Events Calendar
SMALL BUSINESS BIG GROWTH 2025
LEARN FROM EXPERTS | MAKE A PLAN | BUILD A NETWORK
We are pleased to announce our 2025 edition of the Small Business Big Growth Summit on Friday October 17th.
Join fellow small-business owners at the half-day Small Business Big Growth summit, an action-focused day built around supporting your business's growth and development. This annual event kicks off Small Business Week. Celebrate the week by investing in your business' strategic development!
Build your network, get direct access to business experts, and feel inspired.
Walk away feeling refreshed and excited with a plan to kick-start your business goals. Stick around for a networking event to share what you've learned with fellow attendees, connect with experts, and grow your business network.
IF YOU ARE...
THEN THIS EVENT IS FOR YOU
What to Expect from the Summit?
Previous Attendees have said:
- "This event helped me to see where I am right on track and identify areas where I can improve. It also helped me to make connections for future opportunities." - Survey Respondent
- "The summit was an excellent use of time. It was run very professionally." - Survey Respondent
- "I had a fantastic time. Took a lot of notes and feedback to my teams. Handed out lots of business cards and was able to meet a lot of individuals I have been working with and put a face to the name. 5/5." - Survey Respondent"
WHAT KEEPS YOU UP AT NIGHT ROUND TABLES
Start the session with your fellow entrepreneurs and a facilitator discussing your biggest pain points and challenges as a business owner. We will offer topic suggestions and attendees can choose the one most relevant to their business. There will also be a general option available.
KEYNOTE PRESENTATION WITH BDC
Hear from BDC on the latest trends in entrepreneurship in Canada.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP PANEL
Failing Forward: Turning Mistakes into Momentum
This year's Small Business Week is focused on being ready for the economic revolution. So, how do we prepare? Start by hearing from local entrepreneurs on their journeys to success and the road bumps along the way. Being ready doesn't mean having all the answers; in many (most!) cases, it means failing forward, learning from your mistakes, and persevering.
STRATEGY SESSION WITH MATT SYMES, SYMPLICITY DESIGNS
Human+AI, Built for Execution: From Strategy to Measurable Wins
AI isn’t an IT project, it’s a management discipline. In this session, Matt Symes, CEO at Symplicity Designs; AI Entrepreneur-in-Residence at UNB’s J. Herbert Smith Centre, shows leaders how to translate strategy into execution using AI as a capacity amplifier across Marketing, Sales, Delivery, HR, and Leadership. Expect a plain-English rollout you can copy: pick one high-value workflow, apply the 10-80-10 rule, and use RICCE prompting to get reliable outputs.
He’ll cut through hype and “shiny tool chasing” to show why most AI projects fail and how to flip the odds with an operating system that connects business outcomes to process outcomes, to activity drivers, amplified by AI. Attendees leave with practical knowledge so value shows up on Monday, not someday.
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS NETWORKING & ASK AN EXPERT LOUNGE
Keep the networking and strategy planning going and stick around for our Business After Hours! Connect with fellow entrepreneurs and stop by our booths to "Ask an Expert".
Matt Symes
CEO, Founding Partner of Symplicity Designs
Strategy Session Keynote
Matt Symes is CEO and founding partner of Symplicity Designs. He has helped 600+ organizations unlock over $1B in profitable growth and sustain top-decile B-Corp impact. A serial builder, he has started, acquired, and scaled ventures—from a specialty coffee roastery to professional services—giving him operating credibility.
At UNB’s TME, he serves as AI Entrepreneur-in-Residence. His stance is direct: AI is a management discipline, not an IT project. Since 2023, he and Symplicity have introduced practical AI to 300+ leaders and delivered millions in capacity by redesigning workflows, compressing cycle times, and instrumenting decisions with data—so teams ship value on Monday, not “someday.”
Operating work includes scaling a CPG firm from $20M to $155M as interim COO, doubling a global IT firm from $35M to $70M in two years, and improving outcomes in education and healthcare. The grandson of a roofer, his heart is with small business owners.
An award-winning CEO and educator, Matt was Halifax Chamber Business Leader of the Year (2021) and four-time Atlantic Top 50 CEO (2022–2025). Through keynotes, workshops, and his 12-month Levership™ cohort, he teaches leaders to align on a compelling future, make the few hard choices that matter, and build environments where execution becomes routine.
Owner Bliss Caffeine Bar
Entrepreneurship Panel
Jenna’s interest in business ignited early in her life, starting her on a journey immersed in the study of business, complemented by hands-on experience.
Her educational pursuit led her to Halifax, where she dedicated herself to obtaining a Commerce Degree at Dalhousie University, graduating with honours in 2016.
Alongside her academic studies, Jenna navigated entrepreneurial waters, launching and successfully operating an online store specializing in women’s accessories during her time at Dalhousie. Post-graduation, Jenna seamlessly transitioned into the hospitality industry while managing her own Dog Boarding business.
Following a substantial tenure in the hospitality industry, Jenna embarked on a bold venture by establishing her own coffee haven, The Ville Caffeine Bar in 2019. Demonstrating her entrepreneurial prowess, Jenna not only nurtured the brand but also expanded her culinary footprint within a mere two years, giving rise to the flourishing Bliss Caffeine Bar—a full-fledged brunch restaurant.
Impressively, Jenna orchestrated the successful sale of her The Ville Caffeine Bar, a feat achieved in just three years of business ownership. Beyond her role as the driving force behind these establishments, Jenna takes on multifaceted responsibilities, managing all aspects of bookkeeping, general accounting, payroll, and devising strategic marketing and managing initiatives.
Jenna’s business dedication extends beyond her own endeavours. She has been advising colleagues and friends alike who are embarking on new ventures or seeking improvements in their existing businesses and has been mentoring for Immigration Services of Nova Scotia since 2022.
Curator, Taste Asia - Food and Culture Festival and Founder, Lumi Studios Media & Production
Entrepreneurship Panel
Joyce is a passionate Halifax-based community builder and entrepreneur dedicated to celebrating cultural diversity and supporting newcomers in Nova Scotia.
As founder and curator of Taste Asia Food & Culture Festival, she has grown the event from 8 to more than 50 vendors, welcoming over 50,000 attendees every event for a vibrant showcase of food, crafts, live cooking demonstrations, and performances.
Through Lumi Studios, Joyce produces creative projects that amplify immigrant stories, including the short film Why Halifax and the recent production for Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, “Perfect Pairing”.
Joyce has been an active volunteer with the Chinese Benevolent Association since 2017, Joyce was recognized with a Halifax Volunteer Award in 2025 for her contributions to the community.
Jen Warrington
Founder + Principal, Recruitment & Career Strategy at The Warrington Group
Entrepreneurship Panel
Jen is a bold, innovative leader with unique experience on both sides of the hiring process.
A solutions-focused, problem solver with high energy, enthusiasm + passion for disrupting the status quo. Jen makes her clients’ lives easier by empowering + equipping them to scale faster, grow bigger + achieve more.
After hiring over 3600+ professionals from entry-level positions to C-Suite executives, Jen understands what organizations need from their employees + what top talent is looking for in their next career opportunity.
- She created Centres of Excellence across multiple industries.
- Streamlined the hiring process.
- Retained hires at an 85% retention rate.
- Reduce turnover spending by an average of 3x the employee’s annual salary.
- Created a positive employer brand that positions organizations as the employer of choice.
Her experience, perspective + innovative approach to recruitment + career strategy makes The Warrington Group your dynamic, go-to partner for every hiring need.
Small Business Week Partner:
Date and Time
Friday Oct 17, 2025
12:30 PM - 6:00 PM ADT
Friday October 17th
12:30pm - Registration, Lunch, What Keeps You Up at Night Round Tables
1:30pm - Welcome and Introduction
1:50pm - Keynote: BDC
2:25pm - Panel: Failing Forward - Turning Mistakes into Momentum
3:15pm - Strategy Workshop - Matt Symes, Symplicity Designs
3:50pm - Wrap up
4:00pm - Networking and Ask the Experts Market Lounge
6:00pm - Event Ends
Location
Halifax Marriott Harbourfront Hotel
1919 Upper Water Street.
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3J 3J5
Fees/Admission
Tickets:
Members: $94.95.00
Future Members: $160
All prices subject to HST
Not-for-Profit / Student Member Discount of 25% available upon registration
Contact Information
Sandra Thomson, Manager of Events
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