potential financing entities (Angels and Venture Capitalists). The air details for this webinar have not yet been finalized.

Once participants arrive at GDC San Francisco, there will be a number of services and activities to assist Canadian companies, including the following:

Canada at Game Connection – March 8-10th
Trade Commissioners will be on hand in Game Connection to address questions related investment and business development in Canada.

Canadian Trade Commissioners
GDC is the opportunity to meet and discuss market opportunities with visiting Canadian Trade Commissioners from around the world and the United States! Trade Commissioners will be at Game Connection, the Canada Business Lounge at the W Hotel and in the GDC Expo.

The Canada Business Lounge at the “W” – March 10-12th with partner – Export Development Canada

The Canadian Trade Commissioner Service invites Canadian companies who will be at GDC San Francisco to meet their clients, partners and buyers in the Canada Business Lounge. This lounge will have semi-private tables available for Canadian companies to meet with potential clients and partners at no cost. The Canada Business Lounge in the W Hotel is located on the 3rd Floor in Workroom 3. The lounge will be open from 8.00 a.m. to 5.00 p.m. on March 10, 11 & 12. Timeslots can be pre-booked as well as booked during GDC. There will also be unreserved meeting space available for companies during GDC.

The “Canada” Reception – March 10th with partners – Telefilm & RIM

The most popular reception during GDC is back. Once again, the Trade Commissioner Service, in partnership with Telefilm and RIM, will host The Canada Reception at Jillian’s. This event will bring together the Canadian presence at GDC – including companies, educational institutions, governments, provincial associations, and regional clusters. Join international publishers to sample our signature Canadian food and drink. Come prepared to show the world how Canada’s creative, competitive talent plays. This event will be held on Wednesday March 10 from 430 to 830pm at Jillians, with invitations required for admittance.