As I have said numerous times over the years, I enjoy the thrill of witnessing the power of OCRI at work. One of our new members attending the event re-connected with a former colleague that he had not seen in 14 years. They are having coffee next week to see how they can continue their business collaboration.

Do you have a success story to share from attending or participating in an OCRI event or program? I’d love to hear about it and share it with others. Please contact me at wnoble@ocri.ca

As was recently noted in the media, OCRI’s mandate is evolving. As we work through these changes one of the things we will be looking at is our current membership structure to determine if there is a better way for us to connect with the business community. One of the options we are exploring is to eliminate membership dues for smaller companies and engage with our larger companies using a partnership model. OCRI also wants to be more inclusive, connecting with the broad spectrum of knowledge-based companies in Ottawa. As we move forward through these changes, we will solicit input from our partners and the community.

It is my goal to provide a weekly contribution to the OCRI newsletter that will keep you informed and up-to-date. Look to future blog posts for your invitation to participate in the consultation process or share your ideas with me at ceo@ocri.ca. In order to maintain Ottawa as the best place in Canada to start and grow a business, we need to engage, partner and collaborate with our business community. Let’s start by sharing ideas.

OCRI has been integral in facilitating our ability to build networks and relationships. They have created warm introductions across the country, providing us with instant credibility and a solid place to start building our network. Since joining OCRI in January 2008, we have grown from an Ottawa-focused organization to having four active regional markets and OCRI’s connections continue to support our growth plans across the country!

Our experience with OCRI’s iProfit Mentorship Program was a great success! Our mentor was simply phenomenal! He helped us articulate a solid growth strategy, fine tune our value proposition, and focus our efforts to be successful. We now have a much clearer vision of HOW we will accomplish our goals!

Since we joined, OCRI has been thinking about how we can contribute, whenever the topic of compensation comes up. The validation, encouragement and support we receive is amazing – we look forward to many more years working with the OCRI team!

I take great pleasure in working with our members to find ways for them to maximize their membership. It’s all about connecting with you and then connecting you with the partner, mentor or opportunity that meets your needs. Give me a call and let’s explore how we can work together, 613-828-6274 ext. 275.

This conference is made up of organizations similar to OCRI, all not-for-profits with the main goal of supporting technology within their city, provinces or state. The Canada was well represented from coast to coast with participation from Newfoundland through to Vancouver. Ontario was the strongest contender with Communitech (Waterloo), OCRI and ITAC (Ottawa), Innovation Factory (Hamilton) and Durham Strategic Energy Alliance (Durham) attending the conference.

What struck me the most is how, regardless of where we are located throughout North America, we all face the same challenges and share similar successes. As an example, the need to remain flexible to keep current and adjust to today’s changes resonated throughout all associations. Our workforces are diverse with strong representation from multiple generations, have multiple stakeholders and provide support to the SME’s and the startup community through multiple programs.

One area of discussion focused heavily on membership and sponsorship. Interesting, but not surprising, the U.S. associations were very strong on government advocacy and public policy, providing health insurance to their members and career connections. As a group, there were many similarities but geography determined what services were required from their members and sponsors. Many people at the event related how they refer to OCRI as their ‘go to’ model to find out what we are doing to support Ottawa’s technology community.

As with any professional development function , it is during the face-to-face encounters that you really learn what other groups are doing and what you can do to keep pace with our ever-changing world.

So, after many exchanges of ‘y’alls and eh’s’ , I’m ready to begin another exciting season with our members and sponsors!

This small token of our appreciation was well received from the feedback I heard during the 90 minute reception. Kathy Mahoney, VP of corporate programs and membership, commented on how great it was to see all the committee members from all of OCRI’s programs gathered together for the first time. With over 70 people in the room there was plenty of networking opportunities and exchanges of ideas. I’m sure several of those ideas will be come to fruition in next season’s events.

It still amazes me that the small things in life (and in business) seem to gather the most attention. I have discovered quite often that in today’s fast paced- world people forget to stop and thank those around them for making a difference through their efforts and contributions.

Until next season, a big thank you to all of OCRI’s sponsors and committee members. Have a safe and happy summer and enjoy some downtime with family!

It was a great day—plenty of time for some deep networking, fun games on the tees with the sponsors while you waited for the group ahead to move out of range but not so slow that the round seemed never-ending. And the networking continued after the game, during cocktails and dinner, so much so that the event MC, Kurt Stoodley, was hard pressed at times to curtail the networking in order to hand out prizes. He is, however, a polished MC who manages to grab on to any amusing story and run with it, much to the chagrin of some and the amusement of others. Kurt’s banter even had Olympic silver medalist, Liz Manley, proudly declaring that she was good with second place, there was no shortage of laughs at dinner.

As one participant put it “Somehow, OCRI is always able to work a deal with the gods (or devil) to make sure the weather is perfect, the food great and the group of people that get randomly matched up to play together have a spectacular day!”

The only thing OCRI didn’t manage to perfection were the deerflies and mosquitoes, do you think there is an app for that? Perhaps we should put a challenge out to the developers in Ottawa for next year. In the meantime, we’d like to thank the companies who sponsored (visit ocri.ca/events/golf for the full list) this event, many of them returning year after year, and we’d also like to thank those of you who took part. This event may not be launching the next “big” idea but many a good idea gets hatched while you line up a winning putt.

Photos of the day available online.

We have engaged a team of grad students from Algonquin College’s Marketing and Business Intelligence Research program to help conduct a confidential survey.  The responses that you provide will help us understand the needs and expectations of our members and give us some insight into what’s most important to businesses who are not members yet.

We’ll be sending the survey out via email later this week. It isn’t very long and it won’t take much time but the information we can extract from the responses will help us ensure that the programs, initiatives and offerings that OCRI extends to the community are directly aligned with your needs and expectations.

If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me via email wnoble@ocri.ca or phone 613 828 6274 ext 275. 

So help us help you and take the time to complete this survey.  To sweeten the deal, we’re happy to offer one lucky survey participant an Xbox Kinect!  

Thanks!

Walter

In the early 90s, a film called Six Degrees of Separation built its story around the idea that we are all separated by six degrees from everybody else on the planet.  Everyone is an open door into another world and knows the people you are looking to meet or companies you want to work with.  Everyone is connected by a trail of only six people, whether you are famous or not.  If you find the right people to make the connection with, distance vanishes and the right opportunities will come your way.

It is all about relationships. Build them and keep them strong. Working together is much easier than going it alone. The more diverse your network is the better.  Build your network within clusters or groups and your opportunities will grow.

Networking can be one of the most powerful ways to grow your business and raise your level of professionalism and visibility.  Don’t treat networking as something you do occasionally and forget about.  Networking, for a successful business professional, is a way of life.  If you’re good at it, you will do it without thinking and without being false.  Offer yourself in alliance to others, create a net of people who know you and trust your expertise, and keep building that net. That is what builds success. Passion, tenacity, and follow-through help build your business, and connections with mentors, peers, and clients keep it moving.

No two networking groups are the same – some have less than 10 people, some over 100, some have a structured, rigid agenda whilst others are just an informal gathering. Different group will have their own aims and culture. Even two groups running to the same agenda will be different depending on who is attending, determining the dynamics within the group.

What is networking? It is simply the process of expanding your contacts with people.

What is membership?  A channel to voice your opinion and support your community.

Case in point… I recently met up with Loris Bondio, president of Spectra FX, a small software company, who has been an OCRI member for the last five years and asked him what value OCRI has provided him and his company.

He cited several examples. His first was while attending (as an exhibitor) the OCRI showcase in 2007. This is where he met fellow members who helped him develop a marketing plan to attract more business internationally. Secondly, with the help of OCRI, he targeted his time and effort to specific events such as our Research Days where he was introduced to people from Pfizer who later became a larger client. It took a year before he saw the financial benefit but it happened. Thirdly, I connected Loris to another colleague at OCRI who in turn connected him to one of the embassies in town where he later established a business relationship that benefited both parties and is now thriving in the UK.

These are all examples of intangible benefits of being a member of any association or organization that do not get communicated as often as they should. 

This year, I’ve made it my mission to find out from our members the type of intangible benefits they are receiving from OCRI.  If you’ve got a story to share, please contact me at wnoble@ocri.ca.  Hey I might even ask you for a testimonial to post on our website.

Below is a photo of Amika Mobile CEO, Dr. Sue Abu-Hakima & The Honourable David Onley, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario