TORONTO — Organizers behind the annual Elevate tech festival say they are cancelling this year's event because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The organization operating the Toronto festival held every September says it will offer refunds to ticket buyers and won't revisit producing its conference until it is safe to do so.
While it awaits being able to host the festival again, Elevate says it is partnering with the Design Exchange in Toronto to launch an innovation hub that will tackle social, economic and environmental challenges.
The Elevate Social Innovation Exchange, also known as Elevate SIX, will offer year-round programming, an accelerator for ventures and a digital media lab for startups.
Elevate SIX will aim to help 100,000 innovators each year with more than $5 million in funding secured from the city and other partners.
Elevate SIX will also serve as an event space that will host business meetings, conferences, product launches, galas, weddings and film shoots.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 29, 2020.
The Canadian Press
